National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-07-20
RLORIYG TIE ORGAN.
HOW Mr.. MIX TOOK THE PLACE OF
HIS SON, MANTON.

HOW MR.. MIX TOOK THE PLACE OF
HIS son, MANTON.
Manton Mix pumps; yes, that's the word
pumps the orlan in one of our popular churches.
He is an oTergrown youth of twenty summers,
and somewhat inclined TO- be lazy this hot
weather, HFather, l can't blow that organ
to-d,ay," said he, Sunday morning, as he stood
gazing intently at the rising thermometer u
nave every symptom of the cholera morbus,
and YOU know how 1t grtpes and jerks and
twists me about, so there is no use talking
about it any longer" The old gentleman was
well aware that the organ did the principal
part of the praising, and that the services
would be exceedingly fiat without 1t, so ne
donned his paper collar and hat, and forthwith
set out to discharge the duties of his son. Inc
church was well filled. The ventilation in the
gallery miserable, Fans were scarce, Inc
mercury was creeping slowly towards the TOOL
of the thermometer, His collar became sSlcky-
Beads of perspiration stood out on his brow,
and sid down hill on his nose. The hymn was
given out. The erganist commenced arrang-
ing the stop He nodded for the venerable Mr..
MY to proceed, Whereupon Nix nodded back,
and attached himself to the handle and pro-
ceeded. 1t was short hymn, and as soon as
it was finished the old gentleman drew his coat
sleeve carelessly across his face, surveyed the
organ, looked at his hands, shook his head,
and quietly took chew Of the filthy. 1t was
the hymn which proceeded the benedection
! that brought trouble into his family. 1t con-
tanned six stanZas, and had the long metre at
| tached. Mix was not aware of this, which
fact accounts for the confident air with which
he applied himself to the task. The mercury
seemed very ambitious to reach the upper
round of the mercurial ladder, but Mix
did not mind that. Not he. He was
there for the purpose of pumping
that organ, and pump It he would, though
| the mercury got on tothe roof of the thermom-
ter and set the whole thing on fire. During the
/ first four stanzas the old gentleman sat in his
chair and mastered the work, but not without
difficulty. The fifth brought him to his feet
with an organized stare. He was perspiring
freely and talking to himself, in an animated
way about the ineurable laziness Of his boy
Manton He evidently wasn't dissolving into
ecstacies very fast; for, during the cessation OF
singing between the fifth and sixth stanZas, he
remarked, in undertones, that if he had his boy
Nsuton within reach he would delight in
driving him into the ground with the organ
handle. The struggle between the animate
and inRnimate, between that man and the
pump handle, during the singing Of the last
| verse was a sight that would induce any man
| to get up from trance 10 see. For Mr.. Mix
| 10 have seen the inventor Of that instrument at
that particular moment would have precipi-
lated trouble. He cleuched his false teeth
firmly together and looked wildly at the choir.
He changed from one hand to the other, and
then used both. He tried to employ his feet
and make his knees useful. He talked TO him
self systematically. 1t was principally about
his boy Manton. 1t was something that would
have interested Manton, and made him keep
out of the way Of the old gentleman for the
next week. And when the last words of the
holy anthem died away in the yelling music,
and the benediction had been pronounced, Mr..
| Mix turned to the choir and, with an express
sion of fervent disgust, remarked "that or
gans were a part of the tom-foolery set up in
the house Of God by an ignorant and supersti-
tious people; they were neither lawful, sensi-
bic nor edlfying, and that he would never blow
another as long as he lived, and that he in
tended to thrash Manton for what he had
already blown"