The Portland daily press., 1875-11-16

Notwithstanding the wretched weather and
walking last evening, Grand Army Hall was
| filed. The entertainment opened promptly at
eight with the Martha Washington Reception.
This was arranged after the model of that at the
Centennial Tea Party in City Hall last spring.
Children appear peculiarly attractive in the an.
tique costume. their bright young faces show
ing to great advantage under the powdered hair
and wigs. The presentation and minuet which
followed was finely arranged and elegantly
performed. and as concluded by the ladies'
each in turn dancing down to the front alone,
curtsying and dancing back, which movement
was received with plaudits as performed by
each graceful figure, and last of ALL by the
tiny form of little Miss Gusts.
The pantomme of "Love in Ambush" was
the second part of the programme, and was
finely rendered by amateurs, whose faces are
familiar to all, the part of the daughter" be.
ing taken by the charming young lady who
performed it at the hospital entertainment last
month.
The third and concluding piece was "Mother
Goose" The comb orchestra filed out to their
places before the footlights, each decorated
with a goose plume, and struck uI Yankee
Doodle for an overture, when the curtain as
cended and discovered Mother Goose surround
ed with some of her well-known subjects The
venerable and very sweet looking old dame
opened with a poetical address, and then i'll
stalked Doctor Foster and sang of his mishap
in going to Gloucester, after which, taking his
station at the side he introduced the charact
ters, those in the tableaux, and others which
apnoaro1 fhair p1o
each singing descriptive ditty, and supported
by chorus and the comb orchestra. First,
Little Jack horner appeared under Mother
Goose's sinister wing; then Little Miss Muffit
sang from her tuffet and tipped away in we'll
counterfeted trepidation as black spider as
big as fapiack came sprawling down from
above; the Old Woman who lived in Shoe
came out of her modest hut and prettiy
sang her story; Little Drowsy Boy Blue was
walked up from beside his haycock; Rock by
Baby followed, and then came in Comica
Rooster who sang "Cock-a-doede doc, masters
lost bis shoe" and hoped into his place in the
tableaux, amidst the mirth Of the audier &C.
Three charming girls, in succession, sang the
parts of the old lady who swept cobwebs out of
the sky, Little Bo-Peep and Bobby Skaters
true love. The poor couple from Babylon
were inimitable with their ragged family. The
lady with husband no bigger than her thumb,
was charming, and Old King Cole with his
three mirth-provoking fiddl ers kept the house
in roar. "Hot Pies'' with the chorus, "Down
in Alabam," was admirable, Jack to Jill, Mary
and her little Lamb, and When / was a little
Boy, were excellent, aud Jalk Sprat lean and
gaunt, with his plump wife, was exquisiteIy
gotten up. Old chairs to mend, Good King
Arthur and wife, and magnificent Humpty
Dumpty, complete the list, the whole conclud-
ing with the chorus Of the man who was won
drous wise, to the good old tune of Hebron.
The exhibition will be repeated at tie same
place on Saturday afternoon, SO that children
may have an opportunity to see it. The whole
entertainment was one of the most attractive
that can be conceived as might be expected
from the we'll known reputation of this Society.