The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-05-24

You zee, the tenor had got kind of alb |
sttacteL, or restless, or something, during
the long prayer, and was thinking about |
the European war, or the wheat corner |
last week, or something, and 30, when the |
minister gave out hymn ISL, Oh page 81,
and the chorister whispered them to sing
on page 1T, it all came in on the tenor
like . volley, and as he had only the play
ing of the symphony in which to make
the necessary combination of time, hymn
and page, he came to the front justa little
bit disorganlzed, and his fingers sticking
between every leaf in the book. And the
choir hadn't faced the footlights half
minute before the congregation more than
half suspected sCmethiug was wrong. For
you see the soprano, in attempting to an
swer the frenzied whisper of the tenor in
regard to the page, lost the first two or
three words Of the opening line herself,
and that left the alto to start of alone, for
the basso was SO profoundly engaged in
watching the tenor and wondering what
allied him, that he forgot to sing. The
music wasn't written for an alto solo, and
consequently there wasn't very much va
riety to that part, and after singing nearly
through the first line alol e, and receiving
neither applause nor bouquets fof one Of
the finest Eotlttalto efforts Burlington or
any other audience etef listened 70, the
alto stopped and looked reproachfully at
the soprano, who had just plunged the
tenor's soul into gulf of dark despair,
by leaving him to find his way
out of the labyrinth of tunes and
pages and hymns into which his own
heedlessness had led him, by giving him
frantic shake of her head, which unset
tied the new spring bonnet Gust the sweet
est duck Of Normandy. to that extent
that every woman in the congregation no.
ticed it. All this time the Organist was
doing nobly, and the alto, recovering her
spirits, sang another bar, which, for
sweetness and tenacious adherence TO the
same note, all the way through, couldn't
bass had risen to the emergency, and sang
two deep, cultural notes with profound
expression, but as those of the congrega-
ton sitting nearest the choir could dis
tinctly hear him sing :" Hc, hO!' to the
proper music, it was painfully evident that
the bassO had the correct tune, but was
running wild on the words. At this point
the soprano got her time and started off
with q couple of confident notes, high and
clear ~ bird song, and the congrega-
ton, inspired with an over. ready conf
dcnce, broke out on the last word of the
verte with discordant roar that ratified
the globes on the big chandelier, and, as
the verse closed with this triumphant out
break, an expression of calm, restful sat-
isfaction was observed to steal over the top
of the pastors head, which was ali that
could be seen of him, as he bowed him
self behind the pulpit.
The orgaIist played an intricate and
beautiful intcrllde without tfem0r or
false note; not an uncertain touch to indi.
cate that there was particle of excite
ment in the choir, or that anything had
gone wrong.
The choir didn't exactly appear to catch
the 0rganist's reassurlng steadiness, for
the basso led off the second verse by him.
self, and his Deep toned Ho, h0!' was
80 perceptible throughout the sanctuary
that several people started and looked
down under the seats for q man, and one
irreverent sinner, near the door, thrust q
felt hat into his mouth and slid out. The
soprano got orders and started out only
three or four words behind time, but she
hadn't reached the first siding before she
cOllided with q woman in the audience,
running wild and trying to carry new
tune to the old words. And then, tOmakc
it worse, the soprano handed hef book to
the tenor, and pointed him to the tune on
page III and the words on page 81, and
If that unhappy man didn't get his or
ders mixed, and struck out on schedule
time, with the tune on page 81 and the
words on page 1T, and in less than ten
words ditched himself SO badly that he
was laid out for the rest of the verse, and
then he lost his place, handed the book
back to the soprano, took the one she had
and held it upside down; and no living
man could tell from his face what he was
thinking Of or trying to say. Meanwhile,
the soprano, when the books were SO
abruptly changed ON hef; did just what
might have been expected, and telescOted
two tunes and sets Of words into each other
with disastrous effect. The alto was run.
ming smoothly along, passenger time, fol
the several wrecks gave her the track, 50
far is it was clear, all to herself. The
basso who had Slipped ali eccentric and
was only working one side, was rumbling
cautiously along, clear off his own time,
| tagging himself every mile of the way
and asking for orders every time he got a
chance. The pastors head was observed
to trem1le with emotion, and the people
sitting nearest the pulpit say they could
distinctly hear sounds from behind it that
resemblcd the syllables "Tc, he!" Al
the 0rganist pulled and crowded and en-.
couragcd them along toward the closing
line, it looked as though public conf.
dence might soon be restored and the panic
abated, but, alas! as even the demoraIized
tenor rallied and came in with the full
qnartette on the last line, q misguided
man in the audience suddenly thought he
recognized in the distracted tune an old
familiar acquaintance, and broke out in 9
joyous howl on something entirely differ.
emit that inspired every singing man and
woman in the congregation with the same
idea, and the hymn was finished in q
terrific discord of sixty-nine different
tunes, and the rent and mansled melody
| tapped and fluttered around the sacred
edifice like new kind of delirium tire.
mems. and all the wrecking cars on the line
were started for the scene at once.
The pastor deserves more praise thar
can be crowded into q column of the
HACK Eye for pr0nouncing the benedic
ton with even, solemn, impressive tOnes
and countenancc.-Burli HaUE- Eye
American and English Physique.
Mr.. RICHARD GRANT WHITE, who has
recently been abroad, and who has sci
down certain of the experiences pur.
chased by his "penny of observation -
in an article entitled q English TrAita ,,