Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-06-08

Rising, he received the congratulations o
those people of musical taste and culture
who were there assembled.
"And who is this" they said, "to
whom we are indebted for this aesthetic
feasts"
He hesitated, apparently doubling that
it was he of whom they spoke.
BY what name shall we call your"
my name is Paul." he answered.
But we would know the name, the
surname of such musician"
~"Entreat me not; am nothing. iev-
er played before. My name is Paul"
eff you have never played before, how
comes it that yod are able to execute in
this manners"
Il know not" he said when thai
man was telling me, in such beautiful
language of the beautiful vision which he
had, and of the glory which pcrvaded
him, there was something which took
possession of me, and l seemed to be
swallowed up by It. / think that it was
the Great Soul that enveloped me, and
taught my fingers to move upon the right
keys"
"well, this is wonderful" they said
wonderful. wonderful"
From this time his interest in the one
univarsal language was made manifest by
constant attention to its forms and man
ners Of expression. All things else were
counted unworthy, when compared TO it.
He was listless no longer, his whole life
being changed. There was opened to him
a new life. Beauties ofwhich he had only
dreamed before-of which, perchancc, ht
had never even dreamed, became realities
to him. Where all was darkness, now is
there light; where nothing was seen, are
now visions of heavenly grandeur, per
eeptions of the aesthetic creations of men
"'Tis new life" he says, "a new life
Oh, what developments | reslize them
l feel them. Ny brain expands, my heart
beats stronglyl Such blank my life has
been hitherto! So different will its fiji
ture be To thee, oh, musicl do devote
it. l am thine"
This impassioned address was not like
words thrown to the wind he meant it
He believed that he should devote bi.
time and energies to the requirement o.
knowledge in the art-that he ought to
do it, as,d ias belief means that by which
we live), his life was one of self-sacrifics
to music. Denying self many thing,
necessary 10 his ease and comfort, he wa:
generous toward others, and no sacrific,
was too greet for hin to make for thoss
he loved.
He was An ardent and faithful friend
and friendship with him meant very mucl
more than il does with many. 1t was re
ceiving, as well as giving, and giving
no less than a receiving. 1t was no
merely the shaking of hands, the inter
change Of civili'ses; it was blending o.
sylnpaihies. o. uniting of hearts, by which
men are made better and stronger; sup
porting Oneanother in times of perplex
ity, dependency, trial and discontinue
a rejoicing with each other in prosperity
in hidden soul-boundings, leapings fol
joy Thus was friendship to him-wha
he gave, what he required Some of his
tendcrest and most exalted inspirations
were connected with his experiences oi
friendship.
Upon the sudden meeting with friend
whom he hal not seen for months, after
the first emotion of surprise had passed
away, and his friend had signified his de
sire for him to play, he would pour out
the language of his heart in joyful notes,
that could not fail to find response in
that of the listener, if he had capabilities
of receiving musical impressions. The
notes seebled to express a giadness in
themselves that faithful friends had met.
His sorrows, like his joys, were intense.
When great sorrow had come upon him,
IL made one sad to hear the tones of his
anguish. He interpreted his moods to
Others by the piano. The interpretations
were so real. that the music did not seem
merely to say, Il love" 81 hate" Il am
joyous" or, II am sad" IL am devout,"
or, "I am Indifferent but it loved, it
hated, it was joyous, anu leaped for joy,
it was sad, and moaned and dropped away,
it was devout, and prayed, il was indifer-
ent, a.d its tones were careless. 1t was
on religious themes that he was most
fully inspired. There were no heights
which he did not reach, no depths that
he did not fathom. 1t seemed so, and yet
1t cannot be true, for there are heights
which no man can reach, and depths
which only God can fathom. There is
harmony which no man can know here
there are subtilitles which We cannot un-
derstand. One would think, sometimes,
that Paul possessed the key to these
treasures, and that he was permitted to
understand what his spiritualized nature
enjoyed, and his eyes beheld. Gazing
into space, with eyes piercing through
the veil to the spiritual land beyond,
where God dwells, and where redeemed
ones and angels sing his praises, he seemed
to catch their song and give it to us, hone
the less beautiful for having such medi-
um.
After such Inspirations and losings of
himself, when he had come back, he
would frequently find that the room had
been nearly filled, during his absense,
with people, whose eyes were suffused
with tears, and over whom he had exer-
cised a strange fascination, so that while
he was playing, they stood in an attituds,
of rapt attention. In this respect, as in
many others, he was like Frederick Cha
| pin, the celebrated Polish pianist and
composer. Paul had a similar poetical
genius, combined with. musical ability
and he exhibited, to marked degree, his
xvor1derfnl noUor of expres sipo dplicafe