Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-02-12

The Lords Prayer contains sixtv.fvc
simple words, and no other three score
and five have ever been together on so
many human lips. For thousand
years they have been the household,
the cradle words of Chrstendom.
Children !nnumcrable, in both hemis-
pheres, have been taught to say them
in their first lessons in articuatc
speech. They have been the prayer
OF all ages and conditions uttered hv
mitred bishops in grand cathcdrals,
and lisped by poor mems children, with
closed eyes, in cots of straw at night
The feet of forty generations, rs it
were, have passed over them, until. 10
some indifferent minds, their life may
seem to have been trodden out OF them
Indeed one often hears them from the
pulpit As # they were worn out bv
repetition. \ few pretcntiously edu-
Gated minds may even ask their secret
thoughts, Can these dry words liye:"
Yes, they have been made TO live with
overpowcrlng vitality.
Junius Brutus Booth, the celebrated
tragedlan, was man who threw into
his representations an amount Of heart
and soul which his originals could
scarcely have equaled. He did Rich
ard III. TO the life and more He had
made human passions, emotions and
experiences his life's study. He could
not only act, but feel rage, love, de-
spair, hate, ambition, fury, hope and
revenge, with despair and force that
half amazed his auditors, He could
transmutc himself into the hero of his
lmpersonation, and he could breathe a
| power into other mems written words
which perhaps was never surpassed.
And, what is rather remarkable. when
! he was inclined to give illustrations Of
his faculty to private circles Of friends,
he nearly always selected some pas
sages from Job, David, or Isaiah, or
other holy men of Old. When an
aspiring young professor of Harvard
University went to him by night to ask
a little advice or Instruction in qualify
ing himself for an orator, the veteran
lragcdian opened the Bible and read a
few verses from Isaiah in 4 way that
made the Cambridge scholar tremble
with awe, as if the prophet had arisen
from the dead anu were utterlng his
sublime visions in his ears. He was
then residing in Baltimore, and pious,
urbane old gentleman of the city, hear
ing Of his wonderful power of elocution,
one day invited him to dinner. although
strongly deprecatiny the stage and all
theatrical performances. A large com
pany sat down to the table, and on re-
turning to the drawing room, one of
them requested Booth, as special
favor to them all, to repeat the Lords
Prayer. lie signified his Willingness
to crafty them, and all eyes were fix
ed upon him. He slowly and reveren-
TALLY arose from his chair, trembling
with the burden Of two great concep-
tions. He had to realize the character,
attributes and presence Of the Almighty
Being he was to address. He was to
transform himself into poor siuning,
stumbling, benighted, needy suppliant,
offering homage. asking bread, pardon,
light and guidance. Says one of the
company present: "It was wonderful
to watch the play Of emotions that
convulsed his countenance. He be-
came deathly pale, and his eyes, turned
tremblingly upward, were wet with
tears. AS yet he had not spoken. The
silence could be felt; it had become
absolutely painful, until at last the
spell was broken as if by an electric
shock, as his rich toned voice, from
white lips, syllabled forth, sour Father
which art in heaven" etc., with a
pathos and fervid solemnity that thrill
ed all hearts. He finished the silence
continued ; not a voice was heard MOI
a muscle moved in his rapt audience
until, from remote corner Of the room
subdued sob was heard, and the old
gentleman (the host) stepped forward
with streaming eyes and tOtterina
frame, and seized Booth by the hand
Sir" said he, in broken accents, s.yo,
have afforded me pleasure for which
my whole future life will feel grateful
l am an old man, and every day from
boyhood to the present time
; thought | had repeated the Lord.
prayer but 1 had never heard it be
fore, never" "You are right" replied
Booth; Ito read that prayer as j
should be read caused me the severes
study and labor for thirty years, and
am far from being satisfied with m,
rendering of that beautiful production
Hardly Oae person in ten thOusan,