The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-06-22
STORY OF
Fine Spectacular Performance-Ffrst Move
Against the D~lspensary -valuableHi stor-
ical Coliection-"Our Fathers, Where
Are Thew

Fayetteville, y. c.. June l..
One benefit has already accrued to
this community from the approaching
state f1remen's convention. Captain
]. d. Mcneil, fire chief has given us
a season of exceptionally fine enter
tainments, eliminating on the evenings
Of the 18th and 18th insts. with the
rendition of "Jephthah." than which
Fayetteville a enjoyed nothing finer
in years. We owe Captain Mcneil a
good turn. which. it is to be hoped.
VIII develop in making the firemen's
tournament come and go with great
eclat and success.
AS 'J~ephthah" enlisted the efforts of
some of the most socially prominent
people Of this city, and as they all read
The Messenger, your correspondent
takes heart Of grace to ask space for
an extended notice.
'Jephthah" is a spectacular operetta,
illustrating, in a series of striking
~tableaux, one Of the most dramatic
stories in Holy Writ. Overwhelmed
with humiliation in childhood and
youth, and weighted by many difficult
ties in early manhood. JeDhthah de-
velops a character not unlike that of
GideOn-he is ambitious, valiant, wise
in conception and execution. imbued
with the superstition of his race, which
eliminates IN the closing. tragedy of
IN Iphigenia. Mr.. Blount's
ton was mastery, his manner graceful,
his action true and natural, his singing
excellent.
~Jephthah's daughter is a type of the
eastern woman which embellisheS page
after page of the Old Testament MARIA
tiyp-ricb1v endowed in mind and nor
sol with an eastern wOman's love of
the display and solemn ceremOnials Of
her race. and with the eXaltatiOn Of
character and the pride of ~wOmanhOod
which deems her own sacrifice only
glorious in the contamination Of a SOL
emn VOW. These delicate and beautiful
shades of character Miss Mary Eliza
Robson set before the audience in a
most pleasing picture-modest and
graceful, but strong and impassioned.
l can ask space for only bare
datory mention Of the fine work of
Miss LOttie Thornton as Adah. Miss
Belle Alderman as Sarah. Messrs. B.
c.. GOrham as ElOn, II. r. Novitzky as
IbZan, Edwin Sheetz as the prophet,
w. S. McRae and H. McGeachy as
guards, Major E. l.. PembertOn as
Eloni, and DR.. Belts as Arnold.
The battlefield scene, Naomi Miss
NdlN A1,I1. loIl ~ v Ill
wounded broter, ElOni, was exquisitely
beautiful and touching. ElOni's sweet
tenor blending in delightful son with
NaOmi's rich altO-the last sigh of the
dying soldier ascending to the angels
lowering overhead, three of the lowell
est little girls of Fayetteville, Minerva
Mcneil, Annie PembertOn and Helen
SlocOmb.
Bringing the soldiery of Bible days up
L. - g thn o,.oD1- n0rrpC IF
the state in the nineteenth century was
something of an anachrOniSm, but the
audience did not complain, and as it
gave them Kaleidoscope views on the
stake Of matchlesS military maneuVerS
of a platoon Of the Fayetteville indie
pendent Light Infantry, Major Penn
berton commanding. On the second
night Miss Matte Sedberry excellently
sustained the part Of Naomi, Miss Will
liams being quite i'll.
The work Of Mrs. w. A. Robson,
pianist, accOrds her at once a very high
place among musical n
trainers. The v~OcaliZatiOn, the phras-
ing, the dramatic effect, all give her a
most gratifying triumph in her art.
Miss Maggie PembertOn's tact n aid
were invaluable in the preparation of
the piece for the stage, as was the as
%sistance of Misses Della Matthews n
Euld MAY N1CDoIldlu. NhI. II. L. A>O
vitZky's help was invaluable.
The mounting of the cantata was
rich and essentially Oriental, glowing
in color and enhancing the charms Of a
chorus of very lovely women. Profess
sOr Highstanffer, the manager, has the
thanks of the two large audiences.
Judge McIver will hear in chambers
| at Carthage next Saturday an applica-
ton from S. J. Guy n others to en-
join the county commissioners. etc,
| from establishing a dispensary for the
| county. Colonel c. w. Broadfoot and
| Hon.. G.. M. Rose are attorneys for the
| plaintiff. This greatly complexities the
liquor question here, and your CORE
spOndent will in a day or two write
further of this matter.
Professor bred. Peacock. of Colds
boro, visited Fayetteville this week. He
is accomplishing a great work In col
Letting historical data of the past his
, tory of North Carolina.
The Messenger has a large following
of those who believe with it that there
| are more seemly ways of showing ones
| superiority than abuse Of the North
| Carolina of the past. Its ariStOcratlc
and ecclesiastical systems OF education
Whatever Mr.. Page is pleased to mean
by those terms) must have had some
thing of good in them when they put
| upon the arena of public life such in
tellectual gladiatOrs as CASTOR, Man.
| gum, Badger. Ashe, Graham, Reid,
! Clingman, Dobbin, WinslOw and Vance.
| When they perfected a citizenship
which, at the first shock of war, placed
| the commonwealth on an elevation
| which the cOnstancy and heroism Of her
J people sustained to the very end; when
! it sent forth from the schools and col
! leges the young men who. in Texas,
Tennessee, Kentucky and the extreme
| southern states, were to confer lasting
honor upon the native and the adopted
soil. BY their fruits shall We know
hem"
A large excursion of nice people came
up from Bennettsville. Maxton. Red
Springs and Hope Mills to witness
"Jephthah."