Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-08-10
HE'S: 'hE s.--VOL. II, NO. 10.
Father, Come Home"

Music has drawn many heart
back from yielding to a temptation
1t was on the point of doing, and
binds the world together in stronger
bonds Of brotherhood than anything
else of humanizing tendency. But
how much more effective when aided
by little dramatic effect. A London
correspondent gives an affecting de-
scription of the singing of the pa
thetic ballad of "Father, ComeHome, :"
in one of the theatres, which left
but few dry eyes in the house, and
must have nerved to stronger reso-
lutions any present who were in the
habit of giving way to the weakness
Of INDUCING in intoxicating drinks
to excess. This correspondent, de-
scribing the scene, says that the lady
came in front of the curtain, amid
great applause, and commenced
"Father, dear father" &c. Every
word was distinct, and she sang the
ballad with great feeling In order,
however, to describe the scene which
followed each verse, it is necessary
to give little Marys song
Father dear father, come home with nae now
The clock in the stseple strikes enc
You promised, dear father, that you would come
home,
As as your days work was done.
Our hre has gone out-our house is all dark,
And mothers been watching since tea
With poor little Benny sick in her arms
And to helH her but me-
Come home, come home, come home
Please, father, dear father, come home"
At the conclusion Of the last line,
the drop-scene drew up, disclosing
the father sitting at the door Of
public house, in a drunken, bemud-
died state, with pipe and pot before
him. Little Mary was trying to
drag him from his seat, at the same
time pointing to curtain behind,
and she took up the refrain from the
lady and touchingly sang, "Come
home" &c.
The other curtain was now drawn
aside, disclosing a wretched room,
with the poor mother sitting on the
ground with sickly-looking boy in
her lap, and in the act Of feeding him
with spoon. simultaneously with
the drawing of the curtain the light
was brought to bear upon the tab
leaux, giving them truly startling
effect. After moment or two, the
act>drop come down, and the lady
proceeded:
Father, dear father, come home with ms row,
The clock in the steeple strikes two;
The night has grown colder, and Benny Is worse,
for
Indeed he is worse, mother says he will die,
Perhaps before morning shall dawn,
And this is the message she sent me to bring
Come quickly or he will be gone
Come home come home come home,
Please, father, dear father, come home
The act-drop rises again, and now
the child has hold of the pewter pot,
trying to take it from the drunken
parent, and as she continues the last
two lines, "Come home" &C., the
other curtain is drawn aside, and we
next see the child stretched out in
its mothers lap, and it just raises its
little head and falls back with a gasp
With the lime light rejecting strong
~ upon it, there was reality about
the whole, terrible to view. Sobs
were heard from all parts of the hall,
coming from the female part of the
audience, while tears trickled down
many a male cheek. Even the lady
who sang the song was affected and
could scarcely proceed with the third
verse
"Father, dear father, come home with now,
The clock in the stseple strikes three
The house is so lonely, the hours so lcn(,
For poor weeping mother and me.
Yes, we a'one--pooT Benny is dead,
And gone with the an gels of light
And these are the very last words that he said
Il want to kiss papa-good nighti'
Come home, come home come home
Please, father, dear father, come home"
Again the drop rose, and displayed |
little Mary on her knees appealing
to her father, who, with pot elevated
is in the act of striking her with it,
when she sings, "Come home" and
then the back curtain draws aside,
showing a mother praying over a
childs coffin. But now the sobs
break out more freely, and two fe-
males are carried out fainting The
scene was most truly narrowing.
An additional verse was sung about
"poor Benny" being with the angels
above. The drop rose, the father, sober
now, is weeping over the coffin, with
little Mary on his knees singing,
"Home, home, fathers come home |"
At this minute the curtain is drawn
aside, and little Benny is suspended
over the coffin with wings, and smil>
ing down on them and pointing up
ward. The father falls forward up
on his face, the act-drop descends,
and for minute all is hushed save
the sobs of the Household
Magazine.