Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1896-01-16
STABAT MATER.

| ouDOeu Hlm OlQ duuc1Dack-Wa o
ganist in Muhlhausen. Every man, won
an and child in the parish knew hin
Mon Dieul for over 80 years the ol
women had dozed and nodded to b
music and the Young girls had 81
dreaming about weddings and christer
ings while Old Hunchback up in th
organ loft sat and improvised soul sway
ing melodies ON his instrument. Br
outside of the parish not a cat kne,
Father Michael.
What happened to him has happene
to many others; after his death hi
name was known over land and king
dom. Then fame took it on its wings
and now, wherever dwells an Alsatia
is known the legend Of Father Michael
Stabat Mater.
In his youth he had dreamed of grea
achievements and honor as an artist
but never had he believed that his nam
would be celebrated in legend and il
song-he who in his old age had becom
accustomed to being laughed at by ev
erybody.
And pitifully ridiculous looking h,
was with his hunched back and hi
monkey face, SO ugly that the dog
barked when they saw it. And for thi
reason he had gone through life will
love for naught but his music.
Up i1 the organ loft of the church
lifted above his fellow men, he was
transformed into another being. And ht
played with such wonderful skill ane
touch that the maidens heard sweet
whisperings of love in the flow of mel
ody, while the doing mothers were
swayed into dreams Of happy girlhood
under the influence of his strains. But
this was Of no consequence to Father
Michael; he played mostly for himself
-o.a..rc,ressions of his hearts silent
dreams.
Y \
They jeered and ridiculed him in
the village Every time he went into
Moser's the tobacconist, he was greeted
by sarcastic:
"Why don't you marry, Father Mi
chael? Are You going to live without
leaving so much as your name after
you? What you improvise on the organ
amounts to nothing it dies away at
once. No, it is great deal better to
give the schoolmaster a little trouble
and present some fine boys to the ar
my"
Everybody in the store laughed this
sally. Michael was just the right one
10 give his country brave soldiers! But
he let the people laugh and sought con-
SC, ,ltion in his beloved organ.
X
The war was ended.
But after that time it was that Ia
ther Michael felt his loneliness heavier
and more dreary than ever. The wounds
of jeering words snpk deeper, and he
felt their ont with bleeding heart. There
were moments when even the music
failed to bring him peace. 1t seemed to
him as if the words of his neighbors
were becoming more cruel and that
there lay moro seriousness in their rail
lery. Perhaps he was right Misfortune
dwelt with them; there was bitterness
in many hearts. Perhaps now they
found certain satisfaction in giving
relief to their bitterness by tormenting
Old Hunchback-him who did not weep
with them, but only played on his or
gan-the old good for nothing.
Yes, poor old Michael thought that
he himself was the most wretchedly
useless creature in existence.
Moser and the others were decidedly
right. During the anxious days of the
war the others had done everything they
could. Fathers and sons had seized theil
arms and gone forth to battle; the WON
en- had cared tenderly for the sick ant
the wounded--he, he alone had only
been able to mourn and dream. Day
after day he had sat for hours before hi
organ immovable, with his face hiddei
in his hands-seeking after something
he had never been able to fnd--a mel
ody which breathed and lived in hi
soul; miserere full Of tears and o
sorrow, but through the sighs ther'
should sound the cry of wrath ! the CT!
of revenge Oh, if he, with thunderous
raging and rushing billows of sount
could have checked the advancing enc
my!
But days, weeks, months passed. Th
loathsome annexation was bitter fact
The time passed and no dcliverer came
Gradually the necks were bent. Slow
ly, almost imperceptibly, they grey
accustomed to the burden of the yoke.
Now and then was heard an exalte
voice hurling an insanely impotent pre-
test against the conqueror and seekln
to incite tho people, but the people lis
tened, terrified, to the bold words. Ono
in a while rebellious conscript create
a scandal in the barracks by shouting
"Vive In France - when the oath Of a
| legiance was to be administered. 1t a
SO happened that daring patriot ha
| nailed the tricolor to the belfry Of til
church tower on the morning Of til
14th Of July. And great consternatio
was caused by "a young blond girl WI
at a fete crossed the market squar
where all the military authorities we
assembled, dressed i'll q neckerchief I
red, white and blue.
! Further than that the rebellious spi
II did not evince itself. But with evel
such outburst the grief and pain of r
ther Michael became intensified. II
memory's fever, which was whipp'
out of the others as soon as it show
itself. was locked up and hidden in y
soul Of the old man. But there it Il
and grew 70 sickly hate. to a helple
envy against ull these others. He envi
the unknowA youth who had nailed t
flag Of France to the old tower; he 9
We'd the recruit who had shouted, wi
Ia Francep r. in the bartsck yard, a
Iata n - -. I