Love suffers long with patient eye,
Nor is provoked in haste;
She lets the present injury die,
And long forgets the past.
Four Female Figures.
The above characters are represented as statues. Four females of the
same height, of graceful form and fine features, are required to form
the group. They should all be costumed in long white robes, that will
trail eight inches, the waist cut quite low at the top, the sleeves
five inches long; a wide scarf of tarleton muslin draped across the
breast, tied at the side, and allowed to trail with the dress; hair
confined at the back of the head, and left to fall over the
shoulders; the head encircled with a wreath of myrtle and white
flowers. If any ornaments are worn, they should be pure white. Hoop or
any other large skirts must not be worn, as it is necessary to produce
a slender figure for a statue design. The positions of the four ladies
are in the following order: Hope stands at the right hand side of the
stage, one foot from the drop curtain; Love at the left hand side, the
same distance from the curtain; Faith and Charity at equal distances
from Love and Hope, and three feet from the drop curtain. Placed in
this manner, they will form a half oval. The stage furniture consists
of four small pedestals, twenty-four inches square, with a cap and
base extending out two inches, covered with white cloth, and
ornamented in front with a small wreath of myrtle. Faith takes her
position on the top of one of the pedestals. Her emblem is the cross,
which she holds in her right hand; the left is raised and points
upward; the eyes are raised upward, the countenance expresses
meekness. Hope is poised on a pedestal, and holds an anchor, the foot
of which rests on the top of the pedestal; the right hand is placed on
the anchor, the left is on the breast; the eyes are raised slightly,
countenance expressing serenity and hope. Charity comes next. In her
right hand she holds a silver dish, which is filled with crumbs of
white bread. Two robins stand on the side of the dish, eating the
crumbs. The left hand rests on the side of the body; the eyes are
directed to the birds; the face beams with smiles. Love is standing on
one of the pedestals, holding in her right hand a torch, which is
raised above her head, while the left gracefully holds the side of her
dress. The head should be turned slightly aside, the eyes looking
straight forward; countenance diffused with smiles. A gauze curtain
may be suspended before the statues, covering the entire space inside
of the frame. The light for this scene should be of medium brilliancy,
and come from the front of the stage. The cross and anchor may be
painted black, the torch painted blue, and tipped with gold; the flame
carved in wood, and gilded. Stuffed birds can be fastened with wire
springs, and attached to the silver dish. Music soft and plaintive.