The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-21


goes past but what find dozen In
stances Of it, and It hurts me more
than can tell.
Two years ago exhibited my NOV
ing pictures at the town OF Jump on,
which was founded as future rival Of
Chicago and had seven murders and
nine elopements the first year. When
showed the picture Of General Wash
ington at Valley Forge-emaciated,
starved, discouraged and almost ready
to trade American independence for
pumpkin pie-there was breathless
silence In the audience for minute,
and then sobs and tears broke forth
from every point OF the hall. Men who
had not shed tear when their moth
ers-ln-law died now broke down and
had to be led from the, ball and In
some cases, as Iafterward learned, did
not take hand at poker for the next
two weeks. / was told Of women that
went home and wept for three days
and could not be comforted and of lit
tie children that wanted to send their
food to the starving patriots.
Last week l got around to show my
pictures in the same town again.
There was a still larger audience, and
| thought l observed an increased look
| of reverence on their faces. After col
lectihg my statistics as TO the number
OF cucumbers per acre raised In that
part OF Kansas this year mounted
the platform and started the show
with the same old picture. II was
Washington sitting In his log house
ut Valley Forge. He was the most
sorrowful looking skeleton ever e1hib-
tied to the public outside Of an ana
tomical museum, expected great re-
suits, and got 'em. Instead OF tears
and silence and sobs, the picture no
sooner appeared on the canvas than
irreverent voices called out:
Fat him upw
Feed him pudding and milk"
"Give him chop sueyw
Hey, George, old boy, where's your
fried oysters" t-
My grief and astonishment can hard
ly be imagined. AS l looked at the
audience IN reproachful way the au-
dience continued to boot and guy. and
had to take the picture Off. The au-
diehce even hooted at me. then ex-
hibited picture of'Satan walking arm
In arm with Boston alderman that
had sold his vote for $1,000, and there
was applause lasting seven minutes.
The next picture was Faith clinging
to the cross. i had great hopes that
this would bring the audience back
into the straight and narrow path, but
was doomed to disappointment. She
was advised to 20 home and 60 to
darnlng stockings, and when would
have expressed my surprise at such
sacrilege some one threw turnip sn6
hit me on the jaw, Is.
From thence on 1 exhibited only pic
lures showing that the wages Of sin
are from four TO ten dollars a day,
with board and washing and theater
tickets thrown In, and the audience
went wild with enthusiasm. | could
not close my eyes TO the fact that the
drift OF the times was toward wick
edness and that the travelling agents
Of family Bibles must be living on on,
ions and sleeping in fence corners
Next day while was driving oyeI
the highway from Jump on to StoI
Here met cayalcade OF three horse
men ON the road. Az a usual thing
kwhen meet a cayalcade my innocent
face, venerable whiskers aud dignihed
bearing insure me respect. In most
cases the cavalcade removes its hat
and bows low before me. In this ease
as a sign OF the degeneracy Of thu
times, the cavalcade halted. and the
leader asked mo what ! would take
for my whiskers, ! had not yet recov
cred from my astonishment when an
other man dismounrsd and climbed W