Evening Star Newspaper, May 5, 1900, Page 20

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, MAY 5, 1900-24 PAGES. & nu . - arf are “footed,” that is, placed YOUTH OF DONEGAL siesta tha, pees ! ry, they are built ittle stacks—and in Ri so they are perfectly dried } > one great stack, in which dg gies Le: d ! ready to be carted home h fads and Fassies Lead a Hardy ack by the side of the heuse. wt Tat ‘wn in the bog oak and fir, some and Simple Lile. housand years old, are s full of re » and burn ee blaze. ‘The old tree trunk Peres ra ¢ heavy. long-ha pe WRAP Hine AN | n r the purpose. GET WAT EDUCATION THEY CAN the sun and brought home to help the win- ie a i OM to Seek His Fortune. tA st Soon Help to Earnthe| As the boys grow up the littie farm ts But AliMustS P unable to support all. So, one morning, the i e eldest and strongest ties a few sorry be- Daily Bread. longings in a red handkerchief, takes with ——= him his little bundle and his father’s and mother's blessing, sirikes out upon the road MILING AMONG STRANGERS | that teads over the mountains, and is gone TOIL =a to push his fortune. srizht, 14), by Seumas MaeManns.) The Evening Star lr wholesome one is n in our mountains. s till he is n''—thirteen or He would not to'erate He can skip over moor hop over gravelly ground his hardy bare feet in sheep which ‘oxd—at school, —his feet know el as a goat upon 2 lowlands like and a a gars in the At home z nd at ma: st fit- ‘o he got his f s from the brogue seller in brogue maker then made a gle brogues of all sizes, and, 1 with a collection of them, he buyer had © from and fitted t his pleasure. the highest regard are at an have the youn nd off for their two, to miles the distric t br their poe to eat and be done the school, at again > afternoon. But rr; a light pock- ng ot 4 o'clock or fy that gives them little "or those whose fathers cannot give them the twenty-five dollars necessary to pay their way to America two other doors are open to fortune—though narrow doors enough. Such a boy may walk forty miles to the port of Derry and get conveyed to Glasgow at a cost of a dollar and a cuarter, and in that big city (where are thousands of our Donegal boy: lways) may get em- ployment in iron works at a waxe of four dollars a week: or, oftener he may waik thirty miles to the borders of the County Tyrone, hire for seventy dollars a year end his support in the *s house. These big Scotch mers occupy the rich alluvial lands of the northern Trish counties -lands from which their hired boys’ fore- fathers a century and a half ago were a driven into the mountain wilde So, for a paltry wage, this poor boy a stranger the soil th: Life here is not the plea: To should be it was in Seoteh-I DUS matte tock in the n of a very m till just ‘or attend- mountain home. farmer existence | the s t t for meals, before retiring at n = Ing the cattle and the he ering and feeding them, the boy hi: anday for a free day, but during the remainder of the week he not one free half hour from 4 o'clock in the morning till bestime, which. in these Scotch districts, is from S$ o'clock vill ¥ o'clock in the evening. At home the bey went to bed at 11 or Yclock. His mistress allows him plenty of food—of the ommone: quality. He ears at the table with his master, who so Ss liv om as poor fare as the poorest of the bey's pocr mountain neighbors at home. Another thing that jars upon the Irish works Exe “BEANNACHT DIA LEAT —THE BLESSING OF GOD BE WITH you. y as kiss your owadays kept at ble to figure, . although the latter ent not formally at every Donegal one of the first branches mas- Have to Work. sehool 1 till A ber till the middle of March. Outside these @ates, very few. except the mere infan e@ttend, or can afford to atte nd school—be sring) work, and the is very much yme. hool hours, in the »o, they must work by the e till night—or herd cattle or the hill. The wrestle with th: r efforts to force a subsistence continuous that the head y little household must impress e ofan his children. ‘The smallest of them can manure the potato ridges, plant seed. break the soll. weed the crop: make pals and gather the potatoes, while the more fully grown can spade foot for foot with rry loads, mow the grass and sheep upo! soil in t from it himself, ¢ the corn. oiene ck ‘of sheep upon the hills must after once a day, seen, counted turned back from neighboring marches. s task generally falls to the well grown . Lest he should happen upon a patch ry grass, his mother pt is eT tedge of stout oat bread before out. Where some greedy per- and ate, and did not leav - on for some poor person who should come Uae Way, or for the fairies, the latter cast spells on the spot. so that any on ) Walks on afterward is suddenly overcome with hunger weakness (“feur gortach.”" wi call it) and sinks exhausted. Such spots fare not uncommon in the Donegal moun- tains. I know well, from experience, that It is very risky to walk them without carry ng something eatable. Often have I known t me by the feur gortach, before they felt no 2 of this I have ad- son sa ancec another. Over the Hills. and climb many mountains in yed sheep; he meets on the young men wi tant valleys, each on his own qui he swaps with them information lungs are so good and » hills so great. and the at can hail a friend upon a n top some miles away, mouth e 5 A-hoy! A-hoy r Mike's reply A-hoy! Bri: Oe y with- es of the he clouds come down on n have caught et of foot. Then ignedly and suffer and, perhaps, the trempts to iravel ountain he may hazard a step when it ts too late, he finds the is not, and his body may be up at the foot of a spink. Or, if = a bad fall, he is most likely to bearings in a few minutes and go e his wandering deeper hills, til the mist ‘and dis: an unknown country. Peop! the mist kept wanderi hills for days together— erawiing tl s rath Catting the W ters Fire. arly days of May. Brian shoulders ade and with a “meachal” of men (helping neighbors) goes to the peat bog to cut his winter's firing. The turf ts dug (though we call {t cut) twelve inches deep, by four and by four, out of the black soft peat. Layer after layer Is cut off the turf bank, as far as cight, twelve, or in r. good bogs even twenty feet deep. Each succeeding layer is blacker and dens and makes 4 better turf than the previous layer. With one thrust of the double-bladed spade (the blades are set at right angles) he cuts a clean turf anu throws it over his shoulder on to the bank above. There a man with a turf barrow adds it to his load and wheels the fresh turfs off to free ground, where they are laid singly to dry—for at least two- thirds of the weight of the new turf is wa- ter. In the middle of the day, when all hands stop work, they untle the wrappers in which they carried with them their but- tered bread and bottles of milk, and sf tng around in a circle, they make a merry meal. A couple of days after being cut and s the boy has often to tramp | lad is that there is sometimes a want of ch anlin what he calls “a roughnes: serving of food, to which he was at home. howl is na ower clane o* the out- aid one of these mistresses to her jountain boy, as she handed him a bowl “but ah make my own o' you." then, m: "said he, as he reached for a dish clout a: “Va | thank ye to make a sthran; | As it generally pays better to give the buttermilk to the calves and the pigs than to “kitchen” one’s meal with it, the hired ; boy sometimes finds himself set’ down to a | fine table of potatoes without any drink or | condiment. On one such occasion the sar- castic boy said: “Because me mother used to tell me that in the hard times they found it a gran thing entire the big wan. All Eyes Turn to America. When the boys come home many and droll are the tales they tell of their late masters’ households. And after they Nave earned enough money to help their father, and to put a few pounds, over and above, in thelr own pockets, they leave the big farmers for good and prepare to set out for America, that land to which all Irish eyes turn. There are parts of our county—the very poorest—from which every able-bodied boy and man migrates early in June, to win the harvest in the Scottish lowlands. With his little red bundle and his sickle, each joins a band bound for the ports of Derry, They travel on foot the thirty or forty Irish miles—almost always accomplishing the journey in one day. After some months they tramp back again into their own val- ley, brown, hale, happy and wealthy with the wealth of twenty, thirty and even sometimes forty dollars—more than enough to pay the rent, and quite early enough to begin a late harvest of their own. Though the winter is the time of Brian's ease and amusements—when he attends the nightly dance or rafile, wedding, christen- ing or spree, or joins the story-telling cir- cle by a neighbor's fireside—he does not neglect his sports around the summer—his | foot ball, his*‘caman"—shinny—and hunt- | ins—hares and rabbits—and his courting— | all which he enjoys to the fullest in the glorious, long and sunny Sunday evenings | that seem to fall with God's benison on our valleys and on our moors, and to frradiate them, bare though they be, with God's own smile. SEUMAS MacMANUS. = aes The Skirt of 1900, There is no doubt now that the very | much trimmed skirts will not be accepted by the best dressed of womankind. We have become so accustomed to graceful lines that we are not likely to wish to in- crease our proportions except round the j feet. where, in the new, soft, spring ma- terlals, it seems impossible to get too much { frou frou, which curls delightfully round us } as we walk, or. rather, move, for {t is no easier to walk in the skirt of 1900 than it was tn that of 1899. It is nice for the wo- man with a good figure to know that she | may still preserve it and yet be in the | fashion. The short reign of panniers and the full skirt shows the determination on the part of the leaders of fashion, who are willing to forego their desire for novelty in order to retain as long as possible a be- coming mode. The bolero has been rather overdone, and therefore its decline is assured in smart circles, but there fs no doubt that a few weeks ago all went bolero mad, and this is the cause of its speedy decease. Some smart compromises between the Eton and bolero are being worn in black glace and even satin, but the smartest and | newest tailor coats are made with a short hip basque, which Is extremely chic, espe- cially in cloth, when it is adaptable to real tailor-made and yachting costumes. Of course, a pale biscuit shade and a slaty gray are, for the moment, most fa- vored, for beautiful as are the Wedgwood and pastel tints, they have been a little overdone. But it is well to remember that if a color really suits you {t is sure to look nice, though one cannot help tiring quickly of very pronounced tones when one sees too much of them. ———+e-+—____ Honest Childhood. to kitchen the wee wan to Ain't yer c-c-c-c-comin’ in? Second Boy—“De water looks cold!” First Boy—“C-c-c-c-cold? N-n-not a b-b- ! It's w-w-w-warm as b-b-b-blisters! (C-c-e-c-come on in!” The appearance of Frederick Warde. at the Columbia Theater this week gave the lovers of legitimate drama an opportunity to enjoy it through the interpretation of one of the best trained and most scholarly of American actors. Mr. Warde claims consideration not only as an interpreter, but as a producer. The stage owes to him several dramas which it could ill afford to lose. At the New National Theater Mrs. Lang- try exhibited theatrie culture in another phase—that of extreme literary polish. Mr. Grundy’s play is a masterpiece of diction. He turns a phrase with the daintiest grace imaginable and gauges the relative values of his materials so nicely that what in an ordinary play would be but a transient episode stands out by contrast as a strong situation. Mrs. Langtry Is ex- tremely sensitive about the comments on the title of her play. This is shown by the fact that she permits a sub- ordinate member of her company to ap- proach newspapers with his own editorial effusions on the chastity of the much-sus- pected title. This tacit encouragement by 4 star, of personal importance in her sup- porting company is unusual. The subject of what words are proper and what are not is one which Mrs. Langtry might feel some delicacy about discussing. So it may be as- sumed that in taking up the topic she has chosen to do so with feminine discretion, using a man of her company, so to speak, as a pair of tongs. That any defense of the title or its use should be undertaken is worthy of note, That the management on finding it hailed with disapproval wherever displayed should have retained it, when a mere Stroke of the pen would have changed it, can be explained only on the theory that considered too valuable an asset to be pensed with. To advertise a study in to appeal directly to prurient curi- osity, and this appea!, coupled with the personal prominence of Mrs. Langtry, was about all the production had to Invite in- terest, until the ster'ing literary worth of the comedy was made a matter of general information. After all, it is a lucky produc- tion whose culpability is confined to a sin- gle word, even though that word happens to be the title. Yet the significance of a single word, even when that word is but a monosyllable, is often deadly. Miss Olga Nethersole’s man- agement (it seems almosi sacrilege to sus- pect that an artist like Nethersole has de- scended to all this noisome gabble by her own impulse) _h: dwelt with great em- on the harshness of the word “lewd. . as employed by a man of studious hab- its purport might be wholly innocent. who had enlarged his vocabu- lary to a degree of clasticity which would permit him to fully appre te the earliest English In its colloquial spirit might en- counter the word “lewd” and recall no other equivalent than “ignorant” or “be- longing to the lalty,” fpr such, strange to say, was the original Signiticance of this combination of four letters. There is not much use in trying to fall back onthe pristine innocence of a word. Its vital, current significance is what counts. And a euphuism once degraded to the vernacular achieves disreputability at an astonishing rate of speed. The persistence with which Miss Nether- scle is pursuing apologies is likely to causé a difference of opinion even among those who admire her art. These clashes in the race for fame are always distressing to one who takes all he hears seriously. The de- fense of a woman's reputation, however fled, must inspire a certain chivalrous ct excepting under one condition, and that condition arises when considerations of notoriety take precedence of the desire for moral and social vindication. Those who believe Miss Nethersole is stung to renewed resentments by the fear that she will actually be considered a lewd woman must lift their caps In honest admiration; those who suspect that she is merely reluc- tant to relinquish a source of advertise- ment, well, they may keep thelr caps on |- and remain silent. The patronage of polite vaudeville was very heavy, the chief feature being ‘The Littlest Girl,” in which some exquisite touches of sentiment and pretty stage pic- tures are made to apologize for some dreary stretches of talk. It must have been some such production as this that Hamlet was reading when h made response, ‘Words, words, words. The fact that Sothern is to play “Hamlet’ may revive popular interest In that drama. The prediction that he will play it well needs no very shrewd guessing. It is a most inviting role for an actor of personal grace and the abillty to read intelligently. Robert Mantell has played “Hamlet,” and played it well; but the achieve: t did not suffice to establish him as a Shakespearian actor. “The Hustler” came to a sudden state of inertia at the Academy, and the time which was given over to darkness meant some surcease of sorrow. for the people who might have gone to see the farce-comedy. The Academy makes no announcement for next week. Next week Daniel Frohman’s stock com- pany will present a comedy in a vein that seems characteristic of the best Frohman traditions. And for the rest, the nights will be filled with music, with Hopper in opera at the Columbia, Camille D'Arville at tae New Grand and a number of songsters; also dancers at the other houses. The devotion of the Lafayette to a week of high-class vaudeville is not to be accept- ed as an outline of future policy of the house. ‘The prospects of a stock company at the Columbia Theater are assured, with Wm. Morris as leading man and either Kath- erine Grey or Margaret Anglin, who was a favorite in New York as leading woman in “The Only Way” and “Cyrano de Ber- gerac.” for the principal feminine roles. Daniel Arthur, manager for Stuart Rob- son, will be associated with the theater in the box office for the stock company sea- son. The plays now in contemplation are “The Adventures of Lady Ursula,” “Cath- erine,” ‘The Masqueraders,” “A Gilded Fool” and “Lord Chumiey. , When De Wolf Hopper was in London a source-of much entertainment to the come- dian was the struggle the newspapers had with his name. It was not till he was there for several weeks that any one journal got his name right. The staid Times would call him “De Wolff Whopper,” despite the fact that numerous letters of protest and correction were sent to the editor. The Telegraph had an equally sad time, refer- ring to the comedian as “De Wolf Hop- pera.” This last may have been an English joke; but a good joke oft repeated grows wearisome. Punch, whose reputation for fun Is centered in the one word of ad to the man who would marry, “Dor spoke of the comedian as being “The American wheeze factory superintendent,” “Wheeze” is English for “joke.” It also sald that the comedian reminded it of a one-legged man who had lost bis crutch, he was “such a great Hopper.” Since De Wolf Hopper’s great week at the National in “The Charlatan” nearly two years ago this opera has enjoyed an un- exampled prosperity. Even in England it was received with greater favor than was “Et Capitan.’ The new opera, “General Gamma,” is ready for production; but it will not be seen until the latter part of next season. “Hopper says he considers his London success in “The Charlatan” due in great patt to his chorus, which was a reve- lation to the English, and that the English chorus girl in comparison to the American article Js an equestrian statue compared to a thoroughbred at full speed. Camille D'Arville is a songbird With mar- -velous ‘plumage—fine feathers that are the latest creations of supreme Parisian art in things feminine. The most stunning new gown in the D’Arville wardrobe—or reper- toire, one might consistently say—is that which ‘has a skirt foundation of old gold cloth. -It is not merely cloth of a golden color, but a fabric actually woven of gold threads—a wiry, shimmering material, which gleams gauzily ‘through the creamy Medici lace drop skirt that falls graciously about it, terminating in a demi-train. It made in Paris especially for Miss D'Arville. The lattice-work effect in the lace is odd in fact, the entire gown is a distinct novel millinery creation. The bodice crossed with bands of black velvet, mee ing in front, from which fall long black net stoles with chenille fringe. The cor- sage has a rufile edged with Russian sable, The sleeves are a mere bit of lace caught in front with bands of black velvet and eel clasps. A huge four-leaf clover wrought.of green satin is fastened at the left of the bodic the new short- aisted effect. t opalescent are produced around the waist line by the com- bination of several soft, silky material banded one about the other in girdle fash- ion. With this. gown is worn a superb cape, also imported. PADEREWSKI'S RECITAL— Paderew: ki was heard by a bril¥ant audience at the Columbia Theater ye afternoon, The great pianist confined! himself to Chopin throughout the recital, giving a wide range of the composer's work. The program troitly arranged an@*led from a fantasie ough several preludes, nocturnes, as ta, several studies and ather compo the grand polonaise In A flat, as rendered as the concluding num- The recital w thoroughly, enjoyed especiall¥.by the olose, students of, Chop who, while they might have Bo critteise Padera ae ofond or_two selection’ and might doubt the ad- VISADIlityvof th sli rty taken wit the magnificent, fuudramarch of the. B flat minor sonata, néverthelcss werg edified by his wonderful performance of the whole. The triumph of the afternoon was reached when four of the popular Chopin studi were played. First wus rendered the etude in F major, op. 25, No. 3, and then, in- stead of following the program which called for the"C major, Paderewski gaye instead two studies, A major and C sharp minor. The-Tast"6f the elude quartet was the G flat majary op. 25, No. 9. With its rendi- tion the audience fairly rose to its feet. ‘The outburst of enthusiastic applause brought a gracious repetition. The other bi: de resistance of the afternoon was the famous cradle song, berceuse, op. 57, which was delicately and expressively exe- cuted. Even after the long program coneiuded the audience stili clamored for more, and the artist returned to the piano, and still in harmony with the only com- poser whose work he had played, gave a Chopin waitz. ~ €OMING ATTRACTIONS. NEW NATIONAL THEATER.—Mary Mannering, “Mrs. ‘Charles Walcot, Eliza- beth Tyree, Beatrice Morgan, Blanche Kel- leher, Eva Vinéent, Ethel Hornick, Alison Skipworth, Minnie Bowen, Messrs. Charles Walcot, Ferdinand Gottschalk, William F. Owen, George C._ Boniface, Willam F. Courtenay, John Findlay, William Eville, H. 8. Taber and others are the leading members of Daniel Frohman’s stock com- pany, which comes to the New National Theater for one week, commencing Mon- day evening next, after a brilliant winter of success at their home, Daly's Theater, New York. ‘The play to be presented 1s a new four-act comedy, “The Maneuvers of dape,". by Henry Arthur Joies, “whith re- ceived its initial American performance at Daly's Theater last fall, It proved &n ar- Ustic as well as a financial success, and was only taken off to make way for “The Ambassador.” It is a farcical comedy with large opportunities for clever character acting. In it are two motives of interest, whtch divide" attention between two pairs of leading interpreters. The first of these shows how Jane, a rebellious and impul- sive girl, is brought by her father to the country home of the Bapchilds and placed under the care of Mrs. Beechinor, to be properly disciplined. Her penniless lover, George, obtains a position as steward on the estate, and Jane actually decides to elope with him. She goes to an inn at night for the purpose, but picks a quarrel With him because he comes late, and sends him back in a pet, while she ‘spends the night with the innkeeper’s wife. The other half of the story displays Lord Bapchiid, @ grotesque, pompous little fellow, and Jane's companion, Corstantia. The latter is sly and scheming. She wants “Bapehild’s home and money, and finally contrives to make him’propdse In spite of himself. Jane and George also come to terms, and two weddings are the. result. COLUMBIA THEATER.—De Wolf Hop- per and company come to the Columbia next week in Sousa and Klein’s “The Char- Istan."| The one thing everybody knows when Mr, Hopper comes is that we shall have a highly diverting entertainment and an evening with'one of the drollest come- | dians and. one {je best: singers: on--the American stage, Hopper company has from the very. s' en aw organization of the first watel Hopper has never stinted in this partidular. He has always had the best, since he is not one of those "atars’t who Imagines that his own great- ness is enhanced by surrounding himself with “‘dimly~twinkling satellites.” This is & mistake that some! make, to their loss, but one, fortunately, that Hopper never made.. He brings back from London with him as clever a company as ever supported him. Jessie Mackaye’s success in London wes pronounced; This little comedienne had never appeared In comic opera except for five weeks at the Fifth Avenue Theater last fall with Mr. Hopper, before going to Lon- don. Although entirely inexperienced in comic opera she met with much praise. Her London triumph, then, was not exactly a surprise. She is said to have developed miar- velously during her stay in the British cap- ital with Mr. Hopper, who has trained her with much care, as he did Della Fox, in stage “business.” It 1s evidérit that Miss Mackaye, although very young, is an apt student, and that a great career is open to her. It is not often that a girl of eighteen meets with such success. Others in Mr. Hopper’s support are Nella Bergen, prima donna; Herold Blake, the tenor, who sup- ported Lillian Russell in her Ing tours; Henry Norman, formerly of David Hender- son's extravaganza company, and later. of the Casino; Charles Swain, the comedian; Ida Lester, Mark Price, Ida Cameron and Harry P. Stone. Since last seen in Amer- ica Mr. Hopper has had inserted in “The | Charlatan” much new business and several new lyrics. Mr. Hopper and Miss Mackaye have a pantomime scene in the second act which met with very great applause abroad. “The Charlatan” is a comic opera anomaly, since it has a real, live, Interesting story that goes briskly on from start to fi Sousa’s music is in his lighter, merriest vein; yet it has one of those splendid swing- ing marches which have served to make the composer famous the world over. GRAND OPERA HOUSE.—Camille D'Ar- ville, the famous comic opera prima donna, is the special feature heading the eight-act bil prepared by Manager Chase for the New Grand next week. It will be the occa- sion of her first appearance in this city since she sang in the production of “The Highwayman,” and the low scale of prices prevailing at the Grand makes it possible for many to hear her who have hitherto Genied themselves the pleasure. This is evidenced by the great demand for reserved seats in advance, which exceeds even that for Cissie Loftus, and there is therefore every indication that Miss D'Arville’s ap- pearances will be before larger audiences than have ever before heard her in this city. Although she has chosen vaudeville as her sphere of action henceforth, Miss D'Arville continues a reigning favorite light opera singer. Her songs comprise classic as well as “‘coon’’ selections, and herartistic rendition of the latter reveals beauties of composition undreamed of by those who have heard them ground out by street organs and commonplace singers. “Another remarka- ble feature of the bill will be “Baby” Lund, the child artiste, who sings character songs with costume changes. The other six not- able acts engaged are the famous Three Onris, jugglers and equilibrists; Prof. Ma- © aggregation of dog and mon! edians; Tom Mack, the Witty “blac! monologist; Elsworth and Burt, refined comedy sketch actors; Roger and Fields, German comedians, and Fialkowski, the wonderful imitator of animals. LAFAYETTE SQUARE OPERA HOUSE, —The Lafayette Square Opera House wili present an entertainment for the week be- ginning May 7 that has a most refreshing tle for these warmer days. It is M. M. s “Wine, Woman and Song” Com- pany, an organization that has been meet- ing with pronounced su The program con deville acts, followed by an ope Jetta. The music is bright and cat comedy good, and the large chorus of not only pretty, but talented. The speci: ties are furnished by Sheehan and Kennedy clever Irish comedians, who are assi monkey named “Foolish Pet dy Trio, consisting of Miss Eddy and two Russian midgets, Itski and Philoski Mazuz and Mazett, premier comedy acro. bats; the Three Racketts, known as “the 1 Hostlers;"" Kine and Gotthold, comedy character duetists, and the W. ington favorites, Bennett’ and Rich, popular song illustrators. ~ KERNAN'S LYC sts of six high-class vau- auc ny, the irls the SUM THEATER.— Bupis the companies this season to occupy igh a high place in public favor are the High Rollers Extravaganza Company, billed to appear at the Lyceum next week. The opening number on the program represents the High Rollers on a trip to the Paris exposition. The book is by A. H. Wood- hull, music by Max-Ardell. The specialties and novelties introduced in that part of the bill called the olio are high-class and new. The burlesque is a side light from Daly's great production of “The Great Ruby,” carieaturing its many brilliant scenes, among them the reconciliation, the night walking scene, the great fair scene, including the ride for life, the balloon cension, and its heartrending tragedy and desperate struggle, is worked over in a humorous travesty. The settings and sur- roundings are elaborate and beautiful. The series of living pictures introduced by this company are regarded as the most com- plete@ever attempted. FRANCIS WILSON.—The appearance of Francis Wilson at the Columbia Theater the week of May 21 has been widely her- alded as an important event. Unusual in- terest is attached to the engagement on ac- count of the announcement thac a per- formance of “Erminie” will be: given by what many will consider the best comic opera crganization in America. Mr. Wil- son originally brought “Erminie’ into. no- Uce fifteen years ago at the Casino, New York, and {t is now regarded as a comic opera classic. In addition to Mr. Wilson, in his original role of Cadeaux, Pauline Hall will appear as Erminie, and Jennie Weathersby as the princess. ‘These two artists were in the original pro@action of this famous opera, and the present revival under such favorable conditions has met with tremendous success wherever it has been presented. Other important members of the organization are Lulu Glaser, so long identified with the various Wilson suc- cesses, and William Broderick, who for a number of years also figured as an im- portant member of this combination. Other familiar names include Josephins Knapp, A. H. Holbrook, Peter Lanz, Robert Brod. erick, C. H. Bowers, Bessie Howard and Martha Stein. It was a clever siroke of business on the part of the local manage- ment to secure the Wilson company, par- ticularly for a representation of “Erminie, which has made so many fortunes in the last decade for comedians as well as im- pressarios, WEBER & FIELDS.—The announcement of the forthcoming engagement at the Co- jumbia, Wednesday evening, May 16, of Weber & Fields and their entire stock com- pany from their Music Hall. New York, has created an immense amount of interest in this city, and already the box office at the Columbia has orders for seats and boxes amounting to hundreds of dollars. The engagement promises to rival, if not surpass, the single nights that were played here by Miss Maude Adams in her revival Romeo and Juliet” of of and the all star cast “The Rivals.’ ‘The management promises to bring intact the company as a Whole which is now playing in New York, including Lillian Russell, May Robson, Peter Daly, Dave Warfield, Charles Ross, Jobn T. Kelly, Irene Perry, Bessie Clayton and last, but not least, a chorus of sixty, guaranteed to break the hearts of all the first row gentlemen in Washington. The expense attending an organization of this kind is something enormous; the salary sts running up into the thousands, and the company will live in the best of style on this tour In a specialtrain, leaving each city directly after the performance. All the scenery, costumes and even their own orchestra will be brought here. The sale of seats and boxes will not open until Thurs- day morning, but in the meantime orders are being accepted and filed in the order of receip’ E. H. SOTHERN AND VIRGINIA HARNED.—E. H. Sothern has com- pletely recovered from the {fliness that prevented his appearance in Washing- ton last February. It was promised that as soon as possible he would re- turn to the National Theater to make the production then announced. On Monday, the 1ith of Mav, both Mr. Sothern and Miss Harned w’'ll open here for a week's e1 e~ ment, when we shall be able to view the piece’ they have recently presented at the Knickerbocker Theater, New York, the most elaborate production that Mr. Sothern and Miss Harned have been associated with. We refer to Gerhart Hauptmann’s master- piece, “The Sunken Bell” We are told that it fs a fairy tale with a human story, a per- fect assimilation of the idealistic and the realistic; apparently a modern drama, with @ commingling of fairies and men and wo- men, telling a story so simple yet so inter- estingly that children are with: ex- pectancy and surprise, and intelligence is quickened at the depth and beauty of the development. Pictures of forest dells, of rustic homes; heart love and sorrow the theme, with just so much fantastic relief. This is the burden of the New York critics’ discussion of “Die Versunkene Glocke,” that Charles Meltzer has done into English ef i i aL ie a a (ce sgh at ae plata and E. H. Sothern and Virginia Harned will produce at the New National Theater Mon- day, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The close of the engazement will see a revival of Sothern’s last season's suc- cess, “The King’s Musketeer,” which will be played Friday and Saturday and at the Saturday matinee. THE MIDWAY CARNIVAL.—From M 8 to May i2 will be seen the Frank © Bostock Mid Carnival, a show which is unique in design and comprehensive in quali Glittering memories are stil arou: by the mention of the Midway Plaisance fn connection with the Chicago e tion, and the idea of perpecuating this great display of foreign customs and seenes might have been undertaken earlier were it not for the magnitude ef the en- terprise. Frank C. Bostock has achieved fame as a trainer of animals and is still the chief attraction of the show despite its enormous array of oriental magnificence. While there is a score or more shows on the midway proper, Director General Frank C. Bostock, “the animal king.” makes a specialty of the trained wild animal ex- hibition. It 1s a well-known fact that at the world’s fair the Hagenback trained wild animal exhibition was a leading amusement feature, and it was visited by greater crowds and gave more satisfaction than any other attraction on that strange street. Whiie it is not genera'ly known, the fact still remains and chailenges contradiction that the whole of the Hagenback trained wild animal shows at every expgsition since the world’s fair have been owned and op- erated by Frank C. Bostock, “the animal King.” Among the bright particular stars of the animal show is Mlle. Marie Louise Morel, who enjoys the title “queen of features at the world’s fair the streets of Cairo enjoyed a well- earned patronage. Here, in the Turkish theater, are presented the native dances, nd the performance is given without the chiest suggestion of coarseness, which 1s revalent among the itinerant troupes of ed criental people, which have been im- posing upon the public since the close of the «reat world’s fair. Here will also be found and patient donkeys from Palestine for riding pastime, in charge of gaudily- gurbed drivers from the far east. One of the handsomest attraction midway is “The Venetian Gondolas perb mechanical device, which was con structed at a cost of $50,000. They were originally intended for the world’s fair, but were not completed in time. Notable among the other midway features are: Wombw Royal British Menageries, which contains the most complete collection of wild ani- mals in the world: the African village, showing a Boer laager with a trek wagon, which was used by Gen. Cronje’s men dur- ing the present Boer-British war, and a group of Kaffirs and Basutos: Bostock’s Equine Paradox, introducing Bonner, the wonderful talking horse: a wild west outfit, complete in every detail, headed dy Chief Carlo, the Yaqui government scout: the Moorish palace, which contains the and most artistic creations in tableaux of wax and many scenic illusions; the Crystal Maze, with its mystifying labyrinth of heavy mirrors and impenetrable passage- ways; Electra, the maid of the air, and other illusions: the racing yachts and mauy other novelties that have proved amusing. In addition to the pavilion features there ill be several free shows on the midway, ipated in by artists of international renown. Foremost among these ebrated Minting, the daring unicycl on a single wheel, narro . seven Herr Granada and Mlle. thrilling act on a single wire. 100 length, which is stretched between supports fifty feet high. Frank St. the daring diver, makes a leap for from a perch seventy-five feet high into net four feet square, and Mlle. propels herself while enc: sphere up and down a silver spiral performances are given in the of short intervals throughout the da: Frank C. Bostock will be present the stay of his great enterprise in this city, and each and every attraction will be given under his personal direction. a Orroeco din a hollow These air at Mr. during “THE NEW AND ANCIENT SOUTH."— The Harrison Brothers will introduce a novel form of entertainment in Washing- ton the -week of May 7 at the lot corner 14th and V streets northwest. Under the pavilion there erected will be exhibited one of the biggest organizations of colored tal- ent ever brought together, presenting the pastimes of the colored race from the olden days down to the present hour. A big cakewalk will be one of the feature: High- class singing will be interspersed with rag- time melodies, and twenty-five buck and wing dancers will appear. is announced and cert daily A street parade there will be a free con- at7 p.m. MISS JONES FROM _LONDON.—This unique exhibition, at 1211 Pennsylvania avenue, has lost ‘none of its interest. and continues to recelve liberal patronage. In acknowledgment of this Past and contin- ued generous support by the Washington public Miss Jones will, commencing today and cach day until the close of this engage- ment, present a handsome Souvenir to each lady attending her afternoon receptions. MUSICAL AND JITERARY ENTER- TAINMENT.—The ufsieat and Mterary en- tertainment on Tuesday evening, May &, at E Street Baptist Church, under the di rection of Miss Mattie V. Wade, promises to be a very enjoyable affair. She will be assisted by Dr. J. W. Bischoff and best local talent. & Aside. Andrew Mack ts to appear in a new Irish plece next season entitled “The Rebel.” David Belasco slipped and fell in London re week, but did not sustain serious in- jury. Marion Manola, the recently divorced comic opera star, will be heard here before the New Grand’s season closes. When “Quo Vadis” is presented in Lon- don by F. C. Whitney, Robert Taber will be the only American actor in the cast. Marion Abbott's sketch, which she will produce here at the New Grand for the first time in the east, is called “ Tea it, is ‘Lord and Owing to throat trouble, Miss Adele Ritchie has retired from the cast of “The Belle of New York.” During her absence Miss Jessie Carlisie will take her place. one-act “farce, “A Daughter of Bacchus,” has proved to be the greatest success they have yet launched in vaudeville. Ada Rehan has played 250 roles. Charles Frohman has been ill in London for the past week. “Children of the Ghetto” closed for the season at Norfolk, Va., last week. “Oliver Goldsmith” has at last taken rank as a recognized success in New York. Marie Wainwright announces that next season she will play Hamlet in vaudeville. When E. H. Sothern plays “Hamlet” next September Virginia Harned will play Ophe- ia and E. J. Morgan the King. Delia Stacey has a summer engagement in Chicago. She is to play a boy in a new extravaganza to be opened June 17. The Jeannet Gilder “Quo Vadis” has re- tired and left the field to the Stange ver- sion. It is sald that the representation of Ro- stand’s “L’Aiglon” will not be permitted in Austria. Ada Rehan will close her season in De- troit on May 39. She has made no announce- ment of her plans for next season. It is sald that Edward Marshall, Seumas MacManus and Edwin Markham all con- template undertaking lecture tours next season. Filo Irwin, a sister of May, will star next season in a play entitled “Miss Kidder,” written for her by Glen McDonough. Wal- ter Hawley will be leading man. Mrs. Sarah Cowell Le Moyne is booked for her first New York appearance as a star October 7, for a five weeks’ engage- ment in “The Greatest Thing in the World.” Should present negotiations reach a suc- cessful end, Elita Proctor Otis will star in Australia next season, assuming the role of “Zaza,” under the direction of David Belasco. Preparations for next season are already under way. A printing house in New York has orders in connection with twenty-two new shows, elghteen of which are melo- dramas. John Webster, the husband of Nellie Mc- Henry, has finally been given up for dead. His spent Jars trying to secure traces of his body, but has finally come to the conclus really urrew himself into t agara during a temporary aberration of mind. The latest report regarding Viola Allen is that she will not go to Europe this summer, but will spend her vacation at her Long Island home. “L'Algion,” according to report, @rawing as well as expected in though it is to be a success hardt. is not ‘arts. al- ng expenses, and promise; venture for Sarah Bern- Canfield and Richards’ “A Temperance Town” closed the season with last ur- day night's performance at the Academy The company was taken by surprise, but had to make the most of it. Johnny Ray of “A Hot Old Time” has been very Hl in New ‘k for the past two weeks, and his physician has ordered him taken to a sanitarium. Mrs. Ray is also ill, and will accompany her husband. The Grau-Savage Grand Opera Company will be in the field next season. and bring back to the operatic stage Jessie Bartlett Davis, who will be the leading contralto of the organization. The latest report frem New York is to the effect that Miss Ethel Barrymore, the actress, is once more engaged to be mar- ried. Charles Delevan Wetmore, an archi- tect and cotillion leader of upper tendom, is said to be the happy man. A great vaudeville show is to be given at the Fifth Avenue Theater week of May 7, when that house comes under the manage- ment of Mr. Proctor. Cissy Loftus, Thomas Q. Seabrooke and the Earl of Yarmouth are among the “top-liners” announced. “Daughters Delightful,” by George V. Hobart, will shortly be produced at the Herald Square Theater, under the manag: ment of john B. Doris, who exploited “Orange Blossoms” and “In Paradise.” The play is said to be a farce comedy of a start- ling nature. Grace George is to be given another op- portunity to star next season by her hus- band, Willlam A. Brady. Mr. Brady has secured the four-act romantic comedy, “Het Majesty,” and will probably put it out for a week of night stands before the season close: The “American Beauty’: reception in London has been rather cold by the press, but favorable by the public. Edna May has received the greatest praise, but the other principals are well liked. ‘The play has been partially rewritten since the first pre- sentation. To'stoi’s latest book, “‘The Dominion otf Darkness,” is being translated into English for use in this country. The play has al- ready been produced at the Royal Theater in Copenhagen. The Milton Aborn Opera Company sud- deniy closed season last week at Newark, N. J., owing to poor business. J. K. Mur- ray and Clara Lane, who were stars of the organization, went to Cincinnati, where they appeared in a vaudeville sketch. Leonard Boyne has revived Wilson Bar- rett and Clement Scott’s drama ca'led “'Sis- ter Mary” in London under the title of “‘Cap- tain Leigh.” He acted in that play at the American Theater, in New York, when Julia Arthur, Maxine El'iott and Elsie De Wolfe were also in the cast. It is-reported that “Bath House John,” as Alexander John Coughlin of Chicago is led, who has a d great notoriety on of his wonderful clothes, has re- an offer from the management of ster & Bial's, in New York, to go on for ing his famous song, “Dear Midnight of Love.” account ceived K produced in Boston pw England life, entitled by Mr. Claude H. Rates. y Was conceived by the author while on a visit to a small New Hampshire vil- lage, where means of excitement are scarce and where gossip abounds. Daniel Frohman has secured the dra- matic rights of “Robert Tournay,” by Wm. Sage. The dramatization is to be made for Mr. Frohman by Abby Sage Richard- son, one of the authors of the play “The Pride of Jennico. The novel contains a strong love story, with the French revolu- tion as the background. At the conclusion of the coming Wash- ington engagement of Francis Wilson, Lulu Glaser will quit the company for good, and a new soubrette will work with the well- known comedian next season. Miss Glaser has been with Mr. Wilson since 1892, when she graduated from the chorus into the leading role. It is reported in New York that Miss Glaser will head a company of her own. The first. presentation in Paris of the tragedy “Charlotte Corday” was given last Monday night under peculiar surroundings. The lines were modified in several instances before being read on the stage, and during the performance soldiers in uniform were scattered throughout the building, and a regiment drawn up in front of the house. Nothing spectacular came from the audi- ence. Manager P. B. Chase of the New Grand left the city on Monday last to inaugurate the summer opening of Lake Hiawatha Park, the noted amusement place near lumbus, Ohio, owned by him. It is reach- ed by an electric railroad, operated by Mr. Chase, running from Mt. Vernon, Ohi contains a large, handsome vaudeville theater, about 150 cottages along the min- jature lake for summer residents and has many acres of beautifully cultivated lawns and grounds. Memphis people are said to bitterly resent an affront recently put upon them by Rich- ard Mansfield. yrano” was being played there, and in the Gast was Florence Kahn, a Memphis girl, who succeeded Katherine Gray in the part of Roxane. Mr. Mansfie'd seems to have resented the outburst of clamorous acclamation aroused by Miss Kahn, for when the audience called for him, to place a figurative laurel wreath upon his classic brow, he refused to re- spond, but sent out a young supernumerary attired as a cook. A stormy ‘first night” was witnessed in the Deutsches Volkstheatre in Vienna on the occasion of the recent production of “Der Letzte Knopf” by the Hungarian dra- matist, Julius von Gans-Ludassy. The au- thor, a realist of the most modern type, chose for his subject the everyday life of the inhabitants im the workmen's quarter in Vienna. He plotured the seamiest of life in terms which were brutal in eir truth. The last three acts were played amid a tumult which suggested a scene in the Austrian reichsrath. After the play the adherents of the author and his oppon- ents came to blows in the approaches to the building. ‘The following new plays have been copy- righted in this country recently: “All a Mistake," by Edwin Holland; “A Callfor- nia Volunteer, R. Cutting; “Consuelo,” by : “Don Juan's Last Wager; by O. M. Hueffer; “A Handful of Toy by Gertrude S. Dunkin and John Terriss; “La Layette,” by Andre Sylvane; “A Lover and His Lass,” by Elizabeth C. Winter; “A Message From Mars,” by Richard Gan- thony; “The Money Lender,” McKiernan; “‘Non Compos Mentis, Chrissie; “The Rapscallion.” by Beulah Marie Dix; “Sapho,” by Marie Doran and Frank Doran; “‘Schluck und Jan,” 5 Hauptmann: “There and Back,” by George Arliss; “Totote,” adapted by Mathilde Stremmell Weissenhorn and Be'le Ada Mac- Donald from the French; “Viscount Ed- win,” by Mrs. E. Bullock; “A Dinner for Four,” “What Happened to Jones,” “When Love is Young” and “Who's Afraid?” by Marjorie Benton Cooke. ———— MUSICAL MENTION. by The pupils of Miss Virginia Therese Bestor gave a piano recital at the Washington Club yesterday afternoon, the following participating in the program: Misses Mari- etta Armstrong, Dudley Manning, Henriet- ta Fitch, Ada Burke, Martha Gregory, Ines Walden, Anna Dale Beard, Amy Burke, Louise Gregory, Isabel Towner and Master Edward Green. They were assisted by Miss Nelly Constance Raynal, violinist, and Miss Frida Marie Raynal, violoncellist. The program was carefully arranged, and ali the numbers were well performed. Miss Bestor displayed her ability as an execu- tant by playing Liszt's arrangement of Chopin’s “Chant Polonaise.” Herr Albert Wolffunger, who has achieved quite a reputation by his singing, both for the Saengerbund and the Choral Society, has been persuaded by his friends to give a recital at Carroll Institute Hall. He will be assisted by Mr. Anton Kaspar, violinist, and Mr. Henry Xander, accompanist. Herr ———— =. ts haga f a Royal ce) jouse in Berlin, sing in German, Ensiish, French and Italian. The Euterpe Musical Club was entertain