Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-03-30
rHEArEns ANp "BENEFITs.s

by theaters in the south As see III
the benefit is all on the side Of the the
atrlcaIs. Is it right, is ii just that while
hundreds, yea, thousands, OF helpless
women and children OF deceased and
disabled Confederate soldiers are suffer-
ling for the merest necessaries Of life
/ that foreign mostly northern) theatrical
and oneratic troupes should be permitted
4 to carry from the south all the surplus
means held by the few sontl1erners who
I happen to be above immedfate want
4 One would naturally think that few
/ southerners can at this time GBoTd
TO waste money, to any great extent,
/ in such annusemepts. And yet there
are Numbers OF travelling troupesi
/ from operas Gown to cireusesi
| who find the south their best field for
successful operations. It Is no FAULT Of
/ theirs, they may say. Certainly not !
I the south Is no longer bloekaded, and
/ they have certainly a right to go where
ever their way is paid-and, SO far as
/ know, there is no law. human or divine
/ that requires them to supply our people
with practical discressicn. l would not
I be understood to cast any disrespeet upon
! the "a htroupes - who travel through the
south-I know nothing against them az
I troupes. But, as have said, the south
! =
drain, to those who have no interest In
nor care for her, and who are giving
nothing in return. A mere show Is lit
! erally nothing in times like these, while
| her own suffering, dependent, starving
/ heirs of her best sons, once proud and
I brave men, are begging bread at
northern doors am merely pre-
septing the Inconsistency of the matter,
1 with the hope that the play-goers VIII
see IL as others see. The benevolent
ladies of Baltimore. by their united ex-
ertions and arduous LAHORE, raised s
handsome southern relief fund, and to
/ their colaboring sisters of Memphis they
send $1,000 for the benefit of sufferers at
this place. On the other hand, Memphis
bestOws upon foreign Ristpri about S1OOO
for four nights " benefits all for her
self Is this consistent with southern
preie, principle and policy? l have not
q word to say against HistoTi, individq-
ally or professionally. have no doubt
that she is all she Is represented to be,
and to witness her performances Is q
pleasure which one may enjoy but once
In a lifetime perhaps. But can we afford
such pleasures without return when so
many of our fellow beings are suffering
for fire, food add raiment? Let US take
into account that RistOri is the individ-
ual benefited by her suceecs" in the
south; that it is q 11riyilege considering
the stringency of money and the amount
of suffering in the land, and not right
which she enjoys of pleasing southeraers
to the amount of their means-and it is
q privilege for which she should be re-
quired to make some material return.
I mean these remarks to apply to at
q troupesu and individual performers of
amusements in the south and l merely
mention Ristori because she happens to
be most conspicuous and most benefited.
1 ask what Il benefit" has she given to
the south for all its benefits to here In
New Orleans I" she lent the influence OF
her presence" " to the Southern hospital
bazaar, but what material aid did she
give Balance that account by the
question, "what did New Orleans give
TO RistOri ?n and I am sure the bazaar
will not be her debtor. Houston, Texas,
sends $1,000 10 the Lee endowment of a
Virginia college. Richmond, Va, sends
to the north, through travelling
a. troupes,D in the course of a year, per
haps twice that amount. During our
late war, when Confederate soldiers,
widows and orphans, were suffering to
an alarming extent, theaters never
lacked full houses and II any
one of them ever gave benefit F"
for the benefit of any person or
thing, than themselves, I have forgotten
il. or l am vet to be informed of it.
Newspapers, north and south, have de-
pounced the remarks of the congress
sional excursionists disparsging the
southern relief funds proposed TO be
raised in the north. They certainly ad-
here to the truth, when they
say "they saw no suffering in the
south;' and this statement Of theirs IS the
only consistent thing that have ever
seen in the whole matter of their excur-
sion. 1t is not reasonable that such men
as Ben. Wade, Foster, etc, whose eyes
encountered only "wine and turkey,
and other fare good enough for a
king" served in a hotel magnificent
enough for a royal palace, at the city
expense of about $1,000, would be expected
to know anything of suffering, in Mem
phis at least, unless Of their own suffer-
ing from over eating. But taere are
home institutions in Memphis which
have better eyesight than northern
excursionists. and if cur munifceDt city
had bestowed upon the industrial aid
society of this place, even the tenth OF the
amount expended for the eXe1rsiOnists;
the excellent ladies directing that soci-
ety would not be long in seeing suffer
! ing in the south y worthy Of aid. Those
who reliey southern sufferers do not go
| to magn fn:ent banquets to see the objects
/ of their scharity. If newspapers would
/ do sufferers a " benefit" let them " lay
/ the axe to the root Of the tree" instead
/ of blaming congressman for not seeing
/ what they were not permitted TO see
/ Let editors employ their pens to persuade
] -, "A,
! sufferers-to give their support to them
1 instead OF giving it to transient troupes
/ and leaving eur poor to be supplied by
our friends at the north, or seorned anG
| derided BY our enemies there. 1t woulC
/ be inconsistent, indeed, If practica
YANKEES did not see the matter in thi
I matter-Of- fact light and if some matter
| of.fact yankee should tell US, now ant
! then to provide for our poor ourselves
! let us not abuse him for giving US 8
/ practical, sensible aud humane hint. IL
| Il in the power of the press oi
| the south to remedy this matter, IN
part, at least, II the remedy is applied
/ in the right way. The press ha'
acted its part in encouraging anc
sustaining charity-while the south gen
/ orally, and Memphis in. particular, Ia
given largely to charity; | fully appre
ciate these facts, and would not be mis-
understood on this point. But, neverthe
less, everybody is tired of begging char
| ity-few people like to be begged every
bOdy's patience is worn out with tao
Ieaux. concerts, and fairs for the bench
| of the poor-and even the excellen
lectures for the benefit of COnfederat
widows and orghas,n are not so attract
i've as fereign operas, and Mr.. --'s
| or Mrs. -is " "benefit,n at this o
that theater. Palliate as we may
there is return to, and
| growing fondness for such amusements
which increases with every days accoun
of I" last nights performance at this
or that theater, read in the daily papers
and every night some favOTite actor o
actress is patronized simply because thi'
or that newspaper cOmmends las
nights play - or benefit Inasmucl
as there is now a determined disposition
on the part of southern people to patron
ize the theater and opera IN preference |
other places of amusement, and the dali
papers tell them that " everybody shoui'
go,r / think the press could reeoncll
the matter between pleasure and IN
poor, by calling upon all benehtte
troupes to bestow regular ben
efts1i upon some of the variOu
, / DeDGFOltuL GeebEAdLAbu5 eAAA
institutions of the south. All other trade
and professions have been called upo
to assist charity, while such 'troupes
: have gone free of alms-begging. 1
only one instance have l heard OF
single charity tax being proposed f6
theaters, operas, and similar amus'
ments, and that is a call made by Ii
Lee academy educational society, Of tn
CITY, for an occasional "benetit" Il
, that society. So far, 1 have heard
I but one response to that call; Managt
, W. c. Thompson, Of the New Memph
+ theater, offers to give the society a " bei
/ eft - at his earliest convenience. "a
! not some others be induced to do likl
wise? The society, be it remembers
e has for its object the providing OF u
! means of education, books and clothin
. for needy Confederate children; anC
although but few weeks established,
has already found objects enough
i employ more means than II IS at preset
!. able to control. 1 must desist, for 90
. article is already too lengthy, and IN
q part Of my subject opens the way Tor
q great deal that might be written Of no
A even one nights " benefit" from ea'
: of the various "trOupes who play he
. would soon raise fund sufficient to el
a able this society TO effect great deal
. good. And the same principle, II ca
I. ried out throughout the south, Won
Q