The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-22
AN INTERESTING ENTERTAINMENT.
George W. Cables Readings Last Night-The
Man, His Manner and His Selections.


Mr. George w Cable, the popular writer, APP
peared before large audience at Plymouth
Church, last evening 1t was an attentive audi
ence. Every one listened, and every one was
well paid for doing so. Mr.. Cable has discovered
a new, rich and romantic literary domain in the
polyglot memories of Louisiana, from the old
French and Spanish days down to the scarcely
less romantic period Immediately before the
war Mr.. Cable is of slight figure, not more
than five feet six inches in height with full, dark
brown beard and brown hair and clear and
musical voice His lectures, or rather readings,
are like no one else's, eithern matter or manner.
They are inimitable, and, except so far as show
ing anything but their merest skeletons is con
cerned, are unreportable
He began with describing old Congo square, a
place where for long term of years the Congo
negroes held their dances They danced their
wild, barbaric Dances the calanga and bamboola,
the latter made famous by Louis Gottschalk, the
illustrious creole composer. Mr.. Cable sang one
of these Cunji dance songs which was heartily
applauded
His first reading was from cold Creole Days
being the sketch POISON Jone," which thor
oughly captivated his hearers. Mr.. Cable is a
master of the creole dialect and in his mouth
the broken English of Jules ST. Ange is deli
cious. St Ange was placed before the audience
with dramatic skill that brought him out in all
his airy substantially and elusive non-moral
gaiety,
'rWhat man thing right is right; It's all 'abit.
A man muz nod go again his consc1en'. My
oft I 90 i'm my
scien'p
1t is not the drinking of coffee, but the buying
it on the Sabbath that troubles the parson.
'Ahl cest very true. For you it would be a
sin, mails for me it is only 'abit. Rilligion is
very strange; / know a man one time, he thing
it was wrong to so to cock night on Sunday even
ing"
'.Ah!" continued ST. Ange as they descended
Eilligion he like the bez-1ne, | like the Cato
hque rilligion the bez-for me it is the bez.
Every man will sure 60 to heaven if he like his
rilligion the bez."
"Jools," said the West Floridian, laying his
great hand tendePly upon the Creoes shoulder,
do you think You have any sure hopes OF
heavenl"
'TYass!" replied st. Ange, II am sure-sure.
thing everybody viii go TO heaven. / thing you
will 60 ct thing Miguel will 60 Ell Joe-every-
body, ! ting-maiS hof course. not if they not
have been christen' Even thing some niggers
viii gc.'
Parson Jones, Mons St Ange, Battste and
Colossus are each given an individuality as dis
tinct as was ever given by Dickens to any of his
characters yet with this difference--that Mr.,
Cables characters are not liable to the charge Of
being overdrawn. They have the flavor Of ma
ture about them.
Mr., Cable sung song which he explained as
being sung in bygone years by negroes while
they cut the sugar cane and placed it in bundles
ten IN bundle. The song started at the bottom
OF the scale, and was made entirely
and exclusively, as the lecturer ex
planned, of the five open notes of the horn
He aftGrward read from his novel the ''Grandis
shines, introducing Raoul and the two Creole la
dies time, about 1904 dressed in the style of tho
French revolution, and the apothecary, Frauen
field His descriptions of the sea and land and flow
ers, and waterfowl in the picture of the sailing OF
the Sandpipernto Lake Catherine, with the br;ny
waters of Lake BOrgne near by. and the broaC
Gulf of Mexico beyond, was indeed beautiful
His reading concluded with some sketches from
his est-worl1. Or Sewer, in which he intro
duces John Richling and Narcisse, the latter
character not whit less humorous than Raoul
Tonight his reading, for the most part. vii
be from DIR. SEWER Rev. Mr. McCulloch an
nounced last night, that Henry Ward Beechel
would lecture at Plymouth Church on April 5
subject, Circuit of the Continent"