Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-05-11

annatna.
BEEcuER's PREAcHiNG.---IIenry Ward
Beecher, brought, Sunday or two ago, his
stcpmother on the platform, He did not 90
this bodily for, We boleve, she was happily
taken Off in the flesh long before MIR.
Beecher ventured TO reproduce her, dramatl,
by correspondent of the Boston Journal, is
a capital illustration Of the sort of comic enter
tainmcnt which Mr.. Beccher not unirequcnty
offers to his congregations.
He began we are told, by describing her as
"a woman of great excellence but equally
great as martinez She was rgIdly
pious, and every week gave her children
"a stiff dose of the catechism She was
moreover, the pink ofpfopriety, and ahhorred
vain and trifng amuscmentS. so lar the
puritanic character of the scpmothcr comes
out prominently and well. MIR. Bcecher next
confessed that rs a boy, he had weakness
that ''of playing on fiddle. y According to
his own account, he had one defect rs i music,
ian--he was apt to mix his tunes. lie did
not know where one begun and the other en-
dcd The result was Il compound OF Yankee
Doodle, Old Hundred and Il country dance. =
For the rest, We prefer to let the writer tell the
story IN his own words, and rs Mr. Becchcr
told it, and acted it. before his admring AIT
dience - :.
"One day" he said, ''he WIS amusing HIM
self on his tavorite Instrument, and struck up
II genuine jig, which unsanctltied, had been
running in his head ever since he WIS L boy.
just ut that moment the mother came i'll, and,
catching the inspiration of the tune, placed her
hands on her hips and actually danced i min
uet Mr. Becchcr described the scene. He
stepped back Oh the platform, placed his
hands on his hips, and showed the audience
how his mother did it. He described the con-
hands, rolled up the whites of his eyes, like Il
regular mawworn opened his mouth, drew
down his hip, and STOOD the personi6cation of
rustic humor. The whole scene was irresisti-
bly, comic He wound up with the moral, that,
if his mother had danced more, and piled the
Cateehism less, he would have had happier
childhood" "
All this was admirable fooling We dare say
the audience laughed heartily at the rich comic
talent displayed by their clerical mimic, and
became duly solemn as he drew the moral.
We confess, nevertheless that we have been
educated in the belief that the pulpit was i'll
tended for higher and holier things, 1t is true
that the pulpit of Plymouth is not unfrequent-
" called 'the PLATFORM, and is SO designated
bv the correspondent from whose letter We have
been quoting But when we remember that
the wood Of which that pulpit is built, grew.
on the Mount of Olives, and Is suggestive OF
the most sacred of memories, it looks like des-
ecration to degrade its uses by antics such as
we have recorded. Gaz.
MYSTERIOUS. Some fifteen or twenty years
ago, the late Mr. Stevens, the Hoboken million
nairc. was the owner Of one OF the fastest
schooner-yachts known to American waters.
IL oplI hI-h no Il
to some parties for the purpose of trading with
the West Indies. Since that time her fortunes
have been various, but she has always in some
capacity, until last year, been engaged in run
ming between New York and the tropics. She
was heard from in November, 1870, at st.
Laurent and later at Nassau in the following
December, with Captain and all hands sick on
board Since that time she has never re-
turned to New York, and no report has been
received from her. The generally accepted
theory in regard to the Maria among those In
tercsted was, that she was lost with all her
crew. But the mystery of her disappearance
was heightened some months ago by rumors
acquired from sea -faring men who had arrived
in New York, to the effect that her crew had
murdered their Captain and had sold the
schooner to the Cubaus as blockadc-runner.
One of the owners Of the vessel recently made
truth of the matter He has returned to New
York, and, although he refuses to tell what
discovery he has made regarding the Maria, it
is suspected that the narrative Of the sailors
has been verified and it is said that I'LL the
United States officials in the West Indies, con-
sular and naval, have been instructed to keepa
sharp watch for the missing vessel and, If
seen, to seize her and hold her. The story isa
strange one, and not without certain touch of
romance Wash. Pntrtot
AN ACTOR KILLED ON TIE STAGE.
awful occurrence took place few evenings ago,
at the Principe Umbcrto Theatre, in Florence,
during the performance of an equestrian spec
tacle. entitled 'thc Capture of Cipriano Ii
Gala" At the eliminating point OF the piece
there is grand engagement between band OF
brigands and = party of sharpShooters, the Tor
mcr stationed upon group OF rocks and the
latter on the level ground. just as the combat
WAS at its height, one of the sharpshooters fell,
and in so natural manner that the act was
greeted with an enthusiastic round of applause.
\ moment afterwards, however, it was PLAIN
that something had gone wrong. \ couple OF
men rushed upon the stage, and lifted the body
Of the proStrate actor, when it was seen that he
was lying IN 4 pool of gore. Cries and shreks
arose from every part of the house women
tainted, and men jumped upon the stage.
Meanwhile the orchestra continued to play, and
many of the performers continued their parts,
others, rushed about in wild confusion. At
last the manager, pale rs death, came forward
and his aspect at once huShed the house into
silence. An untoward accident (he said) had
just occurred, and the representation must at
once be brought to au end.
4 COMBINATION FAMILY School. West
crn city reports an experiment that may prove
useful AZ hint for Others. Three wealthy and
accomplished women leaders in society, came
to the conclusion they could give their children
better instruction than they were receiving at
the Schools and determined to try the expert
mcnt. Living in the same block, the matter