The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-11 00:00:00

Dramatic, Equestrian, and Musical Sick
Fund Association,

Last night the friends and supporters of this association
celebrated their eighth anniversary festival at Willis's
Rooms ; Mr. BUCKSTONE in the chair. The company
included Mr. B. Webster, Mr. R. Bell, Mr. Paul Bedford,
Mr. W. H. Ashurst, Mr. H, Stanton, Mr. J. Clarke, Capt.

Cooke, Capt. Hanley, Mr. S. Mathews, Mrs. Stirling, Mr.

and Mrs. Howard Panl, Mrs, Billington, and several other
ladies connected with the dramatic and musical professions.
After the usual loyal toasts, "The Health of the Ladies,"
coupled with the name of Mrs. Stirling, was proposed by
Mr, R. BELL.

Mrs. STIRLING, in replying to the toast, said—ls being
called on once more, as the spokeswoman for my sex, to

•
acknowledge this toast, I feel that I am at once an honoured
and illused person—honoured in being called on to discharge
a debt for which I am jointly liable with every other lady—
illused in being expected to pay the debt in sterling coin.
(Laughter and applause.) It is more in accordance with the
profession to ray by means of bills, but I suppose the reason
why you expect ready money from me this evening is that
theatrical bills are drawn for such a long date, and keep

running for such an indefinite period, that nobody knows
when they may be honoured. (" Hear," and laughter.) We
of the theatrical profession do not keop much ready talk
about us. We prefer to draw upin our friends, the authors,
for what we require in the way of speech currency, and our
drafts are generally honoured. (Hear.) But ladies' debts
must be paid, and I am proud to play the mistress on this
occasion. Like Lady Burleigh, " I must bear the burden of
an honour to which I was not born." But there may be

something in some of the parts which I have acted lately
which may have suggested this call. In looking around I
see a large preponderance of black coats. At most publie
dinners they generally represent the "dark cloud."
(" Hear," and laughter.) Your committee has been the
first to give that dark cloud a "silver lining" in the shape
of the ladies. (Cheers.) Instead of sending poor Gill to
that dreary hill—the ladies' gallery—to dine on cold chicken
and sherry, you have brought her down to the good cheer
of Jack's table, and Jack ought to feel much happier with
Gill beside him. (Applause) Ido not of course allude to
the half-pint of wine, but to the guardian angel in crino-
line. (Laughter and cheers.) Then I have lately figured in
the "Hen and Chickens." Here lam again figuring
in the same character, for I feel monstrously like an
old hen clacking away to her chickens—her younger
sisters of the stage—or, as I may more properly call them,
her ducks. (" Hear, hear," and laughter.) Ah, yes,
that is the more fit image, for it expresses not only the
object of Dame Partlet's affection, but the subject of
her fond anxiety. (Cheers.) She sees her brood playing
by the water's edge into which so many little chicks have
fallen, and her heart flutters with apprehension for their
safety in the voyage. (Cheers.) She knows not which can
swim and which cannot. All she knows is that the water
is deep and dangerous, and you must pardon her if she is
fussy and sad at heart in thinking of the probable trials and
sufferings that may be in store for her bright-winged happy
looking dueklings. (Applause.) I thank heaven there are
safeguards and preservatives which foresight can bestow,
but there are dangers that no foresight can avert. (Hear.)
There are accidents, distresses, sicknesses, and sorrows—a
a hard life before them—the probability of privation, the
certainty of labour, the liability of disappointed hopes and
baffled aspirations. (Hear.) For more material evils a
society like this can do much, and deeply grateful do we
feel for your good efforts—which are especially valuable to
women, as the weaker vessels in the voyage of theatrical
life. (Cheers.) It is a voyage of dangers and storms to
the best vessels, even to those which are registered A 1 at
the Theatrical Lloyds'. (Hear, hear.) But to us little craft
it is always a dangerous voyage, and sometimes even a fair
wind proves not the least fatal. (Hear, hear.) To those
whose liberality has established and maintained this society,
I can only say in the name of my sisterhood, I thank you
simply, honestly, and heartily for your good offices. (Hear,
hear.) To those of this good company who have not helped
the society, or who have sparingly helped it, let me—for
woman's sake—plead it cause and ask for your warm sup-
port. (Hear, hear.) You cannot take away with you a
happier thought than that your liberality has shed some
rays of happiness on the dark hours of those whose lifelong
labour has been to please you. (Cheers.) Your own hours
of sadness will be lightened if you feel that earnest sense of
will to help the lowly, to give
" An arm of strength to the weak ;
A friendly hand to the friendless;
Kind words so short to speak,
But whose echo is endless.
The world is large, these things are small;
They may be nothing but they are all."
(Cheers,) I am digressing, as ladies are wont to do ii
they have a subject near the heart. (Hear, hear.) But if
you call us down and let loose our tongues after dinner
you must take the consequences. (Laughter.) Let me
pull up now, but before doing so I must thank you sin-
cerely for the cordiality with which you have drunk that
toast of the ladies. (Mrs. Stirling resumed her seat amidst
several rounds of applause )
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the toast of the evening,
said he took the chair at the request of his friend Mr. Web-
ster, the treasurer of the society. He could not refuse such
a request from Mr. Webster, who performed a similar
friendly act for the society of which he (Mr. Buckstone)
was treasurer—the General Theatrical Fund, This society's
object was to assist members of the dramatic profession when
they were cast down by illness, to assist them in obtaining
engagements when they recovered, and to supply them with
advances of money without interest, to enable them to go
to the places where they were engaged. To the honour of
the profession be it said that all the loans of motley had been
punctually returned, except in a few instances where the
manager failed or sickness supervened. (Hear.) As an in-
stance of the benefit of the society, he might mention the
case of an old actor who had a wife and two children in
Lancashire. He was offered an engagement in Scotland,
but he had no means of going. He then wrote to this so-
ciety, and by return of post he received what enabled him
to accept the engagement. (Hear, hear.) There were
several similar instances of the benefit done by the society.
The object of the Drury-lane Fund, the Covent Garden
Fund, and the General Theatrical Fund, was to give
annuities to subscribing members who were no longer able
to follow their profession, but this seciety gave immediate
relief to those poor creatures who were unable to dress for
Hamlet, or Sir Peter, or Mr, Box—(laughter)—those poor
singers who were unable to bring out a falsetto—(laughter)
—those musicians who had not wind enough to fill a
trombone—(laughter)—and those equestrians who were
unable to obtain a "leg up" for a rapid act of horsemanship
—(laughter)—while as for those who succumbed to their
maladies, it buried them ; and what more could it do ?
(Laughter.) The chairman then related one or two anec-
dotes of his early life when such an institution as this would
have been of service to him. He then made a strong appeal
to the pockets of the company, and maintained that the
members of the theatrical profession, as a provident, a labo-
rious, a temperate, a kind-hearted and charitable class, de-
served to be assisted when misfortune overtook them. (Hear,
hear.) The Drury-lane, the Covent-garden, and the Ge-
neral Theatrical Funds, the Dramatic College, and this
association, proved their disposition to assist one another,
and that the dramatic profession was not liable to the impu-
tations cast upon it by fanatical and ignorant impertinence.
He hoped they would do the best they could for the society,
for a friend in need was a friend indeed. (Hear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN then proposed "The Health of the Trea-
surer of the Society," Mr. Webster, who returned thanks,
The other toasts of the evening were " The Chairman,"
and " The Secretary," Mr. Anderson.
The subscriptions amounted to £256 10s.
The pleasure of the evening
was very much enhanced by
Mr. and Mrs. IL Paul, Miss Julia St. George, Mies Chip-
perfield, I,ilr W. H. Eburne, and others who kindly proffered
their aid for the benefit of the institution.
After the dinner a ball took place, which was kept up to
' a late hour.
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