A piece hath its victories no less than war.
"Blessed are the Piece-makers." That is Scripture.
The night of the "comic oration" is come, and the speaker is
arranging his back hair in the star dressing-room of the theatre.
The orchestra is playing selections from the Gentile opera of "Un
Ballo in Maschera," and the house is full. Mr. John F. Caine, the
excellent stage manager, has given me an elegant drawing-room scene
in which to speak my little piece.
[In Iowa, I once lectured in a theatre, and the heartless manager
gave me a dungeon scene.]
The curtain goes up, and I stand before a Salt Lake of upturned
faces.
I can only say that I was never listened to more attentively and
kindly in my life than I was by this audience of Mormons.