The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-10-13

given yesterday afternoon at the Academy of
Music does not come under critical invcstiga-
ton. BY common courtesy We assume that
whore all offered their talents in Il spirit Of
Kindness everything was swcctcncd by the
grace Of the motive and redeemed by the pur-
pose.
And yet so notable an event cannot he sup
posed to pass without both description and
comment In some respects the benefit was an
extraordinary one. The alacrity with which
the players and the whole profession Of public
entertainers responded to- the suggestion IT u
benefit to the favorltc actor now strick-
On in a neighborng city. was in itself
remarkable. The scheme in its incrp-
tion and in all the successful details Of its
execution belongs to the players themselves.
: arccly any one outside IT those who are di-
r"otly or indirectly connected with the theatre
lent hand. until the programme was prepared
and by its array Of volunteer attractions won
than 10 the show. So marked was this apathy
that the friends Of Mr. Adams spoke Of it, One
II the chief movers in the benefit remarked
that although Edwin Adams had always been
the first to offer his time and talents in behalf Of
any public charity. and was always ready TO
play for u church. an asylum, n school or u hos
pital. now when he needed assistance himself
none Of the organizations he had helped or the
men he had aided came forward.
There were probably five or six thousand
people in the Academy yesterday. hut it is only
Just To say that two-thirds Of the vast assem-
blagc were players. the friends OF players or
people who occupied boxes and seats that the
players had bought. The audience wis pccu-
liarly theatrical one. and for this reason WIS
unusually interesting and picturesque. The
ushrr- for once. had not only good clothes hut
good looks and urbanitv, and il was n pleasure
N In lK lfa 80 of
and we'll drilled was this corps. that the man
agomrnt ut the benefit wisely put their names
They wcrc Mcssrs. n. f. Abbey ". H. Deutsch.
Horace Wall. Morris Simmonds. Stanley Me-
krnna, thandos Fulton. 7. J.. Morris and
others. Every masru!in" Spectator IN the nous"
wore n noscgay in his huttonhoc. and n rich
aroma 81 tubcros's assembled from the .supcrhly
decorated parqucit". Tor Miss y HE Mortimer
and Miss Jean Burnsid" stood at the entrance
doors Of the foyer playing IN" part " Hover
girls, and no ON" cared to pass them without
The Programme. was made NJ = no less than
fifteen pieces. or i"aluns. and ~ the" Their.
AN act Of Camille. an act II struck on and
an act of "Othello." In addition. Mis-, Regna
Dace u new conner. r"cltrd. Mr.. Mills played
Backus initiated, Messr-. Harrigan and Hart
fooled. Mr.. Gus Williams letured. Aimee gave
n sketch. and Bryant's Min-tr"l- came on at the
last with their drawing room entertainment. II
ample bill were Camille and " Othello."
In one Clara Morris appeared. and in the
other those two wr-known and ~ this moment
very familiar comedians. Mr.. Sothcrn md
Camille passed Off brilliantly enough. the
stage being filled by all the actors who could
get upon it. and 10y not II few OF the gcntlcm
y ushcrs, reminding one somewhat Of those
palmy days when the stage WINS favortc
resort Of the audience during (, pcriormance.
and the interest Of Mr. Mckee Rankin's lImdnd
Durdl. the audience busted themselves with
their lorgnettcs picking out the distinguished
a.
they discovered Mile Aimee. standing round
with the rest to embellish the stage and add dis
tnction 90 the scene, as the hill put It, About 4
O'Clock the " Othcllo' was reached. and then the
stragglers came back 10 the boxes. and great
flower girls and the distinguished gentlemen
VINO were selling satin programmes in the lobby
forced their way in for tn great event, and
when the curtain went up there was an audible
stir OF expectation IN the house. II was the
third act and Mchaei Cassie STROBE elegantly on
in the person Of Mr. II. crisp Never before
had society seen Mr. Crisp's legs. Hitherto
they had been sruuc-terrd. 80 10 speak in gen
tccl comedy; Now they went once across the
first entrance, right. bctor" the people in the
front cats had recovered from the dn12le. Then
wearing train three yards long. II was Lgtia.
and she WAS followed los the Fmt}id 81 Mrs.
Drew and idgo. ~ sooner had Mr.. Florence
reached the middle of the stag" than he was
greeted with loud and hearty laugh from the
house. Iotta seemed 70 think it WAS fun and
She gave her train Il kick. tossed her head. and
Appcarcdto like II. Id0o frowncd repro, ingly.
The audience gave another laugh. To make
matters worse. Ofhtlio who now came on. was
met with the same hiarity. and II was instantly
apparent that the people expected a burlosque.
For n moment the situation was peculiar
one Both Mr.. Soth"rn and Mr.. Florence
a." exwrs at burlcslunG, and might
then and there have turned the act in
10 roaring farce. and split not only
the ears; but the Threats of the ground
llngs. But they stanchly refused to do il.
They had made NJ their minds to be- serious
for once in their lives. Mt So Lolita that in
genuous and sportlye child of Nature was az.
rustomcd Ia de- whatever an audience wanted
done. So she spoke hor lines trippingly in
decd made faces and got two or three outlaws
10y kicking out her huresque train. The con
sequence was sinEuarly halt-and half per
formancr. not wholly fish and hardly flesh or
fowl. When id0o came Ia the lines.
do not IKE the office
Rui. It'll am entered iu tiu~ stiss 49, iir.
ri - toy foolish hon, ,t' aud lo,r.
Will 80 ON
there was "A sound 81 appreciation. as il Mr..
Florcncc,s attempts 10 look inuli~hly honest had
made Il hit Too much commentator cannot
he given Ia these excellent actors for their we'll
meant attempt to play tragedy sormnly. and
charity Tor Lolita Will remain III the hearts Oi all
who saw that her stock of hurcsuue consisted
II "a kick. At the close 81 the Hri Mr.. Suthern