Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1875-08-06

harmonious vehicles by which present
but invisible master-spirit held commu-
Mon with some intelligent soul, in which
music was tho language Of utterance.
He was entranced and tho spell-bound.
j forgot to scream All my terror
was merged into amazemcnt. Ears and
eyes were riveted upon him, and stood,
giving no signs of life, save by tho tears
of sympathy and admiration, which al
most unconsciously ran down my checks.
His knees and shoulders protruded from
the filthy rags which hung around his
gaunt frame. His head was hatless and
the grizzled hair and long, iron-gray
beard were matted together. A sabre
cut, which when made must almost have
severed his cheek, now presented a
frightful scar. while the dirt-furrows
which the tears had ploughed over his
face added to his ugliness. Those hands
which were weaving such n web of mar
wells had between them but four un-
manned fingers; and tho poor, naked,
and travol-worn feet--ah how many
plying angels must have. wcpt over this
wreck of man.
/ How long he played and listened, l
cannot tell. The entrance of the land
lady, with dignifcd old gentleman,
knew to be General -, ''lord of
the manor" was my interruption. The
musician suddenly ceased, looked at me
with close scrutiny, then bending low,
cried ''Pardonnez Pardonnez p
"What is the meaning of all this 2"
said the bewildorcd gentleman.
| "Ask him, for know nothing" | re-
piled.
Then such confession as poured from
those sad lips could not translate, with
its inimitablo pathos, much less tell.
Broken utterances formed the sentences,
while tears and sighs made them elo-
quent.
ooh sir, was once man Better than
that, | had childhood, blessed, hap
| Ply childhood, and homo in Normandy.
| We went to live in Berlin when | was
yet almost q baby. / loved to sing.
The love camo as my lips were pressed
upon my blue-eyod mothers bosom, and
my ears drank in her rock -a-bye songs.
went to school. We were taught in
Prussia that music was Gods voice, and
we could find it in everything. When
| the wind howled or laughed, we caught
the keynote. When it thundorcd. we
were taught to listen for the bass PITCH
and oven when the wagon-wheels grated
over the frozen ground, we little ones
found chord to match the sound of the
rumble. There was one vast harmony
throughout nature, if we would but
search for tho parts. I knew it, / felt
it; | fed, grew; music became the
passion of my young manhood and kept
me pure. Life was holy gift and the
future full of namelcss glory. When /
became man, Ijoined the French army,
fought through many campaigns, was
wounded and imprisoned for long
years. / tried and tried to escape; at
length succeeded and sought my home
to find all were dead, mother, wife, and
my darling petite Pauline. | again
fed this time to America, homeless
penniless, friendless wandcrer. was
angry with the world. / hated God
Thoughts would como and / ate opium
to drown tbem--I lost all of me, and
then became drunkard. When sober
moments came | was in agony. Little
children thought me crazy and ran from
me in terror. In my despair | hid in
the mountain, where for months | have
lived like wild, lonely beast, seeing no
human face. / had no feeling left but
head-pai and hi. ger. That drove mo
down here this morning. l came in
over the field and through the back gar
den. For the first time in many years /
heard the sound Of piano. and the tune
was one that belonged to my first life.
crouched under the window. wanted
to run off but could not. 1t grappled
me and dragged me in. / touched the
instrument, and my mother spoke. She
called me Victor Mother! Mother
Home Innocence Where are you !?
Oh God! Will my memory never die ?"
Again he flung his crippled hands
over the senselcss keys and drew forth
sounds which shivered and moaned with
the travail Of his anguish, until over
powered by the resurrection Of his memo.
ries, he fell forward, exhausted.
"Poor vagabond, said the practical
landlady.
"Thcrc's something too grand in that
poor fellow to be lost. Help, Mike p
called the General to the wondering
hostler.
They carried him off Willing hands
bathed, shaved, and clad the wrctchcd
brother, and before another sunset he
was literally once more man, ''sound
and in his right mind" Again at the
piano, men, women and children crowd
ed the room and doorways to hear his
beautiful harmonics. Employment was
obtained for him and he was saved
saved, pr oy the undying influence
Of that native talent which had been dis
covered, educated, and trained when bis
life was in its first vigor.
"Give me the making Of the songs Of
a nation, and | care not who frames its
laws" said poet, whose songs have
thrilled and delighted the cultured Of two
continents; but | would rather be The
daily teacher 10 nurse and develop in
the mind Of the fceblest, as well as the
most gifted child, that outgrOwth Of
divine sense we call ''taSte far music,
for in it lies the germ Of power as
lofty and ennobling as. Gods Word tells
US, it will be immortal.
Said an eminent psychologist, mo
symbol. sign, nor expressions have ever /