WAR.
Reading edition
'Twas man himself Brought Death into the world; and man himself Gave keenness to his darts, quickened his pace, And multiplied destruction on mankind. First Envy, eldest born of Hell, imbrued Her hands in blood, and taught the sons of men To make a death which nature never made, And God abhorred; with violence rude to break The thread of life, ere half its length was run, And rob a wretched brother of his being. Porteus.
Twenty Male and Six Female Figures.
This tableau is a vivid representation of some of the effects of war. The foreground of the picture represents a battle field after the combat has ended.
"'Twas the battle field; and the cold, pale moon Looked down on the dead and dying; And the wind passed o'er, with a dirge and a wail, Where the young and the brave were lying."
The ground is strewn with the dead and wounded soldiers, broken cannon, muskets, flags, swords, and portions of torn and tattered uniforms. In the background, there is a representation of a breastwork of stone; on the extreme right are two females weeping; at the extreme left is a mother and two children. The mother lies across the breastwork, dead. The children stand by her side, looking with wonder into her face. Standing on the centre of the breastwork is the Goddess of War. In one hand she holds a torch, which is raised above her head; the left grasps a standard and sword. The number of figures in the piece is twenty-six. Twenty young gentlemen must be costumed in various styles of military suits, while many should have wounds painted on various parts of the body. The costume of the Goddess of War consists of a crimson dress, black velvet waist, trimmed with gold, hair hanging loosely over the shoulders, and a red French military hat on the head. The two ladies at the right are costumed in mourning. The mother should be attired in a white dress; the children in bright-colored costumes, with hair hanging in ringlets. The stage must be formed like an inclined plane, beginning at the footlights, and rising towards the background, and covered with green bocking. The soldiers should be grouped about the ground in various positions, and the cannon and guns scattered about in a promiscuous manner. The two ladies in mourning sit on the top of the breastwork, side by side, their heads bowed down, and hands covering their faces. The mother is seated at the other end of the breastwork, head thrown back, and eyes closed. The children are standing by her side, clasping their hands and gazing into her face. The Goddess of War should stand with her left side to the audience, body bent forward, the head slightly turned towards the battle field, the countenance expressing animation and determination. A small quantity of smoke should be seen rising behind the breastwork, while the whole scene is illuminated by a red light burned at the side of the stage. The booming of distant cannon and martial music may be imitated behind the stage.
