The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-16

vast expense" The same veracious docu-
ment, by the way, represented the sole lessee
and manager of the Theatre Royal, Tavistock
House, as Mr.. Vincent Crummles, Disgusting
Mr., Dickens himself in the list of
drdmdtis perSonG as the "Modern
Roscius," and Mark Lemon as the 'In-
FAINT Phenomenon, AN exquisitely con-
ceived surprise for the audience who by no
means expected from the description to re-
cognize in the character the portly form of
the editor of Punch. The time, by-the-way,
must have been the winter preceding the
commencement of hostilities with Russia,
for Mr. Dickens took advantage of there
being ferocious despot in the play-the
Emperor Matapa-to identify him with the Car
in a capital song (would we could recall 1T to
the tune of "The Cork Leg" in which the
Emperor described himself as 'the
Robinson Crusoe of absolute state, and de-
clared that though he had at his court many
show-day, and many high-day," he
hadn't in all his dominions "a Friday" Mr..
Planche had in one portion of the extrava-
panza put into the mouth of this character
for the moment few lines of burlesque upon
Macbeth, and we remember MIR. Dickens
unsuccessful attempts to teach the performer
how to initiate Macready, whom he (the per-
former) had never seen And after the per-
formance, when we we're restored to our
was cleared for dancing, still stray 'pro-
perty" or two had escaped the vigilant eye of
the propesty-man; for Douglas Jerrold had
picked up the horses head (Fortunio's faith
full steed Comrade) and was holding it up
before the greatest living animal painter, who
had been one of the audience, with "Looks
as if it knew y0u, Edwin"
Another time we attempted Fielding's
Tom Thumb, using O'Hara's altered YER
sion, further abridged and added to by the
untiring master of our ceremonies. Field
ipg's admirable piece of mock-heroic had
always been favorite of Charles Dickens. It
has often been noticed how rarely he quotes
his books, but the reader of ''Pickwick" will
remember how in an early chapter of that ina
mortal work Mr.. Alfred Jingle sings the two
lines
'In hurry, post-haste for license,
In hurry, ding-dong, come back"
They are from Lord Grizzlies song in Tom
Thuno6 Mr.. Lemon played the giantess
'Glumdalca" in an amazing get-up of q COM
plete suit of armor and coal-scuttle bonnet;
and Mr.. Dickens the small part of the ghost
of ''Gaffer Thumb" singing his own song
on the occasion, verse of which may be
quoted, if only to illustrate the contrast be-
tween the styles of the earlier and later bur-
lesque. In O'Hara's version the ghost appears
to King Arthur, singing
"Pale death is prowlng,
Dire omens scowliDg
Doom thee to slaughter,
Thee, thy wife and daughter;
Furles are growing
With horrid groans.
Grizzlies rebellion
What need tell you on?
Or by red cow
Tom Thumb devoured?
Hark, the COCK Growing, Cock cTOtDs
must be going.
can no more" [VdnisheS.
Mr.. Dickens substituted lines were, as nearly
as we remember, the following:-
| 'rve got up from my churchyard bed
| And assumed the perpendicular,
Having something to say In my head,
Which isn't so very particular.
do not appear in SPORT
But in earnest, all danger scorning-
I'm at your service, in Short
And hereby give you warning
Who's dat Growing at the door?
I'm called $50 can't say any moTe)
BY voice from Cochin China"
Nonsense, it may be said, all this; but the
nonsense of great genius has always some-
thing of genius in it.
The production next year, on the same
stage, of the drama of Tile Ltghthouse,
marked a great step in the rank of our
performances. The play was touching and
tragic story, founded Gf we are not mis-
taken) upon a tale by the same author, Mr..
Wilkie Collins, which appeared in an early
number of his friends weekly Journal House
hold Words The principal characters were
sustained by Mr.. Dickens, Mr.. Mark Lemon,
Mr.. Wilkie Collins, and the ladies of Mr.
Dickens family. The scenery was painted
by Clarkson Stanfeld, and comprised drop
scene representing the exterior of Eddystone
Lighthouse, and room in the interior in
which the whole action of the drama was car
ried on. The prologue was written 1--WE be-
lieve) by MIR. Dickens, and We can recall, as
if it were yesterday, the impressive elocution
of Mr.. John Forster, as he spoke behind the
scenes the lines which follow
"a story OF those rocks where doomed ships come
To cast their wrecks upon the steps of home:
Where solitary men, the long year through,
The wind their music and the brine their view,
Teach mariners to shun the fatal light
| Eddystone Lighthouse
Stanfeld's drop scene, the Lighthouse, its
lantern Illuminated by transparency
sin its ancient form,
Ere he who built II died in the great storm
| Which snivered 1t TO nothing-once again
Behold out cleaning on the angry main.
Within 1t are three men-to these repair
In our swift bark OF fancy, light as air;
They are but shadows. we shall have you back
Too soon to the old dusty, beaten track"
We quote from memory, and here our
memory fails. We are not aware that the
prologue was ever published, or indeed the
play for which it was written; though the
Lighthouse was performed two or three years
character originally played by Mr.. Dickens
The main incident of the plot-the confess
sion of a murder by the old sailor, "Aaron
Gurnock," under pressure of impending
death from starvation (no provisions being
able to reach the lighthouse, owing to a con-
tinuance of bad weather., and his subsequent
retractation of the confession when suDDlies