Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 July 1892 — Romance and Reality. [ARTICLE]

Romance and Reality.

An American who had always had great curiosity concerning the inner mechanism of tho stately swan which conveys Lohengrin to his Elsa temporarily engaged himself as a supc while in Berlin in order to gratify his curisoity. As the scene for the opera was being prepared lie hastened to the spot to Investigate, but was accosted in most brusque and burly tones by the stage manager with. “Was wollen sie?” **Weg von hierl” Not at all disconcerted our knight of the spectates pulled forth from his pocket tne open sesame in the shape of a beer ticket. Immediately the countenance of the individual in charge changed, he pocketed the ticket and tho supe was allowed to investigate at his own sweet will. Our friend was disgusted when he suw that the route for the swan bearing the fair-haired Lohengrin was very plainly chalked out on the floor and the inner mechanism consisted of a thoroughly alive Berliner, who crept underneath the stately swan on all fours, crawling upon liis abdomen and moving his hands and feet like paddles. -He waited in that painful and uncomfortable positionwhile Lohengrin sang his beautiful solo, “Adieu, My Swan,” tho while turning the head of the swan from side to side with one disengaged hand. At the end of the aria the crouching Teuton, still on his abdomen, conveyed the graceful swan back to the land of the Holy Grail, emerging finally in a state of perspiration and stiffness and with a Adore of face verging U]>on apoplexy. - Our spectacled knight will never again hear the exquisite aria. His attention is chained to the movements of the swan, and he mentally sees the burly Berliner crawling painfully along the chalk line to the home of the Holy Grail. He has learned from experience that the bliss of ignorance is a liv’.ag reality.—[Kate Field’s Washington.