Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-08-10
Madison Correspondence.

Mr. EDITOR Snakes, bears, men
and other animals go into "winter
quarters and when they do the
world does not expect to hear much
from them. or they to do much
Your correspondent however is an
exception, | do not affect "winter
quarters" for it is then, if ever, that
energy seems a part and parcel of
my make up. The cold western winds
hurting their forces against me with
snap and a. snarl are successful in
provoking responsive growl, which
if not melodious betrayed life. No,
give to me summer quarters whore |
may be torpid, and oh Mrs Chick [
pray, spare me from "making an eff
fort !" the worry word is struck from
my vocabulary from June to October.
Last night cloudy sky and cool
wind disturbed my lethargy and
awakened my curiosity as to the do
ings'of the world during my snooze.
Ny explorations and inquiries led me
to think | had not lost much. The
world had not moved on as rapidly
as Rip Van Wrinkles village had done
while he was in the arms of NOR
pheus. The Madison party over the
Pacific II. r. had arrived in San Fran
cisco and letters from Mr. Ross had
kept us informed of their different
adventures.
| think there are no more colleges
to make their parting bow. All the
ladies have added the stereotyped
number Of cups of jelly to their store
with varied success in color and stiff.
ness.
The next thing on the programme
was a series OF concerts by "Blind
Tom" All of your readers are
doubtless acquainted VII the his
tory OF this blind black boy and bis
musical genius. He could scarcely
be called anything more than an idiot
were it not for the wonderful power
be possesses of catching and initial
ing sounds. His attitudes and occen>
trio manner on the stage are pain
fully devoid of method, and pity is
the predominant emotion one exper~
fences when looking at him. But
when his fingers touch the keys of
his beloved instrument, the piano, or
he sings with his mellow voice, he is
at once clothed with a dignity, and
compassion is swallowed up in adj
miration. He plays with much taste
and correctness, and initiates with
startling accuracy any piece ofmusie
upon hearing it the first time.
The two classical pieces of music
with which he opened his concert
only challenged mild astonishment
in comparison with his many and
and varied examples of what he does
with pure sound. He played with
his back to the piano, gave laughable
and correct limitations of the hand
organ, bag-pipe and violin, besides
the little speeches he had learned in
all Of which no spoke Of himself in
the third person. Take it all in all
"Blind Tom" gave his audience var.
led and highly enjoyable entertain
ment. The paramount feeling of all
who saw him must have been in acs
knowledgement of the wisdom which
in depriving being Of all that usu-
ally makes life sweet, had to this
Tom given a talent which was pro-
ductive of much good to himself and
others.
And continuing the differences, one
could but ..bewailsthat the fact stood,
that while one would have been an
idiot without music, so many made
themselves worse idiots by tryingsto
reap where nought had ever been
sown.
| can but think young ladies, you
to whom God has given no talent for
music, that your fingers and mind
would fin better employment and
produce more harmony in the world,
if you did not spend the most of
your time in running good pianos
and the nerves OF your ighbors.-
You will perceive l am not converted
to the publicly expressed opinion of
one of our young ministers that the
old proverb "Poetd nascitur, non ft''
is sham and whatever one ,Cills
to be, that he can be, whether
it is poet, musician or a blockhead.
Madison, Wis. August s. 1862 CRAYoN