Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-11

TOO, were nOlSeleSS, anu tney glAuSu 40 A. ih
the air. The glass was so perfect that, like
| the artificial sky overhead, it was utterly
| invisible.
To and fro, forward, back, bowed or erect.
in couples or singly they sang and sang in
the movement of their most perfect bodies.
| like birds among the leaves. These leaves
and ferns were very abundant and very
broad. but, so far as I could see, these dane
| ing girls were entirely natural and un-
adorned. Then slowly all sound, all move
ment of all things ceased. Slowly and un-
obtrusively a white-haired man, far down
among the trees, rose up and solemnly bowed
his head. Then all heads were bowed with
his; each one present repeated the Lord's
| prayer, and that was all. As he took his
seat, beautiful woman arose and slowly
proceeded to read the Sermon on the Mount.
Meantime the dinner went on, rs 1t no
stranger was present In fact, I afterward
learned that it is not permitted to pay any
| especial honor to anyone Indeed, the world
is so tired of tiresome toasts.
And such dinnerl Such winesl Such
grapesl Such fruitt Such oilsi Surely I
had come at last upon the land of milk and
honey. The Lord had surely led me to the
green pastures by the still waters.
And what continual melody of melodies,
even after the girls had melted away one by
leaves, and the musicians, too, had gone-a
sort of melodious silence. No rattling of
knives on rattling plates in the coming and
handling and mutilation of meats. No
coming and going. No rattling and rasp-
ing of feet on marble floors. We sat with
our feet on the soft white sands of the desert.
But this one dining hall or temple to mel
ody was only an example of an indefinitely
and constantly increasing number of SINH
lar and yet very dissimilar character. For
example, 1 found the dining hail, which was
devoted to serious themes and preferred by
venerable men and women of earnest
thought, was smaller and less pretentious
place. Yet even here peace, repose, the per-
iect good murmurs OF low voice and equi-
nimity of soul and serenity of all things
kept harmonious concert with lisping leaves
overhead and soft, warm sounds undertoot.
The hall where the men and women who
were devoted entirely to science loved to
meet and dine was also peculiar to itself; as
was that of poetry; painting as we'll. But
each and all had this dominating preference
for natures harmony of color, harmony of
sound, harmony of sense, harmony of soul.
The theater, for instance, or rather one of
the theaters, was a vast semi-circle with
tiers of tables in the distance. where the
lovers of the actors art dined and arrived at
the stage only, the pit, or orchestra, being
reserved for those who dined elsewhere and
dropped in at later hour.
While dining here with once famous
divine of the Established Church I could
not help remarking upon the lavish ex-
penditure of gold and silver, both in the
plate and the appointments of the stage.
"Ah," answered he. ''the world has yet to
learn that the despised deserts and noun
tains of America are the treasures of the
earth. The sands under our feet are turned
into glass As for gold and silver, we are
surrounded by mountains OF it. But besides
that our men Of science can grow that as you
grow potatoes.
Impossible"
"True. True as gospel. 1t has long been
believed that gold and silver grows in GER
tain rocks under certain conditions; but it
remained for our scientists to find the phil
osopher's stone By discovering the secret of
fostering the growth of metals"
And now let me mention one thing here
before it be quite forgotten in this hurried
and compact sketch which, regret to say,
must be confined within certain limit of
pages. had been here many days, had sat
at many dinners. had feasted like Cyclops,
as 1t seemed to me. Yet one day when pass
ing with the good priest through herd of
not tasted roast beef since coming to the
place. And spoke of this fact to my COM
panion.
"You have not tasted roast beef or any
other kind of meat Olive oil, butter, eggs,
cream and so on have been the extent of
YOUR dissipation in that direction" smiled
the good man.
"And you do not eat animal iood?"
"We do not want animal food and we do
not need animal food, and SO, of course, we
do not eat our sleek and mild-eYed COM
panions."
"And of what use then are your herds?"
"Milk, butter, cheese; besides that, when
these cattle grow so old that they are
miserable, they are driven to a remote place
and relieved of pain by a painless death,
and then we permit ourselves to use their
hides"
"Yes, you must have shoes"
"Not at all accessory, not at all, SIR Did
ever man see such pretty feet as Indian
women have? There has never been seen
such small, plump and pretty feet on earth
as the American Indian women have always
had. And vet they, even in the North, are,
and have always been, so far as possible, a
barefooted people. And here it is not only
possible for our women as well as men to 60
barefooted, but it is even desirable for COM
fort. No, we do not really need much leather
here, )" added the priest.
Now, when work in the field"
must have jerked up my head with sur
prise at the idea of priest working in the
fields, for he looked at me for a second to
see what was the matter, and then continued:
Gas was going on to say, when I work in
the fields always go baretooted, like the
touch of the soft soil and the warm sand. 1t
makes my blood run like wine, and live in
nv feet as we'll as in my head at such q
time. NV wife. however, still wears shoes
when she does her weaving or spinning, or
such work as falls to her lot or she de-
sires to do"
"Your wife9 Pardon me, Father; you
are jesting?"
"Nay, my son, you shall see her at her
weaving some DAY soon, now, for she will be
back to me by next month to take her place
in the ranks. 1 had forbore to tell you,
there being so many other things for you to
hear, that God had kissed her and claimed
her Tor a time as his companion in creation;
but the baby is year old soon, now, and
she will then be with us.
L was utterly dumfounded. But one
thing more in connection with this grand
and good man and pass on to other mat
tiers.
1t was only dav or two after this CONVEX
sation that was passing along alone down
by the way my horses had come one time a
quarter of century before when they had
run away from me to find water, when I
found my priest, hoe in hand and bare
looted, as he had said. He was hard at
work, hoeing away in very skillful fashion
at the corn. And 1 know whereof speak
for many and many day barefooted boy,
toiling Tor hire, have spent in the corn
fields, hoe in hand. And this priest did his