The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-04-30
AN ADDRESS
DELIVERED BEFORE THE

| DELIVERED BEFORE THE
Young Mems Christian Association,
OF UPPER sANDUsKY, o.,
Friday Evening, April "a, 1865,
I BY 4. E. GRISELL, ESQ.
| MIR PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GEN
TLEMEN The subject I have Sc
lected for few remarks, upon this
occasion, is:
! The World: What it is, and how
to live in it.
The subject, you will observe, is
a very old one, but however much
its age may affect my treatment of
it, at this time, Us to the world it.
self, neither it's age nor scarcely
our own, seems to lessen our inter
est in it. We are willing to be
subject to it, willing to submit to
its buffetings, and to bear its losses
and crosses for g. period of three
score and ten years, or more, and
even then bo able to render divers
and sundry very plausible reasons
why we should not, just then, be
compelled to vacate our places in
it.
This subject too, is one that puz-
| zled us in our earliest efforts at
discovery, as to its dimensions
| and character. Our first impress
ion as to its extent was, that it did
not extend beyond the woods that
surrounded our fathers farm, the
next that it might possibly extend
to the point where the earth and
lsky seemed to come together.
Then we were taught that it was
Ground and like ball" and "seem
ed swinging in the air." and we were
puzzled again to know if this were
true, how it was that while it was
l'swinging round the circle we did
not fly off, or all the water run out
of the ocean, and after we had be-
come so reconciled to this 'scircle
swinging" as to be proof against it,
we were prepared for another step,
and were taught that it was ga will
derness of woe,' and then left with
this, as a cap sheaf, to puzzle our
blains the remainder of Gus days.
But these are not the aspects in
which 1 propose to look at the sub
ject at this time.
The moral and intellectual rather
than the physical seem the more
proper as topics for the occasion.
Shakespeare has said:
| s'All the worlds stage,
| And all the men and women are mere players
In this light I propose to treat the
subject at present.
Passing by the physical, the
stagely character of the world, it's
lights and shades, its rich furniture
and varied scenery, it's magnificent
ornaments and superb equipments,
'The sylvan pomp of woods-the golden sun
The howerS-the leaycs-the river on its way ;
Blue skies-silver clouds-and gentle winds
| The swelling upland. where the side long sun
Aslant the wooded slope, at evening goes
Groves through whose broken roof the sky
Mountains-and shattered clifs-and sunny
The distant 1ake-fountains-and mighty
Leaving all these things I pass at
once to the actors, that which in
this great exhibition presents some
thing more than the mere physical,
presents the moral and intellectual,
in their various developments as
manifested in the human character,
habits and disposition.
! And as moral and intellectual be-
ings, these actors are to be judged,
and their acts criticized. If they
have well learned their respective
parts and are honestly and conscien-
ciously playing them, they must be
approved; if not they are cumber-
ers Of the ground, who, if they
ought not to be cut down and gath
cred and cast into the fire to be
burned up, ought at least to be ere
constructed.
There are few general rules that
actors are required to observe in at
tempting to entertain audiences in
theatrical performances, among
which are:
l. That the actor in his appear
ance, demeanor and conduct shall
not only not give offense, but shall
absolutely please the audience.
| 2. That in playing his part, the
actor shall for the time being wholly
forget himself, and utterly lose his
personal identity.
Of these in their order. If we
were to apply this first rule to the
actors on this worldly stage and
require that they should all present
themselves upon the stage in such
manner as not to give offence, waiv-
ing the requirement that they should
absolutely please, and if in addition
we were supplied with a stage man
ager with authority to rule off all
who coult, not ''pass muster in
this particula.~, what sad havoc the
arrangement yo Md make with our
population. Thai hard faced, hard
hearted old miser, wi, o lives to hoard
up gold, and grinds The very life
blood out Of the poor that he may
hoard it, who, cold, rigid snd ex-
acting, never in all his life lad a
kindly feeling toward member of
the human family, and who woult,
not speak pleasantly to you or
smile even in your face lest he might
produce slight thrill of joy or
satisfaction in your heart; would
he not be ruled off the stage.
That profane ruf1ian, who, regard
less of both God and man belches
forth his coarse and brutal oaths,
and blasphemous imprecations in
your streets, would he be allowed
to fill place in the great play?
Or those young men, who with
out visible means of support, sit
upon store boxes or stand at the