Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1870-11-18
SELECTED STORY
AUNT KEZIAH'S MUSICAL EDU.
CATION.
BY CLARA AUGUSTA.

D1 CLAhA AU0OGIa.
From my very childhood I've had pow
erful voice for singing.
My mother sed that used to sing in my
cradle, and people used to tell her that there
) was no doubt but I should make wonder
full muscianer. | expect if my voice had
been trained to it, should have beat Jenny
Lind, Pickledhominy, and the rest of them
fellers, all heller.
But in the days of my girlhood, people
was teached 70 spin and weave, and draw
swingletow; and all the singing they did
was done at the wheels and looms-except
little Sundays, in the old meeting US,
down to Beanville Corner. Law sake how
well [ can remember them times though.
for thai matter, there's no reason Why |
shouldn't; it's only few years ago sense
they took place
Old Parson Origins used to be the min
lister, and such long, white head of hair as
be had and such ;. Powered morning gound
as he used to wear! He was the most re-
markable preacher of the age! Used to be
called "Revival Origins" Why, while he
was at Beanvile Corner, six year lacking a
month, he split three pulpits all TO smash,
and banged nine Bibles clean out of their
bindings The way he used to thrash things
round was enuff to make a timid persons
hair stan up! l remember the first time [
heard him, | was skairt all of a tremble,
and poor little Becky Walker squat rite
down in the pew and stuffed her fingers into
her ears to keep the sound out
Everyt ody ort to lnos their own duty
best, but for my part, [ never could see that
| there was any need of a minister's ranting
round so when be was preaching Folks
that 60 to meeting don't generally go to see
the Gospel actcd outby kickings and pound
ings-they go to hear it preached in SOL
lum, civilized, Christian way and if there's
any acting to be done, most everybody
would prefer to see it kerried out in the
everyday walk of life, by charity, forgive
ness, meekne' S, and bencvolence. Them's
my ideas
Joe Gilman led the quire in the old meet
ing 'us. One Sunday, he liked to have
skeered everybody out of their wits with a
long necked, big jinted thing that screeched
just like child that's cut its finger, when
its ma turns alkerhol onto it! We all jump
ed to our feet at the first noise. AMI gazed
around us like parsel of wild folks but
Joe Explained matters and told us not to be
afraid, it was only new tangled kind Of a
musical instrument that he'd bought in Bos-
ten, to an auction
After that, there couldn't be no singing
done without Joe Gilman and his double
barreled base bottle But it didn't hold in
repair long. Some of the strings was broke.
or some kind of a fixing was out of killer,
and there was spells wbea actilly Tied
the poor thing-it seemed as if Joes scrap
} ing would be the death of it! Sounded jest
like tearing the shingles off from the ruff Of
house all to once!
Sense I married, I haint sung none Of
consequence in publick-Tve had other fish
to fry. I've sort Of kept my voice in tune
by singing all to myself. when there haint
been nobody present Sarah Ann has tried
to break me of the notion Of humming to
myself she seq it amt lady like to keep al
lers footing. But law sake! who's 8
gwine to see me. and find out whether Tn
lady like, or not, when Pm all soul alone
About two weeks ago, teller come te
Deanville to keep a singing skull. He cal
led hisself Professor Maine, and sed he come
from New York Was a gwine to keer
twenty four nights, and asked everyhody
that went, two dollars apiece; a gentleman
and lady, that was counting, might boil
20 for three dollars. was terrible sorr,
the Major warn't there-we could have say
ed something by going together.
AS soon as l heerd about it, [ was pos
sessed to Co. and when they come rount
with the paper 10 see how many would de
scribe to attend, I put my photograph rit
down, without minnit's delay. Whe1
Wednesday night. l fixed myself up as smar
as l could, and with my umberill spread t
keep the dampness off, sot forth for tn
skule- house. [ had on my green bombaze
gonnd-my best red silk Handkerchief owe
my shoulders cap with blue ribbins
and other fxings too numerous to mention
I felt as big as the biggest ofcm.
The skule- house was full guess if a
the folks round the door had gone in, til
house wouldn't hold 'em. The Purfes
sor he was rite on hand and if ne WASH
the most pecooler looking indervidoral !
7 His complexion was OF the yellerish cast
: his hair the same cutler; his whiskers RI
as the blaze of a candle and his eyes Of
deep green He was tall and lean and ba
/. on striped trousers and & lons tailed brow
:, coat, with brass buttons
He wss standing up afore the blacl
board, where'd he'd been and drawed OF
i. rail fence, with little mites of one Legged
round headed fggers climbing all over
l asked Priscilly Messer what he'd got thu
fence there for, and she sed it wasn't FEM
it was the scazei" [ never seed such
scale as that aforc all that ever [ seed w
made to weigh sugar and tea
= Ladies and gentlemen, seq the Purfe
sor, stratening hisself up, and fourishir
his long stick over his head--''we have m
here ON this bewchiful evening, in tt
IS pleasant skule- house, for the purpus OF lar
y ing to be mooscal. The first thing to e
& ooupo;ptad ,p;tl SIC coo1a and the nhv Sici