The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-11-10
EVERYBODY BLUBBERED
NOW PREACHER "MELTEDv ms
HEARERS.
Tho Success of an Entaincr Dep.pds
Largely Upon the Ficsibiiity of His
Audience, ays Polk Miller.

Inc speaker and his hearers arc de.pcn.lent
LOT enjoyment OF what IS said and done
py the manner In which tho listeners
,aAe H. small crowd not only chlls
1'e speaker. but handful OF people can
not enjoy themselves a play. however
well II may be presented when emptv
benches are staring 'cm in the face. Joe
JeHhcrSon's Rip Van Wrinkle. even If old
1up was al his best, would be tiresome
10 hundred people scattered here and
'nere IN theatre accommodating two
thousand patrons. Rut with a packed
mouse. II gives the people a kceenr APP
kscVl~ uoiA and IT produces electricity
wiz both the man and his audience. /
asked an actor once If he could recall
ms largest audience and how many peo-
PIE ne had? Five thousand was the
greatest number / ever played 10. What
was the smallest? | asked. Well. said he
one night | played TO two kerosene oil
lamps, ann one O. them went ont. leaving
me In darkness almost. Another thing
Which Is most discOuraginC 20 a speak
or Is 10 see the faces of some people
whose cOuntcnanccs never change in the
slightest degree. Internal laughter seems
10 be. with some. the most enjoyable.
but II Is death 20 the fellow who IS try
ing 10 entertain. for although thousand
OF them may be splitting their sides with
laughter, yet tho blanKness of such "A
i1ce not only makes the cold chills
come. but IT is tho most conspicuous in
tho crowd: and try as / may, can not
help watching II as IL sticks out like a
rough boulder of rock on the mountain
side destroying the sight OF the beautiful
flowers by which IL Is surrounded.
l was once in a small Virginia town,
and had a large and enthusiastic audi
ence, but the face of one single man
haunted me all the time. l said 20 the
gentleman who introduced me that II
that man would 20 out Of the room I
would give him five dollars. / found out
the next day that he was one of those
Internal internal fellows for / met him
on the street and no cried out: well,
sir: ! am sore from laughing at you
last night" / told him IT was probably
best that ! did not know 1T, for If |
had. ] might have cxortc1 myself little
more and killed him outright As laugh
ter enlivons the atmosphere in an audi
ence-rOOm 50 the tears OF weeping
multitude will excite tho lachrymose
glands in people who are present, and
yet are in no way connected with those
who are crying.
EVERYBODY BIUBBFRFD.
About eighteen years ago, party OF
leading business men In Richmond IN
yited me TO accompany them on trip
to the seashore. We went 10 Cherrystone,
Virginia, and for ten days had the finest
boating, shooting and fishing l ever had.
When not on the water we were quar-
tered I'm a commCdious old mansion sit
uated on a narrow neck OF land In fun
view OF the ocean. Here we had whist
eut.hre and other innocent games, While
the mint and cracked leo were always on
the sideboard. Sunday came. and as II
Is always my custom 60 80 10 church II
i can, / proposed TO my companions 10
accompany me. They declined, and told
me II was very risky for me TO walk
through the hot sun. over sandy roads.
for three miles 10 church, ana the old
darlxey who waited on us added, An
boss. you'll git sun-struck." However, 1
wont and in my best city clothes. Ihere
we're about four hundred country folks
in attendance and had they come up op
of the sea for the first time that day, they
could not have been greater strangers
10 me They were sun-burnt and freck-
led and some of them looked Ike they
had never been mile from home on
land but they were an honest-lookins
set OF people who lived on the products
OF the water. Tho parson was on time.
and openod tho meeting in the good ola
Afethodist style, which every man porn
IN the country loves, and the singing OF
The HYMNS was INDUCED in by every man.
woman and child on the ground.
II was my misfortune to have had but
two suits OF clothes-one OF very ilne ma
serial and made IN John G. Shafer's pest
stvle while the other was taken down
there 20 FISH and hunt in. Tho peapie
e,ea me closely and seemed TO wonder
"u,hore that dude came from hau on
my hest. OF course. As the DoxoloSy De-
Gun. the crowd Of men who always loai
on the outside of a country church uii
nreachin' begins filed In. took my seat
ABOUT one-fourth the way UP the middle
aisle
HE MELTED TOO.
o,ha GOOD old hymn, SHOW Firm |
Foundation" was given out and l ht
In on the bass while the children All
turned TO look at me. ana conthueu 10
do so throughout the services. Inc pidlii' |
hut well-posted preacher, gave us d ser
mon Of unusual power. what aie laeAeu
ia tho way OF eloquence was more tilah
made I'D for in earnestness or manner |
q NJ e,neech. and it did us all good his |
Gestures we're made in the most approx
"a ..yvood-chopping" style When he mao
a hout finished his discourse, ne stoou
nootionless for a few seconds. casting MS
ewes over the congregation ana ule,
said: my dear brethren, am thahhlui
that I have been spared TO stand once
more In lllS PlipiN N~'N'
7 left this charge and went 10 IeNas'
1,nnsnr 10 better my situation financially
80 tell YOU. my friends, I've hah
bord time OF IT, The pillows have gone
,.,-or me. tears came flowing down MS
chee,xs). and I've came back poorer IMAM
T vas when ! went away. l dld nave
l,t,le something then, but l lost that Mt
,ie I had. When 1 look over TINS cohsic
cation / miss the faces oil tnS ms %
81, aaar old friends who have long since
'.s.., called 10 glory When / look over
-. mics the face of dear old sister
p.~,lav lthe Younger Barclays begin 10
-, while the rest OF the congregation
80 cranine their necks 20 watch the
80. and over here / see the empty
~. a., mich my dear old brother Frazer
90 to sir Uhe Frazers begin 10 weep;
- ~, ,here was sister Binns-oh. how
- ala ,,nhold the hands OF her pastor;
"a can see IN the faces OF these young
-.ao,Is here per'fect likenesses 10 my de-
'er,ed friend Uhe young Binnses fairly
,i,,t,he-l" He kept this UP until he had
,aIla5 tho names Of a dozen other families
IN ~ whom caved in as he made some
,onda- allusion to tho older people VINO
NE .at rest" IL was like pouring not
.ater on a pile OF snow. and the crying
mas catching ] tried my best 10 main
an my equilibrium but I couldn't stand
n Everybody in front OF me had tuned
M and Joined the preacher In chorus
n tears and what was | to dor Slt UP
here IKE a stack pole In broad nen'
,hovirg no sympathy? No, sir. melted
90 r,.o.
When I got back TO our boarding-piace
f,,a,a cuigon Mr. Peter Grubbs. ana