The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-03-18
NUMBER IL.
THE BABY OVERTURE.

Under this caption Elihu Burritt gives
in Packard's Monthly a graphic account
of the formation of society in Califor-
MIA at the commencement os the gold
excitement there. After telling of the
rudeness and roughness of times before
the advent of woman among the miners,
he continues thus:
After while, two or three wives
were sent for by their husbands, and
now for the first time. the sight and
voice of woman greeted the gold Dig
gers. Her advent was hailed with won
der and delight. No English princess
of the blood could have attracted or
inspired more admiration in her walks
through an English village, than did the
first woman who walked among the
log huts and cabins of San Francisco.
After year or two several of these
rude homes had wives or sisters inthem,
and society began to take shape and
form under their influence. The I'M
kept, rough, sunburnt miners began to
wash their faces, and tidy their dress
and department into a more respectable
semblence in this new female presence.
Homes, thoughts and memories of far
off mothers and sisters were set into
softening exercise by it. Perhaps the
thought even of an infant school was
suggested as an institution in their little
wooden town.
The little wooden town grew rapidly
and it began to assume some of the
small appurtenances of civilization.
They built rude playhouse, and called
it theater, aud extemporized an or
chestra numbering several fiddles, a
bass viol, a trombone, and two or three
other instruments. These entertain
ments were enjoyed with great relish
by the Woodworking men, and s'the
house" was sure to be well filled when
ever opened. More wives and sisters
were brought on from the Northern
States, and by-and-by little voice was
heard in one of the rude houses of the
village. After while some of these
new corners graced the theater with
their presence, and were greeted with
expressive looks of admiration and de-
light. One evening the first infant born
in the ettlement, of American parents,
was brought by its mother to the thea
ter. just as the orchestra was in the
midst of crashing brGeurG the little
thing put forth a sudden cry, that pierre
ed the music of all the wind instru-
ments with a treble that none of then
could make. 1t was the first note of
human infancy that had been heard for
years by the great majority of the au-
dience. Not a soul of them fell to in
terpreting its political significance. No
one heard in that quavering cry the
bubbling utterances of an infant State
hailfng the world from its cradle, or the
cry of the first-born of young nation.
No such speculations filled that minute
of common emotion. That infant cry
was to them all the self-voiced memory
of their childhood, and its life on the
other side of the wide continent A
stalwart gold digger, with locks like
grizzly bears and face ''like the TAM"
put the sentiment of the whole house
in its true expression when he shouted,
''Stop those fiddles and let the baby
cry haven't heard such a sound for
ten years. !" The whole audience ap-
plauded the sentiment. The fiddles
stopped playing; the orchestra listened
with eager and delighted ears. The
Baby's Overture was the only music of
the moment. AS it rose and fell on the
gamut of its treble, pit, box and gallery
burst forth into cheer after cheer of de-
light and enthusiasm.
Such was the Baby's Overture at the
birth of new State, that ere long will
count its millions, and lead the Pacific
empire of the English speaking race.