The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-19 00:00:00

Royal General Theatrical Fund•

The 22d anniversary festival of the Royal Gene-
ral Theatrical Fund was held last evening at the
Freemasons' Tavern. The chair was occupied by
Mr. Dion Boucisault.

Amongst the company present were—Major Snell,
Lord A. Clinton, Capt. German, Mr. E. Yates, Mr.
Hollinghead, Dr. Hastings, Mr. Ledger, Mr. W.
Holland, Mr. T. H. Lacy, Mr. W. Clark, Mr. John-
stone, Mr. Clifton, Mr. Howe, Mr. Dyas, Mr. Swin-
bourne, Mr. G. Murray, Mr. C. 11. Stephenson, &c.
The cloth having been removed, the CHAIRMAN
gave the usual loyal toasts. In proposing that of
the Queen he said—Ladies and gentlemen, when-
ever the ancient Romans met on any festive occasion,
before they entered upon the important business of
the
.evening (of course I mean the drinking)—
(laughter)—they were in the habit of pouring a
libation to their favourite divinity. Whenever Eng-
lishmen meet on any occasion, whether festive, do-
mestic, or political—and in whatever part of the
world they assemble—it is their habit before they
proceed to the business of the occasion to breathe
with affectionate reverence one name, and it is the
libation of their hearts. Our first toast then will
be the first lady in the land, the sovereign patron of
this fund—" The Queen." (Loud cheers.)
The toast was drunk with all the honours, as was
also "The Health of the Prince and Princess of
Wales and the rest of the Royal Family."
The toast of the " Army, Navy, and Volunteers,"
was responded to by Major SNELL.
The CHAIRMAN then rose and said,—The next
toast is one of particular interest at this moment, in
consequence of the present attitude of public affairs
—it is " The Houses of Parliament." The House of
Commons is now engaged in one of the most ex-
traordinary operations that perhaps has ever been
witnessed in this country, namely, that of reforming
itself. (Cheers and laughter.) Gentlemen, I don't
at all consider that that is a laughing matter. The
members of the House of Commons are generally
supposed to be selected from a particular and privi-
leged class, and they are now called upon publicly to
discuss the propriety of depriving themselves of those
very privleges to which the highest importance is
attached. In connection with this toast I have to
mention the name of Lord Arthur Pelham Clinton.
(Cheers.) He was one of that majority which will in
all probability enable us to have a Reform Bill passed
this year, and I only hope that he will be enabled to
let us into some of the secrets in connection with
the matter which we do not now very clearly under-
stand. (Cheers and laughter.)

Lord A. P. CLINTON responded. He said,—Mr.
Chairman, ladies, and gentlemen, in rising to return
thanks for the cordial manner in which you have re-
ceived the toast of the Houses of Parliament, I beg
also to return thanks for the honour that has been
done me in coupling my name with the toast on an
occasion when the drama must occupy the thoughts
of most of those present, and when perhaps politics
ought to be altogether ignored. lam not al;out, at
all events, to let the chairman into the secrets he has
alluded to--(laughter) ; but I will say this, that I
think after the division that took place on Saturday
morning last there is a great prospect of a Reform
Bill being passed this session. (Hear.) lam quite
aware that on this subject opinions are divided, not
only in the House of Commons and in the country,
but in all probability in this room. I will not attempt
to discuss here whether the bill is a bad or a good
one —that being a matter which I may have to dis-
cuss before those who have a right to demand my
opinion, viz., my own constituency. (Hear, hear,
and laughter.) But it is a source of satisfaction to
me that the small section of the. Liberal party to
which I adhered during last session, and simply and
solely from conscientious motives, but which was re-
garded in an unfavourable light by an hon. member
who termed it the Adallamite party—(a laugh)—l
say it is a source of satisfaction to me that opinions
expressed by that section of the Liberal party last
session have gradually gained ground in the house
and in the country, so that the majority of five of
last year became a majority of 21 this year. I feel
sure that the wish of the principal members of the
House of Commons is to pass a Reform Bill this
year that will satisfy the country and settle a long
vexed question for many years to come.
The CHAIRMAN, then rose to propose the toast of
the evening. He said that when he reflected that. the
chair he had the honour to occupy had been for-
merly filled by some of the most eminent and elo-
qnent men of our time—when he considered that
the subject had been adorned by their wit and ex-
hausted by their ingenuity—he felt inclined to re-
peat the complaint of the poet, with respect to the
law of primogeniture in literature, that it had
enabled his predecessors to say all the good things
he was going to say before he had even a chance
of saying them. (Laughter.) As, however, he had
fortunately only to call attention to the object and
management of the Royal General Theatrical Fund,
his task was rendered as easy as it was pleasant by
the patent excellence of the institution itself. When
an Englishman was asked to put his hand into his
pocket—which he was generally ready to do, for his
pocket might be said to be ." dog's- eared" by its
use on behalf of charity--(hear, and a laugh)—he
always liked to know that the object of his charity
was worthy, and that his money was likely to reach
its legitimate destination. The Theatrical Fund was
not a charity. It appealed to a still higher sentiment
pa
nr onvni
idtei
enet_a
(s
es oh ceieartsi)o_n
wf e thh n
;hytm ebne tn
than sympathy with physical want. It was a mutual
due in
ofm become deferred
consequence of the inevitable arrival of old age and
the contingency of disease. Its contributors might
become dependent,
but they
hoped they never would.
They hoped that the savings
they contributed re-
gularly every year I t
mtg rather go to soothe the
sufferings of their brethren who had been less for-
tunate than themselves. There was a French pro-
verb which said, "Aid - 3 ourself and Heaven will aid
you." But how did it aid
us? Why, by inspiring
all good hearts with an ardent
works—for,. after all, the rich heaven'swere
mes-
sengers of the poor. What ff
e ort was more wor-
thy than the effort which a young man made to
provide for old age ? for they
should all recollect
that age was the creditor of youth. To aid one
whom they saw struggling to do a right and vir-
tuous thing was one of the noblest attribates of
which human nature was capable. (ilear, hear,
hear.) It was to such an act he • •
invited them on
that occasion. There was this remarkable feature
with regard to the fund, that it was general. The
profession at large throughout the United .
Kingdom
might enter if they so desired. There was no in-
terest required to open its doors; there was no
patronage required to obtain its advantages; and
how were its benefits administered ? Its recipients
were known only privately to the directors.
(Cheers.) Thus they received their stipend, which
they spent how and where they pleased. (Hear,
hear.) If, from good and charitable motives, those
who heard him desired to add to the stipend re-
ceived, they would not feel the less proud because
the recipients were not more humbled. (Rear, hear.)
There was another and a most cheering feature con-
nected with this as with all theatrical funds—he
meant that the stage was the only profession in
which women were admitted on an equal footing
with men—(hear, hear)—where their labours were
equally appreciated and remunerated, and Where
their physical and mental powers were equally taxed
with those of men, and where, as ho could attest,
they exhibited an equal endurance under fatigue,
and an equal capacity to fulfil all the requirements
of the most arduous of all intellectual pursuits.
(Cheers.) He hoped that the noble lord in front
of him would remind Mr. Stuart Mill, when he in.
troduced his motion in arrest of reform—(a laugh)
—that for conferring the franchise on the fair sex_
that the stage was a profession where women had
successfully established their title and vindicated
their right to manly independence. (Cheers.) The
chairman then referred to the management of the
fund. The receipts, he said, appeared from " the
budget" to be £l,OOO, of which £1.,300 had been
paid to claimants, and £5OO had been carried to the
capital account ; the expenses, including sums paid
to all their officials, were under £BO. (Cheers.) This
budget ought, he thought, to be sent to Downing-
street, and • pinned over the chimney-piece in the
official resident:* of the Chancellorof -the. Exchequer.-
(Laughter.) In these days, unaccustomed as we