The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-02-21

REEcHRR AS A MIMIC.
PAntomimIc Efforts that Made the
PlImonth COnHregniinn Lamb.

Plymouth Congregation Laugh.
Mr.. Beecher preached Sunday evening
upon the difhculy Of acquiring correct re,
ligiOus habits, and the comparative ease
OF maintaining them when once they have
become second nature. MANY look upon
religion" be said, "As an insurance policy
sgAinst final los Of fire" BE described
thA. kind Of religion 50 funnily thA, the
congregation laughed outright. "They
go to church every Sunday" he said,
pulling biz coat close around him, draw
ing his face down dolmously and rolling
up his eye. "The hymns are doled out
10 them, & good, sound, dry sermon Is
preached 70 them, and the most eloquent
passage Of all Is their going out. They
attend prayer meetings, too-most dismal
prayer meetlngs.p here his lower law
dropped, more Of the whites Of hiS eyes
showed, and his hands were clAsped Be-
lore him. There are some comfortable
things In Greenwood, bat none In one Of
these prayer meetings. They 70 through
The exercises Solemnly, and the brethren
Try to sAy something-they do say the
same lhings they have been saying twenty
years. Then the services are mercilessly
cut short, and they 60 gloom1y home"
Alter describing True religion Is some
thing independent Of forms and cate
chiEms, Mr.. Beecher illustrated the pro-
cess Of in practical requirement. He
Eheld an Invisible fiddle, lingering the
strings with one hand, drawing the bow
with the other, and adjusting the imaR.
mary instrument under his chin, while he
said: "HsVe you ever seen boy irving
10 learn 10 fiddle! / don't wonder they
call those strings cslgut. l should say
the spirits Of all the dead old cats were In
them. But when the boy masters IT."
stopping short, he commenced TO fiddle
gracefully like good viollnist. Then he
showed how = man learns 10 set type, the
desk furnishing the case, from which he
slowly and awkWardly carried the letters
toa supposiiuos composing stick, SPELL
ing out audibly s.h.s-d. When the con-
gregation had stopped laughing, be gave
the rapid motions Of the same man after
his trade had been learned. ~ was
taught elocution," he said, although you
might not think it ! was drilled In all
the gestures" He made the prescribed
gestures, and struck the attitudes in sEk.
ward but rapid succession, and then did
them gracefully, In the style of q speaker
TO whom they had become habitual and
upstrsined. when we Try to be grace
lul," he said, I'VE can't be. All those
things come BY long and persistent
usage, and then without thought, In
the country where board six
inches wide Is laid In the mud, q man will
walk it without effort and never step Of. !"
Taking his place at one side of the plat
form, he walked easily in an exact line
10 the other side, with his hands in his
pockets and his eyes wandering careless.
~. Nov" he went on, "put that board
at height Of fifteen feet, and NOT one
man In 3 dozen can walk the length Of II
without falling off," Taking his position
as before, he fixed his eyes IN front Of him
as though on the elevated board, looked
scared, and commenced the imaginary
passage. Wayering and balancing, with
his arms extended, he with difficulty got
hall way across, and stumbled as though
falling. The people laughed out loud al
the deliberately perfect p1ntomime.
The greatest hit, however, was the droll
mimicry OF miser, who resolved upon re.
form and began by releasing 4 mortgage
on poor mans farm. The counterfeit
severity Of the miser In demanding paw
ment, the fright Of the debtor, the bland
ness OF the miser in presenting the can
celled document, and the Joyous antics Of
the debtors vile and children, were all
producsdE with the skill Of trained come.
dian. Finally, when Mr.. Beecher, IS the
reformed miser, with q benevolent smile
on bis face, mounted his horse and rode Of
bending his parted knees and swaying
his body In exact imitation Of rider, and
cutting behind with an imaginary whip
everybody laughed until the teara anne