Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-12-26
W. VA. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26 1895

tator. Today-this blessed day !
he was in the ranks.
Teddy's book was open, but he was
not singing. There was too much to
see. The doors of the choir-room were
thrown back, the great organ and the
cornet took up the theme, and Teddy
Fitzgerald was in the house of God for
the first time.
Churches had been quite outside
Teddy's life. In the summertime he
had stolen his way upon several Sun
day school picnics up the river on a
barge Once he had gone with an older
gang of roughs from Avenue A to
help break up Salvation Army meet
ing; but these had been his sole ex-
periences touching religion.
His mother had been killed by fall
from a tenement-house fre-escape
while she was intoxicated. This hap
pened when Teddy was very small.
His father alternated between Black
wells Island prison and New York as
place of residence, with the greater
part of his time spent in the prison
Teddy lived on the streets most of
the time, but was found once in a
while by the truant officer at the room
Of his uncle, who was usually too
drunk by night to put the boy out.
When Uncle jim reformed" Teddy
slept in the station-house if he was
lucky; if unlucky, on a wharf or in a
barrel.
"Ill bet he'll be drunk by tomor-
row night, and then I'll get in,' he
would then reflect, for Teddy was
philosopher, and took the lean with
the fat. 1t was at the home of this
uncle that Charley Reed-who, the
week before, had been sent by the
public-school teacher to find out why
Teddy did not come to school-found
him on Christmas morning.
So here he was-a heather in long
black cassock and snow-white Gotta,
his face radiant with JOY, keeping per-
feet time as the long line swept through
the transept and into the chancel,
With his clean face, his short, brown
curly hair in order and this expression,
he looked almost handsome.
The boys filed decorously into the
stalls, Teddy hoping with all his heart
that an outside seat might fall to him.
Yes, here he was On the end, with
! Charley Reed beside him
Now the service began. Charley
would nudge him to kneel, rise or
stand, as the occasion demanded and
Teddy, who was full Of curiosity and
interest, obeyed implicitly When the
chanting of the Psalms began, Teddy
took his first active part. They were
Gregorian chants, full Of solemn JOY,
and the boy quickly caught the move
ment, for he loved music Passionately
Sin had closed every channel to his
soul-sin for which he was little re-
sponsible, for he was what his life had
made him. 1t had closed every chan
mel except this one He had never
heard any really great music before.
The best had been at the Central Park
concerts on Saturday afternoons, when
the child would sit, forgetful of the
black past and the blacker future,
wrapped in that bliss which only a
musical soul can know.
One masterpiece followed another to-
day-the "Te Deum' and then the
Creed. Charley Reed had solos in
both. Teddy listened greedily, envi-
ously.
81 bet yer l could do it if l only
knew how l bet yer could put
more go into her !" thought Teddy,
who, with critical instinct, had found
the lack in Charley beautiful voice
the inability to touch the heart.
Then followed some prayers, to
which Teddy paid no attention, and
then a carol. They were printed on
the service list, and Teddy read, "'O
little town of Bethlehem, by Phillips
Brooks" Neither name carried any
significance to him, though he wondered
vaguely where the town was, and what
there could be to write about it. Iflt
had been a big city, that would have
been another thing-but just little
town!
The music was the choir-master
own, and he had put into it some O.
The love of man and love of God which
filed the great heart of him who wrote
the words.
Teddy listened through the frs
verse; then, with the second, he began
The choir-master heard the clear, ful
tones, and listened with fear. WoulC
40 NJ. Tadd,