Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-08-17

Spectre, The Mysterious Monk, ana
his other former productions, and his
critics say that he only needs aghost
and gong TO construct play. But
success is the best of merit, and MIR.
Nelson Lee always succeeds. Mr..
Thorne, of the Strand, who is as good
an impersonator of burlesque women
as MIR. Mark Smith, played the heroine
in The Rightful Heir and proved that
he can be as melodramatic as Miss
Cushman, Miss Avonia Jones, Miss Luz
ellie Western, or Miss Matilda Heron.
When in the balcony scene-although
there was no balcony-he said to his
lover, "Yes, 1 adore you; but do not
muss my chignon," and when he pas
sionateiy declared, 81 have hated RI
val. Ills we'll 70 nothing could exceed
the excitement of the audience. Not
less excellent was MIR. James IS The re-
morseless Baron, who always said, 81
am not the rightful heir; but nc mat
ter" and ~ no coolly disposed of his
niece-vilIain as he was-by stating,
''Let her go / L do not care who has
her so that 1 get rid of her. Ha ha
IT'S well u
But there was something more than
the Shaksperian and modern drama to
be seen at the fete. At another booth,
Mi. Toole, the pet comedian OF Lon.
don, who ranks rs Joe Jefferson used
to do in New York, was delivering lee
tures on Japan, with Mr.. Paul Bedford
the George Holland of London-as
the Tycoon, and another actor as the
equally veritable Tycooness. Here
we're amusement and instruction com
bined. No library in the world could
give such instruction about Japan as
Mr.. TooIe impaired to his hearers. -
sTIOOk at the Tycoon and TycoOnes:
sitting upon their throne and thrones, .
he would exclaim in a burst of elO
duence. "Here you see a Japanese
drum, here is a Japanese fan, here is
some cOIored paper, which dom
amount to much; but it proves that we
have a disposition to show something
and gives variety to the entertainment.
am sorry To say that the audience
laughed; but it was impossible not &c
laugh, even in the most seriOus por
tions OF the lecture. You who have
seen the Japanese jugglers in New YOrh
need no description of the tOp-spln
ming and butterfly tricks by japanese
Tommy, whJ was as great faVorlte as
tAll Right.
/ don't think that 'Aunt Sally has
vet been exported to America. This Is
game of throwing sticks at a figure
with a pipe In its mouth, and Mr..
Blackstone, the manager of the Hay
market theatre, had charge of 1t upon
this occasion. Usually you receive q
small prize if you Int the pipe, after
paying a penny for throw; but Mr..
Blackstone had improved upon that
idea. You paid a sixpence if you
missed his 'tAunt Sally" and shilling
if you hit her; and all this money
went to the fund.
Next there was the celebrated Womb
wells menagerie. Outside We're pic
lures of all the animals that entered
the ark
Lions, tigers, leOpards bears,
I.ynxes catamouuts and haTes,
safe i'm iron cages.
and apparently IN a very feroclous
mood, Inside were beasts closely re-
sembling donkeys IN their general out
line, but not in their spots and stripes.
The excitement when one of these wild
animals got loose, the warnings to visi-
tors not to touch or feed the monsters,
and the universal alarm when MIR. j.
Robins fearlessly entered their den,
were indubitable evidences of the saw
age nature of these quadrupeds, lone
of which," as Mr.. Addison, the exhibit
tor. frequently observed, ''conid eat a
church and all the people, and pick its
teeth with the steeple, if it felt relig-
iOusly inclined"
Close at hand were Mile. Gertrude's
troupe of performing dogs, and the
Russian guinea pigs and the Australian
squirrels. Across the nave band of
negro mipstrels, called "The White
Lilies of the Prairies," sang and
danced, and gathered shillings for the
fund.
MIR. and Mrs. Howard Paul had a
little house to themselves and "were at
home" hourly; but Mrs. Paul had to
sing with her hands over her ears, so
loud was the drumming and fling aud
shouting at 1.-The Hall of Harmony"
inst opposite, where the best comic
singers appeared. Add to this that
Miriam played upon the piano, and
that charming actress told fortunes,
and that 1.-The Dramatic College Annu-
al" badly edited by Mr.. Benjamin
Webster, was literally purchased, and
you will see that every possible device
was employed TO charm sixpences and
shillings out of the pockets of visitors
and into the Fund.
One unexpected visitor was immense
ly pleased and particularly generous.
The Viceroy of Egypt visited the pal
ace during the fete and was most cor
daily welcomed. Seated in one of the
private boxes, he passed an hour gaz-
ing down upon the merry scene, and
then ventured ont to make some pur-
chases from the prettiest saleswomen,
for which he paid in rouleaux of new
sOvereigus. After he had taken his de-
parture it was officially announced that
he had contributed five hundred guineas
49, over three thousand dollars-to the
fund. How long is it since the Ameri-
can dramatic fund has been thus liber-
ally replenished ? How long will it be
under the stupid system of manage
ment which has endured so long
The New York actors and actresses
can give finer fete than that which /
have described, and they have more
liberal and appreciative public to back
them. There is score of literary gem
tlemen on the New York press who
will be most happy to do all the writing
required for the songs, squibs and bur.
lesques. There is not an actor in the
city who would not willingly exert him
self for such charity; not an actress
who would not cheerfully preside at a
stall or take part in a ten minutes per-
formance. The public, anxious to be
amused and heartily enjoying all sorts
of fun, W uld make this annual fete as