The Van Buren press., 1874-03-10
NO. As.
BEEcHER AS A M1nIc.
Pantomimic Efforts that Made TIE plyn.
outh Congregation Laugh.
From the New York sua.l

Mr.. Beecher preached last evening up
on the difficulty OF acquiring correct re-
| ligious habits, and the comparative ease
ot maintaining them. F" Many look upon
| religion. ho said, as an insurance pol.
icy against final loss by FIRE " He de
scribcd that kind Of religion 30 funnily
that the congregation laughed outright
"They go to church every Sunday, he
said, putting his coat close around him,
drawing his face down dolorously, aud
rolling Up his eyes. The hymns are
doled out to then, good, sound, dry
sermon is preached to them. and NE most
loqueat passage OF ali is their going out.
They attend prayer-meetin.s, too--moss
dismal PRAYER meet ngs Here his low.
er jaw dropped, more OF the whites 0i bic
e,es snow d, ana his hands we're clasped
before him There are some com.
Portable things III Greenwood, but none
IN one OF these prayer meetings. They
20 through The exercises solemnly. aud
the brethren tly 10 say something
do say The same thing they have been
aging twenty years. Then the services
are mercilessly cut short. aud they 20
gloomily home"
Aite, Describing true rel kion IS ssa;e.
thing independent Of forms and cate
chisms, Mr.. Beesher illustrated the pro.
cess Of its practical requirement. He
held an invisible fiddle. lingering the
strings with one hand, drawing the bow
with The other, md adjusting the in.S
;.a.y in,uumrng under bis chin, while
he said:
Have you ever Seen q boy trying to
learn to fiddle? l don't wonder they
call those strings catgut. l should cay
that the spirits of oil the dead old cats
were in them. But when the boy masters
it" stopping short he commenced 10
fiddle gracefully, like a good violinist.
Then he showed how . man learns to set
type, the desk furnished the case from
which he slowly and awkwardly carried
the letters to q supposititious compes.
ing stick, spelling out audibly s-h a.d.
When the congregation had stopped
laughing, he gave the rapid motions VI
the same man after his trade had been
learned. II was taught elocution, be
said, " although you might not think u.
was drilled in all the gestures. He
made the prescribed gestures. and struck
tue attitudes in awkward but RAPID sue.
cession, and then did them gracefully. in
the style oi u speaker 10 whom they had
become habitual and unstrained. when
We try to be graceful he said, I'VE
cant be- All those things come by long
and persistent usage, and then without
thought In the country where board
| six inches wide is laid ia the mud. man
will walk it without effort aud never step
of. I" Taking his place ut one side Of
the platform, he walked easily in an ex.
act line to the other side, with his hands
In his pockets and his eyes wandering
carelessly. Now" he went on, "put
that board at height Of fifteen feet, and
not one man in dozen can walk the
length Of 1t without falling on. " Tax
ing his position as before, he fixed his
eyes in front Of him as though on The
elevated board, looked scared and com.
meneed the imaginary passage Wavtr-
ing and balancing, with his arms extend
ed, he With difficulty got half way across,
and then stumbled AS though falling.
The people laughed out loud NJ the slab.
orately perfect pantomiine.
| Tie greatest hit, however, was the
droll mIlnicry Of miser, who resolved
upon reform ard began by releasing .
mortgage on . poor mans farm. The
counteri,it severity at the miser IN de-
manding payment, The flight oi the debt
or, The blanancss Ot thu mtscr IN present.
ing the cancelled document. and tue JOY.
uus antics of the debtors wife and chL
dren, we've ali produced with tue skill VI
II trained comedian. Finally, when NJ.
Beechcr as the reformed miser, With .
benevolent smile OH his face, mounted
lis horse and rode o6---bvntiing HE part.
cd knees aud swayiay his boiy ~ exact
imitation ot RIDER. aud cutting behiad
with an imaginary whlp-eVtfy pouy
iauphcd until tue tears catnc.
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