The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-07-01
IN LOVE WITH A VOICE.


all the sights of that magnificent city.
1t was a bot summer Sunday, afday
i which at home would have been spent
IN reading the newspaper and trying to
keep cool; but such Incidence cOuld not
be indulged in the capital of Austria.
when time was precious and places of
amusements unnumbered. My travelling
companion wa a young Scotch physician,
who " s making a tour of the continent
before settling down to practice in Glas-
gov. He had Just finished his studies,
but had already seen a good deal of the
world, and was an excellent man to
travel with. I had fallen in with him at
| Dresden, and as we were about the same
! age, and both ." on pleasure bent, he
/ ScOtchmsn, with as little Scotch stiff
ness and prejudice about him as pOssi-
bic, and l an American, of cosmopolitan
tastes and varied experiences, we form.
| ed a co partnership which only termin-
Ried with the end of our travels.
Ga this particular Sunday, as We sat
| down to breakfast, took out my we'll
worn guide book TO find out what the
| intelligent stranger was expected to do /;
| for whatever may he said against these
little volumes of extravagant description
and supeIfiuous advice, l have always
days work all planned out for me, and
! the responsibility of properly disposing
of my time taken off my shoulders. I
found that we should go to st. Stephens
cathedral for early service, and happen
| In at st. Augusiine's in time to hear the
wonderful music, which, according to
our authority, was the best in Vienna,
and not to be overlooked by the con-
scientiOus pilgrim.
Acting upon this advice, we fastened
to the grand st. Stephens, tried to un-
derstand what the hOarse priest was
saying, strolled about the spacious aisles
looking at tOmbs, pictures, and mOnu-
ments, puzzled over some old inscrip-
tions which we couldn't read, got chilled
through from the contrast between the
sWeltering weather outside and the ever
cool interior, and then left. Taking a
facre, we drove to st. Augustine's, the
church where the beautiful monument
to Queen Somebody is. We took back
seats nearly under the organ, and busted
ourselves looking at the church and the
people entering it, until the music began.
This is what every body seemed to have
come for; the seats were filed, the
aisles we're crowded, and every one
waited patiently for the first notes of the
organ. At last the service began. A
few low chords led to a chorus, well, but
not extraordinarily sung. I began to
be little disappointed. Was this the
best music in Vienna? We could do
better than this in New York. My un-
musical companion, to whom all singing
was the same, nudged me and asked if
1 were not about ready to move on. We
would wait few moments, suggested,
as the crowd was so dense that 1t would
be difficult making ones way through it.
Another chorus, bOisterous and contra
puntal then a bass solo, commonplace
and wearisOme then a short organ pre-
lude, and-a revelation. Yes, it seemed
a revelation of divine melody, very
unfolding of the gates of paradise. 1t
was a female voice, rich, sweet, full, and
fresh. ] cannot at all describe it, but
the memory of it will go ever with me.
So tender, so sublime was her song that
my soul was roused from its lethargy,
and even my stOlid Scotch companion
whispered: "That's what we came for
-listenI' The audience was husbed as
by magic; those who had been restlessiy
moving about the aisles, after the man
uer of irreveTent European church
goers, stood still all were attentive
all turned their heads and drank IN
those eloquent tones. 1t was pathetic
little GdGgiO she sang 1 have no idea
what master composed 1t, or from what
it was taken. L have never tried to find
out that, but I know that it expressed
the deepest, dearest religious longings
of a great heart, and was rendered with
a consciousness of its full significance,
an appreciation of its meaning that was
nothing short of a revelation to me. 1
strained my neck to see the singer, but
she was hidden from view. The song
went on incre asing in fervOr and tender
ness some wept, all were subdued, the
church seemed sanctified by heavenly
melody, and we sat wondering at what
Ve heard, as st. John did at what he
saw. The close came with solemn,
lOng-drawn cadence, the voice ceased,
the spell fingered moment, and was
broken by the rough voice of the priest
from the altar. Come" l said, this
is enough; let us go ;" and we backed
out of the church, staring the while up
into the Organ-loft in hopes that we
might catch a glimpse of the sweet
singer. But we could not. She had
gone, or was out of sight, and We went
out into the bustling, noisy street, both
of us, think, feeling that something
had been gained that morning, and that
our thoughts had been lifted 10 heights
unknown in everyday experience.
q never he ard anything like it be-
fore" said DR.. Scott.
e" Nor l."
have always held a kind of theory
that beautiful voice was expressive of
beautiful soul, and that a beautiful
soul generally inhabited a suitable
" earthly tabernacle" / have not held
this opinion fana,ically, nor have I
considered my rule without exception /;
think have known exceptions, IN fact,
but believed them only evidences sub
stantiating its general truth. Frank
ness, benevOlence, avarice, crUelty,-do
not all these leave their mark on the
human counteDance Does not busi-
ness man acquire a certain character OF
face, manner, and carriage consistent
with his habits of life ard thought I?
Does not the student show by every
line of his face his occupation? Why
should not loyeliness of character i'm
press itself on the features 1t does.
A sweet and gracious soul will leave a
charm in the smile, tenderness in the
heart, and will impaTt a noble bearing
to the person possessing it. Is it not
equally true that a voice tells much
about its owner? Can a bad-hearted
woman sing sweetly? do not believe
it. Beauty and ugliness never go hand
| In hand. Beauty reproduces itself,
reflects itself, multiplies itself. What
is more reasonable, then, than to infer
! from a voice like the one we heard that
Sunday morning, a simple religious
nature; a deep, thoughtful, earnest
mind, true heart? How could 1 i'm
agine all these qualities linked to any
other than beautiful young Vienese
How could 1 picture the unseen singer
other than the open-faced German
beauty, light haired, blue eyed, Madon-
na-like? She must be the ideal Ger
man maiden. These were my inferences
from my theory OF congruity, stimu-
lated by warm fancy, and a disposition
TO Imagine vain thing" 1 grew
enthusiastic over the pretty vision had
cOnjured up of a song. and drew g
likeness in eloquent words of the faiI
singer for the benefit of my friend, the
doctor. To all of which he simply re-
piled
Bosh and nonsense"
No bosh or nonsense about 1t.
4 L III