The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-08-21
Behind the Scenes.

! Years ago, when ! saw some pretty girl seat
herself at the piano, run her white fingers
over the keys till the music gushed out like
a fountain, l thought it was special gift,
| some superhuman agency whereby she could
| bring out the bewitching strains at will 1t
was pleasure to think Ineyer dreamed
| it was tiresome, and so asked her to play on
| By-and-by, | learnt by experience that each
note was studied, each key, time, harmony,
etc; that 1t was the work of long, hard
years. | saw the little girl bending for
hours over the instrument when she ought
to have been ut play; her hands and back
aching, and her mind tired. heard the old
piece over and over again. till | knew she
was sick of the sound. | got behind the
scenes and found that my pleasure was some
body's pain. / never see a beautiful picture,
where thousands of delicate touches makes
landscapes or faces, but | think of the bit
ter struggles up to success-Of the battle
with ways and means-of the failures the
long days when the arms were weary, the
longing for fresh air and rest and perhaps
back of it all a sorrow, but for which the
picture might never have been.
/ never see a brilliant party but look be
hind the scenes. There was work in getting
the house ready, and work in the elaborate
supper. As the pretty wearers of satin and
lace float past me, think of the hard work
that earned it, and the hours that some poor
girl spent in making it, too at the shortest
notice, with a dull and underlined pain at
her heart, besause those things are never for
her. / meet with what seems to be delight
full families. They are intelligent and seem
ingly happy. Sometimes | get behind the
scenes and find a skeleton. The husband is
Incorporate or the wife extravaganza or
when withdrawn from the public life uncon-
genial to each other.
l often wonder, as / ride by homes, what
there is hidden from life, and then / am sat
isfied to remain in ignorance for such knowl-
edge generally shows sad things as well As
bright. We have enough burdens when we
know only surface lives we should be mis-
cradle if we knew all. Enough to know our
own, and make the background perfect
God uses like plan in nature.
| never take up a book but ] think Of the
long hours of thought that laid its plan, of
the characters carefully and laboriously
sketched, of the days of dissatisfaction with
the work, of the crossing out and interim
ing, of the hours when thought came slowly
and the mind protested against control and
went out into reyeries. L cannot read them
with the perfect ease / used to do, for 1 have
gone behind the scenes and found tired
hands and overworked brains.
listen to a fine play. 1t seems no effort.
live in the scenes around me. am little
child again dancing to my shadow, or
SIdHu ~ IhO DOdsiuS Vi Eva anu Ietl very /
near to heaven. But the otherside that the |
people do not see. Sometimes it is vice, in |
its power and paint; sometimes it is sitting |
poverty, making its victim dance her life |
away for bread; at all times it is hard, hard |
work; learning line after line, page after |
page, when Lack of sleep and undue excite |
ment makes the task all the harder.
see strong, selfpoised man. He wields |
power in his community. | see back of il |
struggles to overcome self, dif1idence, slow |
ness of speech, conquest over temptations, |
work harder than the sculptor on his block |
of stone.