Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1891-07-16
STUDYING ELocuTloN IN THE PARK.
A ZealouA Theological Student FAlls lnto
tho Hands Of tho Police.

A AZealous Theological Student FSlls Fnto'
tho Hands Of tho Police.
The life of a park policeman il 20
destitute of incident that ID was natural
that ono of them should start In sur
prise one morning in Central park
when he heard q series of uneaxthay
sounds come from secluded thicket
in q little frequented' section Of a.
great pleasure gzoundA The sounds
were of kind. which; Il heard 10 .
house at night would have at oncs
stamped it as haunted. The voice, OF
voices were now raised In anger, now
dropped in love.
At one time the accents told of an
overmastering hatred. at another they
seemed TO- speak of victory and Joy;
sarcasm was now the keynote, then Bit
ter invective or gentle pleading. Tho
policeman warily approached the fast-
neeses whence the noises came, fully
convinced that he had d dangerous
duty TO- perform. He felt of his re-
volver to make sure that it was oil
right, and stole forward until he saw
whence the voice came.
In little opening in the forest stood
tall youngnan; in long, black frock
coat. His black hair was long and
TOSSED in disorder. The man had
taken off his hat and overcoat and had
thrown them on the ground. He was
all alone, but was declaiming away,
gesturing with his long arms rs if adj
dressing a large multitude. The police
man could, at first make neither head
nor tail out of the spectacle, but when
he heard what the lanky young man
was saying he became convinced that
he was an escaped lunatic. This was
what the orator repeated overandover
again:
20 thou, that rollest above; round
as the shield of my fathers! Whence
are thy beams, o sun, thine everlasting
lightf"
The man ran through the whole
gamut of human passions and moods
with tile sentence, varying his express
sion each time to correspond with hate,
longing, hope, love, envy, pathos or
the other feelings which he wished to
represent.
The size of the speaker, the velle-
mence which he put into his words, and
above all, the energy with which he
swung his long arms in emphasizing his
question, gave the policeman such .
wholesome idea of his physical prowess
that he quietly withdrew for assistance.
With two brother policemen he came
back to capture the supposed lunatic.
The young man had put on his hat and
overcoat and was leaving the secluded
spot when the policemen came up to
him and made him a prisoner.
70 their great surprise he submitted
calmly, and asked what he had done.
When they told him their suspicious,
he did not know whether to be angry,
mortified or amused. He soon ex-
planned to them that he was student
at the Union Theological seminary, and
had been advised by his instructor in
elocution to 60 over the lines of Ossian,
out of doors, putting in them the vari-
out emphasis and intonations. He
knew of no better place to practice in
than Central park, SO he had gone
there.
The righteousness of the whole thing
finally struck all four Of them, and they
burst out laughing. The prisoner was
released, but hereafter when he goes to-
Central park 10 practice elocution ho
will take an audience Of one with him.
New York Tribune.