The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-15 00:00:00

Dramatic Fe;e and Fancy Fair.

That it is good to be merry and wise, as well as
to be honest and true may be remembered among
the wholesome recommendations of a certain old
ballad, which conveniently set forth in a lyrical
form a curiously concise code of morals. The song
may have exerted through successive generations a
direct beneficial influence over the hearts of its
hearers quite sufficientto justify the oft-quoted re-
mark of Fletcher of Saltoun ; but whatever effect
it may have had in the past, there can be no doubt
the sentiment' was 'felt in its fullest- force at the
Crystal Palace on Saturday. Neither better merri-
ment nor more profound wisdom could easily be dis -
covered in conjunction than at the annual fete and
fancy fair, which remind so many thousands at
Sydenham of the existence of the Royal Dramatic
College at Maybury. Prudence, under the mask of
Fun, has already invited many to listen to her sug-
gestions who would otherwise shrink from the
grave utterance of a formal lecture on the vicissi-
tudes of Fortune, and we have long since found out
that charityis not the less a dignified cardinal virtue
for occasionally donning the cap and bells, and em-
broidering the white robe with motley devices.
When actors and actresses assemble at the Crystal
Palace to augment the fund they have raised in
maintenance of the asylum for their less prosperous
brethren and sisters, they work with a will to
lighten even other hearts than those of the aged
and infirm inmates of the Dramatic College. Dull
must he be of soul who could have passed by any
of the " shows" of Saturday without feeling more
buoyant in spirits for their contemplation. That
a closer intimacy with the wonders on view gene-
rally led to the further removal of all weight
about the region of the pocket only further testified
to the force of the agency employed. There is a
supply of amusement provided on these occasions
which ought to satisfy the most eager appetite for
mirth, and, to do the public justice, they evince a
relish even of a feast which is found occasionally to
partake of a Barmecidal character, that always
shows a kindly determination to make the .most of
the good feeling with which the entertainment is
given. Many counteracting influences on Saturday
drew a large number of the usual supporters of the
fete away in other directions ; but as if the grand
law of compensation operated to make amends for
the deficiency, the Thespian festival was on this
occasion honoured by the presence of an illustrious
visitor, who will have to be recognised in the
sentence which records the profits of the day as a
noun of multitude signifying many. At an early
period reports were circulated that the Viceroy of
Egypt was likely to attend the Dramatic College
Fete, and his arrival was awaited with considerable
eagerness. Soon after four o'clock his Highness
entered the building, accompanied by their
Excellencies Raghib Pasha, Minister of Foreign
Affairs; Telaat Pasha, Chief of his Highness's
Council; General Seythour,'Colonel Stainton, and
Mr. Larkin. The Viceroy was received at the
central transept entrance by Mr. lonides and the
other directors and chief officers of the company,
who then conducted his Highness through the
Egyptian and Roman corridors, across the nave by
the Renaissance and Italian Courts, to the open
balcony communicating with the Royal box, which
was specially prepared for the reception of the
Prince of Wales on the occasion of the late festival
in aid of the Restoration Fund. The Viceroy
gazed with evident delight on the thoroughly
English landscape which was before him, and the
upper series of fountains being brought into play
the grounds of the Palace were presented under
their most effective aspect. From the Royal box
the Viceroy then surveyed the busy scene which
was being enacted in the central transept,
and the surging movements of the throng,
the tasteful appearance of the stalls with
their fair occupants, the clamorous invitations
of the managers of the various shows, and the
zeal with which all the " entertainers" were en-
gaged in their various departments produced a
visible impression on the distinguished spectator.
The interest which his Highness took in the fete
was increased by au explanation of the object for
which it had been organised, and with a munifi-
cence which will be long gratefully remembered,
the Viceroy added to the funds of the Royal Dra-
matic College the sum of five hundred pounds,
giving at the same time another donation of five
hundred pounds to assist in restoring that portion
of the Crystal Palace destroyed by the late fire. It
scarcely needed a knowledge of his Highness's gene-
rosity to increase the enthusiasm of,the assemblage.
They had previously greeted the Viceroy after a
truly English fashion, but on these facts becoming
known the acclamations which resounded from
every part of the building were naturally intensified,
and as each successive announcement of the princely
gift was made to the audience at the different ex-
hibitions, it became the signal for a series of pro-
longed and often renewed cheers. His Highness
and suite left the Palace at half past five.
The general arrangements of the fete differed in
no essential respect from the plan adopted in past
years, which had its justification in the belief that
by no other mode could so large a sum for the Col-
lege be raised in so short a time, and with so much
amusement to the public. For many more than the
16,000 visitors there was, indeed, no lack of amuse-
ment provided, even if they pursued the unprofit-
able course of passing from end to end of the nave,
without deigning to enter one of the many alluring
exhibitions ranged along the sides. Among these
temporary edifices the usual prominent place was
assigned to " Richardson's Show," where that
esteemed veteran of the stage, Mr. Robert Keeley,
was.still to be found at his old post as money-taker;
thus giving a countenance always secure of respectful
recognition to this counterfeit presentment of the
famous booth fraught with recollections of Green-
wich and Bartlemy. To those old enough to
remember the kind of theatrical entertainment then
enjoyed with such zest, and got through with such
rapidity, the mimic representation of the Richard-
sonian drama must have afforded intense delight.
The parade, with its motley throng of hirsute ban-
dits and buff-booted cavaliers, perpetually engaged
in broad-sword combats, its dense population of pan-
tomimic personages, itsindispensable clown, and its
traditionary countryman, were maintained through-
out the day in a state of unflagging activity. If the
audiences who afterwards gathered within retired
with a somewhat confused notion of the plot of that
exciting melodrama, " The Rightful Heir ; or, the
Ghost of the Hollow Beech Tree," their high ap-
preciation of the author and the actors was in no
degree affected by the circumstance. When the legi-
tiniate was essayed, Shakspere's "Richard the
Third," reduced from five acts to five scenes, was
got through in as many minutes. It is no disparage-
ment to the tremendously tragic powers of Mr. J.
Clarke as the crook-backed king, or of the histrionic
abilities of Mr. J. G. Shore as Richmond, and Mr.
11. J. Montague as Catesby, to record that roars of
laughter followed every exit, and that- when the
Ghost of King Henry appeared at the end In a blazo

of blue fire the spectral visitation excited only irreve-
rent mirth. It will in like manner not affect: the repu-
t ttion of Mr. J. Robins for courage to declare that
when lie appeared among the wild animals exhibited
in Wombwell's menagerie that his perilous position
created amusement rather than alarm, and if we also
aid that most of the statements made by the keeper
with regard to the natural history of the inmates of
the caravan were not implicitly believed, the strict
veracity of Mr. Addison beyond the canvas boun-
dary will still remain unimpugned. Should Mr. J.
L. Took, who prefaced the performances of his
clever Japanese troupe by a lecture on Japan, be ac-
cused of affording the smallest amount of geographical
information, he may be accredited, on the other hand,
with enlightening his hearers on every other topic, and
aticast nothing could be more nationally characteris-
tic than the " happy despatch" with which he dis-
missed one audience to minister to the diversion, of
another. Mr. and Mrs. Howard Paul had to con-
tend with the disadvantage of "an auditorium"
which allowed every sound to penetrate frcm with-
out, and permitted hardly anything to be heard
within ; but here, as in other places, it was pleasant
to find the imagination was kept in a healthy state
of activity. Mr. Buckstone zealously devoted him-
self to the encouragement of athletic pursuits,
though compelled through indisposition to remain
for only a short period ; and if those who took les-
sons under his guidaufe are not bythiS time stronger
of arm and lighter in purse, the fault rests not with
the liberal distributors of the prizes, nor with his
able assistants, Mr. Frank Matthews and Mr. 11.
Widdicomb. To protect the professional ladies who
presided at the stalls from that excessive attention
which was found in preceding years more compli-
mentary to their attractions than profitable to the
institution, a light wooden railing fenced off the
crowd of mere gazers and left a commodious alley
open to all intending purchasers. Those who once
entered here might leave all hope behind of reach-
ing the further extremity of the avenue without at
least carrying about them a sufficient collection of
autographs and photographs to render the hand-
writing and the features of every notable personage
in the kingdom a matter of easy identification. Of
the earnestness with which the occupants of the
stalls and the providers of the various forms of
entertainment exerted themselves to promote the
cause in which they were collectively engaged evi-
dence was afforded at every turn. The visit of the
Viceroy may be remembered as the distinguishing
feature of this year's fete, but if not prominently
remarkable in other respects, it is worth noting that
the unflagging zeal and unabated activity of all
concerned in its management remain as conspicuous
as ever. If the funds of the Royal Dramatic Col-
lege are not materially augmented by the proceeds
of that popular fete and fancy fair which is to be
resumed this morning, there will be an excuse for
losing faith in the power of feminine persuasion,
denying the attractive influence of varied and amus-
ing entertainments, and being wholly sceptical as
to there being any advantage in the recommenda-
tion of a good cause.