Year: 1866

Delivered at the great Union Mass Meet
ing in Lancaster, on the 9th ult.


| come not to make a speech, but for the
want Of one When | left Washington |
was somewhat worn down by labor and dis
ease, and | was directed by my physician
neither to think to SPEAK nor to read until
the next session Of Congress, or / should
not regain my strength. | have followed
the first Injunction most ~rellglously for l
believe have not let an idea pass through
my mind to trouble me since Congress ad-
toured The second one, not to speak, |
was sedGced from keeping by some noble
friends in the mountain district of Pennsyl-
vania, and | made speech at Bedford, the
only ono | have made. The third one, not to
read. have followed almost literally. 1t is
true, | have amused myself with little
light frivolous reading, / have taken up the
dailies and publications Of that kind and
read things which would make no impress
ion upon the mind For instance, there
was serial account from day to day of a
very remarkable circus that Travelled through
the country laughter from Washington to
Chicago, and St Louis and Louisville back
to Washington. Renewed laughter. /
read that with interest expecting to see IN
so celebrated an establishment-one which
from its heralding, was to beat Dan Rice and
all the old dcircuses that ever went forth. i
expected great wit from the celebrated char
acter Of its clowns. Great laughter. They
were well provided with clowns instead Of
one there were two, as the circus was to
have q large circulation One Of these
clowns was high in Office and somewhat ad-
vanced in age /; the other was little less
advanced in Office but older in years. They
started out with a very respectable stock
with them, for instance a celebrated general,
they took with them an eminent naval Off
Ger, and they chained him to the rigging so
that he could not get away, though he tried
to do so once or twice. They announced the
most respectable stock company that ever
went forth with a manager or circus, though
they had not very good man for the spring
boards, but they took him with them for a
short distance a very good man accustomed
to ground and lofty tumbling, called Mont
gomery Blair. Laughter. And as they
wanted to get up side shows, as is always
precedent where anything is to be made out
of these concerns, they switched him off In
various directions with a hand organ and a
monkey. In the East they called his mon
key Senator Doolittle, because he looked so
much like one. Up through the mountain
region where encountered them Montgom-
cry Blair wa, there, and his monkey and
organ was called Judge Kimmell. Laugh
ter.


But the circus went on all the time, giving
performances at different points, sometimes
one clown performing and sometimes the
other. So faras was able to Judge, the
younger clown was the most vigorous, and
had the most energy and maligninty. The
elder clown, owing to the wear and tear Of
age and suffering-you know he had his arm
broken and his jaw broken, and his neck
broken almost = langhterl inducing ne
cessity for certain opiates, which had very
much worn down his vigor-I looked upon
his performance as rather silly for instance
the younger clown told them in the language
| Of the ancient heroes who trod the stage,
that he had it in his power if he chose to
be, Dictator The elder clown pointed to