Daily globe., 1879-06-01
"A Practical Socialist.

tickets are distributed as the place will
hold. On Saturday evening five or six Of
these entertainments take place in differ
ent districts, and though at the begin.
ming the people who had never dreamed
before of having such chance of spend
ing an evening in rational and agreea.
BILE manner played shy antagonism, as il
an enemy in the way Of a duty-impelled
wordy reformer lurked behind, and they
would have none of it; now the eager
ness to get hold of ticket, and the new
pocket handkerchiefs that are visible, and
the neater dress, the cleaner and kindlie1
faces that show up from time to time, and
the transference of the entertainments to
larger halls reveal the progress of the
work; and then it's influence is lifting into
something. better the lives of the very poor.
The originator of these entertainments for
the people is an accomplished young man
belonging to the upper classes and wealthy
Mr.. Charles G. Bethue. Not everywhere
can a wealthy young man be found
who chooses thus to,spend his spare time,
his energy and his money. It is Mr.. Be
thune's idea that the two extreme classes
of society should come closer together.
He thinks that the attraction Of good
music, and good recitations from artistic
performers, will do more to supply the
required social lcounterbalance than any
amount Of sermonizing, and he thinks
the benefit will be all for one. If
sympathy be a high qualification and
openhandedness merit, and personal
sacrifice a high virtue, some practical
knowledge Of poverty and its depressing
influences in the hearts of those who are
privileged by circumstances and wealth
to confer benefits, will not be wasted.
MIR. Bethune begins at the bottom of the
ladder, and the first thing he offers is a
bit of sunshine in the way of amusement
as freely given as the warmth of the verit-
able sun. The first movement was a
mere sudden impulse, that of offering tea
and buns to a small group round a mar
ket stand in the Westminster district, a
place we'll known for its poverty and
misery, and which is situated across
the river opposite the celebrated abby.
From this beginning has grown a strong
and we'll directed society with such
names on the committee as earl and
countess of Northesk, Lord Reay, Lady
Coutts Lindsey, the Lev. R..W Forrest,
Arthur Sullivan, the Musician, Staurt
Worthley, prominent barrister,
and many others. To the promoters, and
their friends, and the artists who assist in
the charitable undertaking be it said, that
in music and recitation, and in all res
poets, they are as painstaking and as res
pectful as if they stood before crowned
heads. / attended one of the Saturday
evening meetings lately and was held in
the midst of the men close to the stage.
Next to me on one side was a middle
aged working man with an old fashioned
stove-pipe hat, pulled down straight and
strong on his head, and intended as fix
ture for the evening. This concert was
the first he had attended, because, as he
told me, his employer, a master-builder,
had not been able to get tickets for all
his men at one time. The workingmen
everywhere are looking forward TO Satur-
day nights and possession Of concert
ticket, instead of lazy lettering, and
spending weeks wages for bit of deli
rum. Mostly the faces in the audience
were thoughtful and intelligent, and they
evidently believed in the unselfish good
ness of the young aristocrat who was do
ing all this work for them; even giving
his personal supervision:
Said one of the men behind me; ssOh!
that's nice chap, he is; his whole heart
is in it; he asks us all to come without
any questions about our opinions, or our
lives; we are all welcome alike, you see
this is the proper place to come to. the
hahn of it is good.
''Hush!' said another man, II think it
would be damnable if we did not meet
him half way; better man nor him did
not live" When there is enthusiasm like
this, there is generally progress.
When Mr.. Bethune stepped upon the
platform, a tall, handsome, intellectual
looking young man, full of nervous
energy and evident in soul-earnest, he
had such welcome as might bring more
gladness to mans heart than one who
had never known it can possibly imagine.
There are invisible crowns, as all know,
and sometimes we see such crowns in
peocess of building; often too when the
builder is unconscious. With such earnest
ness and force as he brings into the world,
no one, however suspicious, or evil-mind-
ed, could quite poision himself by dis
trust of the motive which impels the eff
fort.
/ observed critical spirit in the audi
ence. When the opening piece played
by an accomplished lady pianist was
ended, the listener at my right hand
says: Gas soon as ever she touched the
first key could see that it was goin' tc
be good; detest bad music, and you
can always tell, you know"
When Mrs. Osgood, an attractive
American lady, and very popular singer
in London, came upon the stage. paying
her audience the compliment of wearing
a black velvet dress en- train, fine LACE
fchu, long, white gloves, and sang in hel
best manner the old song, "She wore {
wreath Of roses,' that tall hat came off
ssB- Jove!' said he, and threw himsel
round to tell everybody behind him wha
kind of music that was, for he knew, ant
| I don't think he had any conception tina
anybody else could know! Other hat
in the audience disappeared, and tn
murmurs of fresh delight must have beel
sufficient recompense for Mrs. Osgood'
voluntary offer to take part in one o
these services called 1Sermons in Song.
WHISPERED to one Of. the men that tn,
singer was an American lady, and th'