Middletown transcript., 1877-09-22
20 1rronrRrIrt. RoY "a AroR.-

The North AnlerscG7s gives Inc 4ol1oN-
ing account Of this prodigy Harry
Shannon, the boy orator, who has at
tracted such great attention through
out the country by bis wonderful pcW-
ers of oratory and memory. The little
fellow who is but eight years Of age,
was dressed in velvet suit and his
blonde hair was shaved close to his
head, displaying a Uranium classical IN u
its contour and magnificent in its IN
telIectual development. Helhas the
manners of a Chesterfield, and one
imagines that he has been reared in
the courts of the efete mOnarehies Of
Europe. The entertainment was com
menced with a rendition Of Mrs Nor
tons @Bingen on the Rhine" which
was done with much pathos and force.
He next gave q specimen of court
pleading in the defence Of Dick Hars
rington in the safe burglary trial.
From that he passed to Senatorial ora
tory, and thrilled the small audience
with Haynes reply to Webster The
lads gesticuIation in this was graceful
and perfect. Indeed the child, while
in delivery, seems to forget his age and
rises to man, an orator, and q great
one. His hearers were charmed Il He
was rewarded with applause, and ct the
end the ladies petted him for his won
derful performance. Mr.. Shannon,
the father, stated that when but five
years of age his son alarmed his mother
by standing in the middle Of theaAOOr
and reciting with ease aBmgen on the
Rhine" after she had read it aloud to
him. That was the first evidence Of
the talent he possessed. Since then
his powers ofmemory and oratOry have
prodigiously developed. He can re-
cite thousand selections, poetical and
prose, and only requires a piece to be
read to him once or twice for him to
commit it to memory. Some pieces
such as Poe's Raven . he cannot mem.
orize, nor can he read. Medical au-
thorities say he must not be permitted
to commence his education before he Is
twelve years old. Books are kept from
him as though they were uncleaH
things, dangerous weapons. Abeauti
full little two versed poem written By
an untutored Englishman in the lasi
century, he learned in mysterious
manner, never having heard it read
and at unseeming hours of the night he
viii arise from his bed and recite it
The next day he is languid and de
pressed. His memory is wonderful
He can deliver a sermon he has heard
Henry Ward Beecher preach withsin
gular accuracy. But a volume could
be written Of his exploits of memory
and his witty repartees. During las
week he was engaged at the Permanent
Exhibition, and in a few months biz
father intends to take him to Europe.
Observation-Disclosures from Parii
report that the situation there is grow.
ing as exciting and full Of suspense Al
the third act of a melodrama. Jacques
and his confreres are said to, congre
gate about the wineshOps Of st. AntO
inc, and indulge IN fierce talk while
Madame Deforge. back Of the counter
with a flower in her hair, knits hard
and scOwls with darker meaning than
IN the days Of Jones the lOekmaker. 4
| is reported IN these council chamberE
that the Prince Imperial IS to marry
the Marsha1s daughter as soon as hi
is seated on the throne, as the price o.
MacMahon's treachery to the Repub
lie. Madame MacMahon is also be
lieved to hold all the strings which
move the larger puppets, and henct
that plump, well preserved old lady
who drives comfortably about with q
poodle in her arms, is doomed BY the
people to worse fall than Marie An
toinette, if Jacques should ever get init
power again. Meantime, the Marsha
has crowded every alleyway with sol
diers, the police force are doubled with
in the last three weeks, and all g
about armed to the teeth. As half th,
soldiers in Paris two months ago haC
wives and sweethearts in the quartel
of St. Antoine, city-born men have beer
ordered to the provinces, and the force
now guarding the metropolis are al
from the country. They are a lean
hungry, spiritless set Of men, but vii
probably prove more effective tool
should the Marshal find that the result
of the elections calls for a coup d eta
on his part. Persons are even to b.
found who prophecy that the coup d
etat is certain and will be successful
and that the Exposition will be openec
next Summer by the Empress and be
son instead of the Marshal and his com
Portable wife. Baseless as most o
these rumors undoubtedly are, the
give evidence Of a feverish, excitec
condition of the public mind, whicl
must continue uutil the October cleo