The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-01-27
A CH1cAeO sONe IL LONDox.
Strong Effect OF Music Illustrated by


CHICAGO SONG H LONDON.
strong Effect OF Music Illustrated by
Spectacle.
A correspondent gives the following
account of the singing of "Father Come
Home" in one of the music halls in
London:
Having reached the hall, we paid an
admission fee of sixpence. There was
very neat stage, with gaudy drop
scene, side wing, and tOlerable good
orchestra. In the stalls sat the chair
man, to keep order over rs motley an
audience as ever was seen out OF the
gallery of Victoria Theater. "Costers''
seemed TO predominant. All appeared
plentifully supplied with porter, and
all were enjoying their pipes to such
an extent as to make the place almost
sutfocating, for there must have been
A niger "walk around" was just
being finished, and the shouts of ''en-
core, :" whisLling and stamping OF feet
made the hall perfectly bewildering.
a name was announced from tho
chairman, which we could not catch,
and amidst clapping OF hands and
stamping of feet there was buzz OF
''This is the song!" The waiter called
loudly, "Any more orders?" and these
being taken and duly executed, all
seemed to settle down quietly to listen
TO the song. There was the symphony,
and another buzz of "This is i'll" and
we began to feel anxious. Presently
female came in front of the curtain,
amidst great applause, and commenced
"Father, dear father" tEc. Every word
was distinct, and she sang the ballad
with great feeling. In order, however,
to fully describe the scene which fol-
lowed each verse, 1t is necessary to give
Little Mary's" song:
"Fathcr, dear father, come home with me
The clock In the kteeplo strikes One /!
(gong,)
You pI ON ised, dear father, that you would
Assoon as your days work was done.
Our fire has gone Out-our house is all dark
And mothers been watching since tea,
Win moor little Benny SO sick In her arms,
And no one to help her but me.
Come home, come home, come home.
Please father, dear father come hOLne."
At the conclusion OF the last line the
drop scene drew up, disclosing the faith
er sitting at the door OF public house,
in a drunken, bemuddled state, with a
pipe and pot before him. Little Mary
was trying to drag him from his seat.
at the same time pointing to curtain
behind, as she took up the refrain from
the lady, and tOuChinEly sang, Come
home" &c. This other curtain was now
room in which was the mother with the
poor, sickly-looking boy in her lap, and
in the act of feeding him with spoon.
simultaneously with the drawing of the
curtain, the lime light was brought to
bear upon the tableaux, giving them a
truly startling effect. After a moment or
two the act drop came down, and the
lady proceeded.
Father. dear father, come home with me
The clock in the steeple strikes two (gong,
The night has grown colder, and Benny is
But he has been calling for you.
Indeed he Is worse, mother says he will
Perhaps before morning shall dawn,
And this was the message she sent me to
Come quickly or he will be gone.
Come nome, 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," etc, the other curtain is
drawn aside, and we next see the child
stretched out on its mothers lap. and :,
as it just raises its little head and falls
back with a gasp, with the lime light
rejecting strongly upon 1t, there was u
reality about the whole terrible to view.
9OUS "eEo lEOIu Ill
parts of the hall, coming from the fe-
male portion OF the audience, while
tears trickled down many male cheek.
We have seen "Susan Hopley," "The
Stranger, "Jane Shore," East
| Lynne" and other effective pieces play
ed, but never before did we witness such
scene OF general crying. The princi-
pal feature called to mind the picture
| of the "Sister of Mercy" with the dy-
| ing child In her lap, and the death was
fearfully natural. Even the lady who
sang the song was affected, and could
scarcely proceed with the third verse:
FEATHER; dear father, come homo with me
now,
The clock in the Rteeple strikes Three!
(gOng, gong, gOnH)
Tho house is so lonely, Inc hours so long,
| For poor weeping mother and me.
| Yes; we are alOne-pOOr Benny is dead,
| And gone with the angels OF light,
And these are the very last words that lie
Il want TO kiss pnpa good-nightp
Come home, come home, come homo,
| Please, father, dear father, come home"
Again the drop rose, disclosing little
Mary on her knees appealing to her
father, who, with the pot elevated, is in
the act OF striking her with it, as she
! sings "Come Home" and then the back
curtain draws aside, showing the
mother praying over a child's collin
| But now the sObs burst still more free
ly, and two females are carried out
fainting. The scene was truly harrow
ing, and we gladly turned our eyes
away.
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
the mother, and little Mary on her
knees, singing, "Home, home, father,
dear father, come home" AT this mo-
| al u. i =
little Benny is suspended over the cof-
fin with wings. smiling down upon
them and pointing upward. The father
falls forward on his face, and the act
drop descends, and for few minutes
all is hushed save the sobs of the fe-
males.
"There," said workingman by our
side, as he heaved a sigh or relief; Mr..
Spurgeon never preached a better ser
mon than that" an expression to
which we assented, and then Lent the
hall: