Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1873-06-05

'a'ciy cstaoHsueu HseIt IN the ueighbog
hood. and that the object of the assenbl
was to investigate the matter. When ID
party sat down to dinner in the cpen air
the spirit addressed the lady in vote
which seemed TO come from above tbei
heads. from the surface of the ground :
n great distance, or from a considerabl
depth under her feet. The victim Of q
delusion was addressed in this manner !
intervals during two hourax and shzs -
fso thoroughly ecnsi6eed 81 the e7s5senc,
OF the spirit that she could hardly be in
duced at the last to believe the truth con
cerning the sound.
Another famous ventriloquist was Lou
is de Brabant, at one time rulst de cham,
6re to Francis |. Rejected b. the parent.
Of very rich heiress as an unsuitabl,
match for their daughter. Louis. on the
death of the father. paid a visit to the
widow; and as soon as he entered the
room. the voice of her deceased husband
was heard thus to address her: "Giye
my daughter in marriage to Louis Bra.
banf; he is n man Of fortune and cbarac.
ter. and endure the pains of purgatory
for having refused her to him Obey this
admonition. and give repose TO the soul OF
your departed husband" OF course the
widow complied. Blu, Brabant's difficult
ties we're not yet overcome He wanted
money to defray the wedding expenses.
and resolved To work on the fears of an
old banker-M. Cornn of Lyons-who
had amassed immense wealth by usury
and extortion
Having obtained an evening interview,
he con'rived to turn the conversation to the
subject of departed spirits and ghosts.-
During an interval Of silence. the voice of
the miser's deceased father was heard
complaining of his situation in purgatory.
and calling loudly upon bis son to rescue
him from his su.tcrings by enabling Bra
bant TO redeem the Christians at that time
ens!aved BY the Turks. Not succeeding
on the first occasion, Brabant was com
PEELED to make a second visit to the mi.
ser. when he took care to enlist not ONLY
the father, but all his deceased relations.
in Tie appeal; ard in this way he obtain
ed Thousand crowns for the rurpnse ef
liberating the Christian captives. When
Cnrnu was at last underceiycd, it is said
he died Of sheer vexation and mortiiica.
ton 1t is impossible to avoid the reHec.
ton that he must have been an execution
ally stupid donkey to permit Braha.t.o
impose upon him ~
1t may be remarked. as rather an odd
circumstance. that there have been very
few female ven,ri!oquis.s. and these have
always manifested a deficiency of power.
Only one ever attained any considerable
celebrity. and even her name is unknown.
She lived in Amsterdam in the sixteenth
century, and is referred TO incidentally by
writers Of that period as possessing re-
markab'e gift. The art seems to be I'm
derstood even by the savage races. We
have authentic accounts of its practice in
the most expert manner by the Esqui-
maux. some Of whom are reported to have
produced extraordinary acoustic effects BIZ
this means; and it is quite certain that
vcntrlIoqui>,n is known among the Afri-
can negroes 1t is upon record that a re-
c'n'ly imported negro in the island of ST.
Thomas. in the last century, was burned
alive as sorcerer for having caused voices
to emanasc from inanimatc objects. such
a. ear,hen vessels. walking sticks, statues.
etc.
In the present century ventriloquists
have made great additions TO their art.
Sir David Brewster. in speaking on the
subject says: The performances of Fitz
james and Alexandra were far superior
to those Of their predecessors Besides
the art of speaking by the muscles of the
throat and abdomen. without moving
those of the face. these artists had no,
not only studied with great diligence and
success the notifications which sounds of
all kinds undergo from the distance, OBJ.
s;ructions and other causes . but had ac-
quired the art of Initiating them in the
highes, perfection. The ventriloguist was
therefore able to carry on a dialogue in
which the dramdtis rcces. as :hey NAV be
called. were numerous. and when on the
outside of an apartment could personate
mob with its infinite variety of mise and
vociferation. Their Influence over the
minds of an audience was still further
extended by singular power which they
had obtained over the muscles of the body.
Fitfjamcs actually succeeded in making
the Opposite or corresponding muscles act
differently from each other; and while one
side of his face was merry and laughing
the other side was full of sorrow. and tears.
At one time he was tall and thin and
melancholy. and after passing behind a
screen, he came out bloa,ed with obesity
and staggering with fullness VI. Alex
andre possessed the same power over his
face aud figure. and so striking was the
contrast between two of these forms ;ha, an
excellent sculptor perpetuated them in
marble The requirements of this VEN
triloquist enabled him in his own single
person. and with his own single voice. to
represent dramatic composition which
formerly would have required the assis-
tanee of seveasl actors. Although only
one character in the piece could be seen
at the same time, yet they all appeared
during its performance; aud the change Of
face aud figure on the part Of, the veniril-
oquist was SO perfec; tha, his personal
identity could not be recognized in the
dramafis persona. This deception was
rendered siill more complete by par:ica-
lar construction Of costumes. which ena-
bled the performer to appear in new
character, h5Ier an interval so short that
that the audience necessarily believed
that IL was another person. These txo
men were the princes Of the art. They
Lave never been surpassed.