Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-02-19
TaE TEN vIRGlss.

Thursday night, at franklin Hall,
was acted the parable of the Ten Vir-
gins. sacred drama. Ten young
ladies from Nashville personated the
vergins. Their costumes were gotten
up with much taste. and in their per
Torrance they show much careful
training. It is perlous attempt to
dramatize parable of the Master: the
lesson conveyed is so impressive. the
parable itself SO simple, SO sublime
that it is a task of exquisite taste to
elaborate it.
The first scene represented the outer
chamber Of an eastern dwelling, and
the Virgins enter to the music of the
Wedding March. The opening chorus,
Behold the Bridegroom cometh,
was well performed and showed some
fine voices we'll trained. Then follow
ed solos by Brave Heart, Love-the-
World and Plausible. Growing weary
while The Bridegroom tarried, they
choose Loye-the World queen and
commit to her judgment the direction
of their amusements. Her queenly
taste then furnished the audience as
well as the Virgins quite rare, varied
RECOMMENDATIONS, songs. solos,
duets and dialogue. Some of these
pieces were well, very well, executed
."Only While poem by Prudence,
was good and we'll delivered. Faint
Heart was then required by her Majesty
to sing Ewes Lamentation" on leav-
ing Eden. and acquitted herself well.
And so the time passed under the gentle
sway of Love-the- w orld until she in
vited them to banquet, when rebellion
came. Prudence, Brave Heart and
Timidity refused to join them and are
banished from her royal presence.
Here we had the first tableau, the Pro-
test. The banquet was celebrated by
seven, two of the wise virgins remain
ing, Little Faith and Faint Heart.
The scene at table was varied by drink
ing song and riddle. and was closed
with the tableau. The Banquet.
Scene third exhibited all the Virgins
lulled to sleep by charmers invoked by |
Queen Love-the- World, from which |
they were awaked by the Herald an
nouncing the coming of the BRIDE
groom.
Then follows a scene of great hurry
and confusion. The Wise Virgins
arise, trim their lamps and go forth to
meet the Bridegroom. The Foolish |
Virgins try to borrow of the Wise but
cannot, and have to go and buy.
The Bridegroom comes, the Wise
enter with him and the Foolish return
just as the door is closed, only getting
brief glance at the magnificent scene
within. They abandon themselves to
despair. They apply for adm ss:on,
but are answered from within, "Too
late, too late, ye cannot enter now,"
and the curtain falls on the impressive |
tableau-"Despair." The tableaux
were all very beautiful.
The very large audience seemed to
enjoy the performance. The delicacy
of the task of dramatizing this para
BILE is extreme. Not only literary taste
must not be offended. but the more
sacred tastes of the religious mind |
must not be wounded. The peerless
beauty of the Masters work must not
be married. We may safely say that
the performance offended the religious
feeling less than the literary taste.
Drama is hardly an appropriate name
for it. Drama is word of high i'm
port, and calls to mind such names as
Shakespeare, Addison and host of
others. The Ten Virgins was very
creditable performance, quite enter
tanning, and it is much to say that it
does not offend the religious sensibili-
ties.