The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-23
Another Criticism.
RED WING, Feb. Is, 1876.

on Thursday and having to stay all
night, got a copy of the ADVANCE to
find out if any public amusement was
to take place in the evening, and read
your modest little commentator of the
"Oantata Of DANIEL Thinks I: IN
60 see that, by George, for guess it
must be a good thing. So 1 told the
boys that guessed I'd go to the Opera
Hall and see Daniel and the lions and
them other fellows.
John spoke right up and says: "Old
man, it will be throwing your money
away. The Republican says that
Styles Raymond has spoiled that Can
tata entirely. 1t says that he makes
49, the queen Of the Persians, who isn't a
Jew, go and sing with the Jews; and
that the Jews are not dressed like
Jews; and that Daniel is got up a Ia
Don Juan; and that the Jews don't
sing after fhey get into the fire but
'aaunt their confidence in the face of
the king and that the kings banquet
is an excrescence; and that there is
pretty dancing; and that the queen
Sings beautiful waltz: and that the
whole thing is |objectionable-musical-
v, dramatically, esthetically! Nothing
like as good as Roots
"Well," says I, 81 don't care, I'm
agoing. I want to see Daniel and the
lions, and the Hebrew children, and the
fiery furnace; and see the banquetting
and dancing, and hear the singing; and
so I went"
Now, don't want to be severe on
the gentlemen and ladies who took
part in this Cantata, because asthetical-
" it was beautiful; dramatically it
was grand; and unsteady it was just
sweet cream and maple-syrup! But 1
was disappointed. It Aas not true.
- There was no fiery furnace. There was
NO lions den. And the viands which
graced that royal banquet were the liz ht-
est diet ever saw. Them old Modes and
Persians never had the dyspepsia, I
reckon. Before it was over, saw that
Jennison or Perkins, which ever Of
= them wrote that article in the Repub-
lican, didn't do the subject justice by
any means; and l want to tell you
what saw and give you my opinion.
When got inside the hall the or
chestra was in full blast, and I became
interested watching little sandy -hair-
ed man wrestling with a big fiddle.
He had hold Of it by the neck with one
hand, and with the other was saving it
across the stomach as hard as he could
lay on, and the old fiddle was growing
like young thunder. But now and then
the fiddle would take sheer on him,
and l was expecting every minute to
see him fall backwards and pull the i'd
die over on him, or to pitch forward
over the fiddle. While l was enjoying
this amusement the curtain was pulled
up, and gentleman who sat with his
= back towards me commenced flourish
ing his head and both hands and a
stick which he held in one, and pretty
soon the folks on the stage commenced
singing, and they sang spleadidly, every
one of them, keeping good time and
controlling their voices excellently.
: After they sang awhile, sitting. and
standing, the crowd parted and who
should come down to the front but the
queen. Jennison and Perkins call her IL
heather female, for what reason I could
not perceive. for she is no more such
than they are. fl was her husband
: they would not say that again: but,
alas, | am married and so is she.
Heather or ny heather. she sang de-
lightfu!ly and only to think that her
husband had to eat grass seven years
It was fearful. Then the curtain fell
and like to have caught pretty little
girl on the left end Of the stage as it
came down.
In the next act we were presented
with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego,
and here's where the play went wrong
again. Instead Of sticking to these
good old Scripture names, the man who
got up this cantata calls than Azariah,
Mishaei and Hananiah I wonder that
Jennisou and Perkins didn't observe
this and pitch il and give him fits for