The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-07-27

For SOME days past the stranger
visiting our post office and other public
buildings must have been attracted by
the elegant portrait of "The Prince of
Elocutionists," which adorned those
places of resort. On Monday evening
the gentleman Of the flowing locks Of
jetty black announced himself, to the
audience gathered in Messengers Hall,
as about to present to them an enter
tainment previously offered to thousands
of audiences with the highest mark Of
appreciation and applause. His, he de-
clared to be an entertainment that ap-
pealed only to the refined and intelli-
gent of the community, though ire
quently for lack Of full appreciation on
the part OF some in the mixed audi
ences before which he was sometimes
compelled to stand, his very best efforts
fell like wet blanket upon his hearers.
With this modest introduction the
gentle Prince proceeded, at the request
of his auditory, to give his revised and
amended edition OF Poe's Raven, pre-
faced by an Introductory, explanatory,
explatatory prelude; giving in prose,
decidedly prosey, full history of the
life, genius, and character OF Il. A. Poe,
the character and habits of the Raven,
and a moving account of the effects of
bad whisky upon the genuine genius
who loves and loses bis fair one. Be-
ginning with his passion at fever heat
he tore the poetry aud story to tatters
leaving bu. few shreds of Poe, on
which his delighted audience dwelt
with so much pleasure that we predict
it will be many days ere they forget
the Princes rich, rare, and racy, rem
dering of the Raven. Next he gave
fair Interpretation of Trowbrioge's
1.-TWO Vagabonds." "Beautifnl Snow"
followed, introduced by long story Of
Dora Shaw, the fallen angel, picked up
by j. Wilkes Booth in driving snow
storm in New Orleans. Our devil, at
our elbow queries, when did that snow
storm get to New Orleans? Two Ver-
sion of barbara Fritchie," one the
original and the other in what in our
younger days was styled hog latin glib
berish, followed. Having next given a
high toned rendering of "Excelsior" to
show our academy boys how to get up
there. At the repeated request of his
hearers, he gave living imitation of
Hamlet's madness, and stirred our very
soul with the famous soliloquy, not
withstandiug the fact that some intel
lectual individual insisted that he had
called for Shakespeare first. His
reading Of Widow Bedott's letter to
Elder Sniffies, especially her feeling al
lusions to his inhuenzy. and the pre-
scription of certain unmentionabe por-
tons of female apparel, carried his au-
dieuce by storm, and was the only hit of
the evening. "Shamus O'Brian," Civ
en- in high gentlemanly Irish, concluded
the evenings entertainment. In short
the performance of j. Prescott
Eldridge was the veriest humbug it has
ever been our misfortune to witness.
We understand that the last effort of
j. Prescott Eldridge, before leaving
town on Tuesday, was to endeavor to
induce our worthy Post Master to take
an agency for the sale of patent needles.
Our friend Grove, the Messenger, has
a sample of those same needles. This
fully convinces us that the Professor is
a man of many points. When next he
comes 10 elocute may we be there to see.