Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-04-11
s----a--- For the Democrat.
HOW SENTIMENT CHANGES.

NJ. Editor II is quite interesting to
note the change in public sentiment and
individual opinion, that few brief years
may bring. recall to-day short space
of the past. Some ten or twelve years ago,
when the Rumford Union Dramatic Club
played Ter Nights in Bar Room, an sp.
parently bitter opposition met them oil the
way along, aud frequent sneers at ''ihedt-
ricdls" went Kissing through the air. But
the bitterness is buried deeper than the
sea, and the sneers went whistling down
the wind and were lost In silence long ago
aud It Is we'll Had the play been Uncle
TOMS Cabin, IL would have been all The
same. II such pastimes were wrong th'n,
they are wrong now, for time has no pow
er To change fact. Truth to-day Is not
lie tomorrow. When principle is in
volved that is detrimental. to good morals,
and the public veal, II is for US to put on
the whole armor and fight 1t I'LL the cause
be won, or we lie dead upon the field OF
honor. II Is hard To see the exceeding
s'nfulness OF such pleasure-if the high da-
lie, Of ~. suffer no neglect becars, of our
tirning aside for time u engage in
them and enjoy them. Little children
play school," and 1t looks more nice
than naughty. And we are but childre1
OF a larger growth, and if we build mimic
stage aud strut Bit aud Just make be-.
lieve"-why, that, too, does really seem
more nice than naughty. The Great Arch
t-ct built for us a wonderful, Worldwide
stage, away back somewhere in the earl!
morning twilight gray OF time, when th'
morning stars sang together" The Di-
vine Artist painted expressly for the tAi-
rersdl Drdndiic Ciub ~ Humanity ., SUI b
gorgeous scenery O, such grand and
beautiful views scenery that never
grows dingy and old--views OF which We
ueyer grow weary-frCsh every mcruir g
and new every evening. Bless the Lord
. my soul aud forget not all His benefits :
And when the appointed hour had come,
the full baud OF the Invisible Ia rpers
swept the quivering chords, the curta n
rose and the piay began; and, with ever
changing actors II stiil goes on--Tr gel! /,
Comedy, Firce-good actors and la -.
tors. The good are crowned with riOwCrs,
the bad, with thorns. The most trSgic
J .c,or aud an evil star" Is i" Harlequin IN
/ the Shade, one OF whose pc, names L.
Old Split Foot. II, has acted like The dcv
Town through all the ages-and siRl he
pay goes on.
While sitting before the mimic stage tn.
other evening, and looking over th. g. d
folk gathered there, saw few OF those
whose views have changed since II. Trey
were Christian then, they are Chrsti'n
ulw GA the - lo,e II Hi.Lt be- call, d .
Christian aud an enlightened audience
aud yci-wc encouraged poor, little, hlscl
and bonish;cd Top>y IN her awful wick
-dr.ncss. What the poor ch.IJ woulo
have been, had shc ever ben blessed viii
father or mother, it is difficult - Gctcrm
Inc. A. IL Was, never having had the al
yaht,se OF being born. but just having
growcd," she was 4 marvel OF wicked
ness-.nd We encouraged her in il; bu
our eyes were misty and our hearts were
,ofi when she tried to- be good. Some
how he richly modulatei "cus,cs' OF lie
gree didn't seem 10 Lurt tie ear Ike tn
raw material the real, everyday sort o
profanity. Being thorough y clever Eel
low there was neither blood In his eye, OF
murder In his heart, when he scu;tled Tn
Gle Tom. and we forgave him. What q
comfort /. would be 10 Flo. could he retain
the pure and undeilled religion lie seemed
to possess whilst wearing the smut OF n
Gle Tom. o, that he might never wash
his lace lie WAS the y,ri.able tncle
Tom, resurrected from the lone grave tia I
young Ma,'r George scOop,d ont FOR b III
in the san1-bNnS on L-2ree's Plantation .
Now abou, the Sin OF theatricals. =
Take my opinion for what II will bring in
the market. and that is-nDthing. II
! our obligations have all been met and csr-
celled, we can down with the dust, tale
a ticket and pass in with nice, cool con-
science But If the minister Is grubbing
along, and having hard time because our
obligations to him have not been dis
chsrged-why, 1t looks different, some
how Somewhere and sometime in the
future, little conversation may arise like
this: MY son, you saw them play Lie
amops TIE Lowry in Rumford, did you not:
Yes Well, that wss all right. Did you
pay the Elder before going: No. And
you never paid him: No. That was all
wrong. Stand aside. There's a rod In
pickle for the fools back"
Withholding just dues from Lin who
dlspenses 10 US the bread of life COR any
other msn-the printer not excepted APP
proaches more nearly to total deprayity
and inbred sin, than just to step into the
M,s.,rn apt baar 90 Old War