The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-05-20
THE LONDON MUSIC HALLS.
A Strange Scene.

ing OF Father Come Home, in one OF the
music halls in London, is from the correspond
ence Of the Troy IN. " Times:
| Having reached the hall, we paid an admis-
| sion fee OF six pence. There was q very heat
stage, gaudy drop-scene SIDE wings aud a to-
er'Dy good orchestra La the sails sat the
chairman, to keep order over as motley an au-
d,enco us ever was out OF the gallery Of til.
Victoria. All appe elrcI plent,ful!y sup lied
With porter, and all were enjoying their pipes
to such an extent as TO make tho place aino at
su1focating; for there must have besn an audi
ence or nearly five hundred. A nigger ''wulx
round" was just being flushed a.d tina shouts
OF "eEcoro." vanishing and. .tst-~pewilaer-
man, which we could not c6tch. and
amidst ciaaulna -of hA4,I4 ,.,4llss-la aansails
songl" The walters called loudly, Any more
orders 2 and those being taken and duly exc
Gu ed. all seemed to settle down quietly to
listen to the song. There was the symphony
ANXIOUS. Presently finale came In front OF
the curtain, amidst great applause and COM
menced "Father, dear father" &c. Every word
was distinct and she sang the ballad " til great
feeling. In order to fully describe the scene
which followed each verse, it ls necessary to
give Little Mary's" song:
Father dear father. come home with me now,
lhe clock in the steeple strikes (gtngD
You promised. dear faith r, that you would come
home
As aoon as your days work was dom.
And mother's been watching since tea,
With poor little Benny, 80 tick in her arms.
And no one to help her but me,
Come EOude. come home, come home.
Ilease, father, d, ar father. come ome.'
At the conclusion of the last line the drop
scene drew up, disclosing the father sitting at
the toor OF public house IN drunken. be-
muddled state, with his pipe and pot before
him. Little Mary was trying to drag him from
his seat, at the same time pointing 10 the cur
| tain behind, as she took up the refrain nom
the lady. and touchingly sang, Come nome. "
&c. This other enrta;n was was now ;. drawn M ASIDE.
| mother sitting on the ground with q 81 -kly
looking by IN her lap. and in the act OF feed
ing hlm with spoon. simultaneously with
| the drawing OF tn curtain, the lime light was
brought to bear upon the tableaux. giving
them truly startling effect. After q moment
or two the act-drop came down, ana the lady
proceeded:
oFather dear father, come home with me now.
The CLOCK in the steeple strikes two goug. gong,)
! The night has grown o.d-r. and Benny is worse,
But he has been calling tor you.
| Indeed he ls Worse-nother saws he will die,
| Perhaps before morning shall dawn,
| And this was the message she sent me to bring
Come quick y, Or he will be gone.
Como home, come home. come home.
P.east, fa.her. d AT father, come home."
The act-drop rises again, and now the child
has hold Of the pewter pot trying to take 1t
from her drunken parent and. as she cont,n-
other Gu tam is drawn aside, and We next see
the child stretched out on lis mother g 10 0, and
as 1t Just raises lta little head and falls ba"K
with gasp, with the lme.light rejecting
strongly upon 1t, there was o reality about the
whole terrible to view. Sobs were heard from
the female portion OF the audience, while tears
!rickled down many rough male cheek: We
have seen ''Susan Hopiey," Jane shore,
Tho Stranger" 'sE .st Lynne" aud other et-
fective pieces played, but never before did We
witness such scene OF general crying. Even
the lady who sang the song was afRscted and
could scarcely proceed with the third verse:
"Father dear Satf er. come horne with me now,
1he clock In the steeple strikes threai gong, gong
The hou-e !, q so lonely, the hours are 80 long,
For poor weeping mother and me-
Yes, we are aone--poor Benny Ia dead,
And gone with the angels of light;
And these were The very last wo ds that he said:
Iwant o X ss papa-good night
Com home, come home. come home.
Please father, dear father, come home"
Again the drop rose, disclosing little Mar,
on her knees appealing to her father, who, will
oot elevated. is in the act Of stri9ing her watl
1t as she sIngs, s.Qnme hc,ee !" eng. .!.szs III.
back CURTAIN draws aside, showing the mother
scbs from the audte CO burst out still NOR,
freely. and two females were carried out faint
ing 4. The scene was truly narrowing, and We
gladly tnrned our eyes away, An additional
verse was sung about .'Poor Renny" being
wish the a.gels above. The drop rose; the
father, sober now, is weeping over the cofdE
with the mother, and little Mary on her knees
singing Home. home. dear father come
home" AZ this moment the other curtain. II
drawn aside. aud Lutte Benny liz suspended
over the cof6n with Wings, smiling d ,wn upon
them and pointing Upward. The father fall
| forward on his face, the act-drop descends, and
tor aminute oil is husbed Save the sohs OF tn