The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1891-01-02
a cHHIsrMAs sEm1NIscENcE.

active, intelligent membership 1t had, too,
and no country church it was, neither
1t was well located in a busy city of 100,-
900 inhabitants. / was a stranger In the
city, stranded there by a blizzard, and
looking over the evening papers to see
where / should go to be entertained, saw
an advertisement of this Christmas .'en-
tertainment." | went to the church, and
it was crowded with grown folks and
eager, bright-eyed, expectant little ones.
And this is the way the committee ON
amusement entertained them.
/. Dirge on the organ. The programme
did not give the name of the dirge. but 1t
was played with a waiIiDg melancholy
that made your flesh creep. / thought l
must have stumbled upon a Good Fri
day" exercise, but a glance at the pro-
gramme again assured me that this
"dirge" was the initial number of the
birthday exercises. Queer way to cele-
brate a birthday" | thought, but as 1t
was none of my funeral l said nothing,
which was perhaps the wisest thing | ever
said.
2. A middle-sged mourner, followed the
dirge with a recitation about a little boy
who died rather than tell a lie. The neral
was granted indeed, bat somehow the in
PRODUCTION of an early and tragic death
in the second number Of the entertain
ment" seemed to have a ~depressing effect
n fha ansto ra-afian Cksft T +.
perhaps the committee had wisely decided
to kill of the objectionable characters
early in the evening and have lots OF fun
at the wake.
}. A sunburst of childish brightness.
Seven little girls gave a charming little
exercise about the days of the week.
June sunshine couldn't be brighter or
more welcome in December.
4. Sad recitation by a boy with a tooth
ache. He leaned sideways and turned
perfectly rigid when he faced the audience.
After a moment of embarrassing silence
he unlocked his jaw and let her go. He
slipped an eccentric on the first line how
ever, and worked only one side after that,
saying bis piece out of the northeast cor
ner of his mouth till he came breathlessly
to the end and ducked himself OF the stage.
His performance threw the congregation
into a state of bewilderness from which
it seemed difficult to extricate them. To
complicate matters, a girl of about fifteen
years came or without any warning AZ the
bog went off and chanted, in melancholy
recitative, a narrowing narrative of 1.-THE
Drunkard's Home"
5. The organist covered the girls re-
treat with the Dead March in Saul" and
a dull, sickening shndder thrilled through
the room.
g.. Asinging society of eight young peo-
pie sang Il Would Not Live Away" A
nervous-looking brother sitting near me
asked me in a low whisper for the loan of
my razor +" to kill rats" l refused some-
what sternly, because, as told him, Idon't
carry a razor on my person, and besides I
disapprove of suicide in places of entertain
ment and at gatherings of mirth and
festivity.
:. A beautiful sonr, flute obligato, sung
ike a bird by a beautiful girl, entranced
the congregation and dispelled the air of
resignation which was settling down upon
the house like a cloud.
s.. A girl reeired ..Nobody's Child" 20
forlornlv that it cast a gloom over tho
entire community.
0. A young man sang Dublin Bay" in
good dramatic style, and the way he strew-
ed the fatal beach with CHASTITY corpses
when the flowing tide came in would have
chilled the heatt of a veteran undertaken.
10. A young lady recited a poem in
which an old man died sitting bold up
right in his chair, after which his faithful
old colored servant doubled himself up in
a heap at his masters feet and died hard.
This was encored, and they both died
again-a little harder this time.
II. A bright young lady with . clear
voice and excellent dramatic action, re-
cited The Burial of Moses" By this
tins the congregation had caught the
spirit of the meeting, and the Burial
W 6e d pt1iOucly cuSOACG. AHc ciOc4ttO0-
list returned and gave ssThe Maniac in
splendid style.
"Horrori The reptile strikes his tooth
Deep In my heart, so crushed and sad.
Ay. Laugh, We lendsl your task is done
I'm mad. I'm mad.'
This fairly made the sparkling lights of
Merry Christmas" culver with delight.
and another encore followed. This wal .
desc -iptiou of a man lost at sea, clinging to
a spar, and drowning as he sings Brock OF
Ages" The last gurgling, choking gasp
of the man as be went down made a physi-
clan near me close his watch with . sub
dned snap aud shake his head. ! knew
then there was no hope for the man. And
there wasn't. He drowned. and the Christ.
mas revelries were about over.
70. Santa Claus, in furs and bells, big
cap and pipe came in. He had forgotten
his piece, however, and after Historically
~raspinp. "Well Pm here was struck
dumb, and remained speechless. From
time to time, however, he jingled the bclls,
which pleased tie children quite as well ~
his best speech could nave done.