Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-01-30
THE RUTLAND HER AID.
WEDNESDAY, JANrRY ~ lNes
Dramatic Memories.

We ind ia thu New York LlnI IN
the article contributed l,y Horacc urccley
entitled "Reeolleetim, # Busy Lii,
Time" one on Dramatic Memories, which
commences With rrminiscenoe, ii hi, hoy
hood days and relating 10 incident, that
are somewhat local, having transpircd in
Westhayen and Wells in this county
and as some II hi- contemporaries, may
have their memorie. refreshed thereby,
and from the fact that but few efom'ci,i-
gems would otherwise see the article, ",
present il in the main % the readers OF
the Herald;
know not that the Instructive ycam-
ing Of human leing for dramatic repre-
sentations, and the delight with which
these are witnessed, alike hy cit and saw
age, may not bea dictate OF Mans innate
and after deprayity, inspired hy the great
author Of evil; ye, ! hcar unhcsi,a,ing
testimony % is existence. |, is very
nearly half a century since my father,
lying on sick bed and supposed Ia be-
asleep, was intensely amused, A. ! after
wards heard him relate, hy witnessing
the gambols Of his three younger children
all between eight and three years old
who rudely reeast into dramatic form
the nonseasieal ,old song Of "A frog he
would wooing 20. and enacted teach
personationg one ofthe animals mentioned
therein-for their own mutual delecta-
tation, surprising that no one else was
cognizant OF the performance, have no
reason 70. suppose that one Of them had
ever heard of theatre or play prior TO
that unique effort.
Four or Ave years later, after we had
migrated 10 Vermont what was called an
"e1hibition"-that is, play-was set ON
foot in our Westhaven school district,
prompted by the MASTER and | was allo,.
ted part therein. The drama was en-
titled, i think. "The Fall Of Bonaparte,"
and was intensely saturated with detest- |
alton of the great but fallen Corsican, /
who. believe, was still living. though in |
reduced circumstances | reoollect that
my part was that Of either General or
Captain Lescourt; Doth were in the play, |
and have forgotten which was mine y |
only recollect that il was as full Of ex-
ecration Of the destroyer OF French liberty. !
the betrayer Of the hopes Of the untitled /
millions. as even could wish to utter. / |
that we had several recitaions,
and that the play nearly spoiled our
studies for that winter; but ] cannot be
certain Of the contamination. | believe
our play was played-badly of course
for the performers did not average twelve
years old, and not one Of them had ever
seen drama really enacted. II any one
asserts from knowledg that that long
expected and intently preparation "exhi-
bition' failed, for some reason, TO come
Oh, shall not contradict him, though my
impression is different
More years passed and at length,
while an apprentice at Poultney, an Eek
hibition' was advertised 10 come off one
evening in the church at Wells, six miles
south of us; so party was made up to
attend i'll being one of that party.
Wells had rather a hard reputation in
those days perhaps from the ill-behavior
81 those who went thither from neighbor-
ing towns to "carry on;'0 which fame, /
trust, ii has since outgrown. 1t was late
IN winter, with deep snow, but thawing:
70 that, TO protect US from the balls of ice
and snow constantly thrown at us from
our horses feet, long board had been set
up on edge across the front of our rude
sleigh, or rather, sled; and this, in pass
ing a point of rock which projected into
the narrow road through the forest which
skirted Lake St. Austin" otherwise
Wells Pond, was caught and held so as
to rake the sled clear of its human freight.
| received hurt on my right shin which
unhealed for years. But no one
all laughed and we were
soon all on board and in motion again,
Wells in good time for the sex
hibition.' The church was crowded with
eager and not very critical auditors the
players were considerably older than we
Of We5thaven were at the date Of our
maiden effort; and ] presume the playing
was better, mainly because it could not
easily be worse. There were several
pieces most of them literally so ON the
bills, and all were duly undergone; vet
even their names have escaped me. One
popularity remains firmly imbedded in
my memory. There was scene in one of
the plays wherein man snugly hidden
amid the thick branches Of an evergreen
tree overheard plot to commit robbery.
and perhaps murder also. Whereupon, he
hides his time, and duly precipitates him.
self on the robber Ior robbers) in the very
act, putting him, or them, to death or
eight, and CALAMITY rescuing the intended
victim. Well here is where the laugh
comes in :: The tree-a substantial pine or
hemlock, some eight inches through and
twenty feet high-had been firmly i'm
planted in the stage before the "exhibi-
ion" began; and there it remained to the
noticeable, but not very
,ongruous, portion of the furniture Of
every parlor, boudoir, prison-cell, court
room, &c, &c, from first to last If city
audiences were less fastidious, suspect
that managers might have learned how to
retrench their expenses for furniture, fix
lures, scenery, attendants, &c, by study
ing that Wells exhibition"
Unluckily, some of my companions On
that excursion were of the won't go
home till morning" stamp, and could not !
zee why any one should go to Wells un- i
less to have high old time" They ,
controlled the team, and would neither
set it on the road to Poultney, nor permit
.hc IcSt VI u5 VA w ~, Until iaic tIe next
day. Meantime, they would neither .
sleep nor tolerate Iumber on the part of
any one else. The performances Of the
latter part of the night were little Wild
er and rougher than was ever before or
since implicated in, however innocently,
and Wells was no wise to blame therefor. ,
! never saw the respected village save ,
during this single visit; and l sincerely
trust that my reputationthere is not based
on the average conduct of my party on
that exceptionally boisterous occasion.
II was never before nor since so hard for
me to work as during the afternoon and
evening following our return to Poult-
ney.
More years passed; l had migrated to
this CITY and in Dacamher 1871 l 10. !