, 1881-12-11
Sketch Of the New Play, The
Lights Of London" .~~
How Vain Women Encourage
the Criminal Class. --
Recent Instances Of Audacious
Street RobberieS.
Lewis Harrison, the Comedian: as g.
Practical Joker.

| GpcE941 correspondence o. Inc Catcdfo 1f18Unk.
NEW YORK, Dec "a more eapec;unt audi
encc than the one gathered In the Union Squar
! Theatre last Munday night I never heheld
From every journal that has crossed the Atlan
TIC lately. from every new London arrival. vi
! have heard the Que story-see tho "Lights q
London" and complete your spectacular career
It was called the greatest success-1he creates
play-tne greatest theatrica! event of this ccntu
| rs, SO was fairly inoculated with enthusiasm
You know the sort of peo6le Palmer has lu h
! company. but the biggest element of the Unior
| Squares greatest successes was not cartel
! round tho country-Mr. Richard Marston, ths
| sconic artist. No other theatre has anything
like btm. and il safely be said that the inter
| est of Mondays performance WIS put into It b,
his ingenuity, and Its success Was land ut the r!gh
| door when the actors stoud idly on the staye
| while the house rang with call for the scent
| painter. ..->
] The first act represented the splendid grounds
Of Armytuge Hall and an ell OF tile line stone
J mansion containing tho Sgufes library pruject-
ed upon tho stage; ncros5, facing it In the other
| wing. is the bay window of the pretty lodge in
J which dwcls the old mans steward; in the
centre of the stage stands tree-Jnst such q
big, deep, teAfy grecnery rs can be found In old
England, gnar!cd aud knotted, u limb suwed OF
here and there, yet overinwing with foliage. aud
presenting dark nooks aud recesses On which the
eye delighted to ltnger.
The second scene Of the second act WAS called
the Rond TO Chatham . in nsn'lghtand snow.
As the act-urop rolled away from THIS picture
the audience burst forth in ono simultuneous
cry ct delight. 1t was furylanu, hut just such Il
fairylanu MS huve seen 1t, the wOofls of Yer
@ been wegnted With ic,ciss and tho carrn
carpeted Win snow There we're seycrnl real.s-
tic scenes of inv life following; drawing
Wood. where the latest fad IN embroidered
hanxiugs, banners, scarts, and cushions, i'll fur
rugs aud fine upholstery and hung.nss, were
brought INTO play; then cnine Inc ''Shpl III
Regents Park by Moonlight." bridsc-the fnc-
sfmile Of one in L'udon14 hung ten ices In air
above the waiter; far aud away lay arch after
Arch, shruburry, spires. aud half hid mans,ons
In the background, and the water Elehtnlns In
the moonlight. t1s utterly out Ut the question 10
describe thc REALISTIC beauties Of these sets The
old time wings are dL,le away with. the full
depth and breadth Of the stage enter into tho
delightful ILLUSION. 1t Is tns the show folks sas)
worth the price OF admission to EAzc Oh these
magnificent tableau1. @-:
TIE PLOT OF THE PLAY.
Although the "Lights OF London" hare shane
on US steadily for months, tue New York pupers
gave the story entire the morning after Its
representation; and perhaps Chicago won't OBJ
ject toa rechaufd for once ia Il Why, and [. eau
tell sou better how 1t WIS done lis 20 along.
When tho curtafa rose on tho Armytage Hall
scene, with its delicious tree, an unnatural Old
pump of father speedily 10 be killed) talks of
his prod.gal son, and airs the virtues Of n
nephew he intends making his heir. Another
old fellow {who Is soon TT die of grief, ii the
Sqelire's steward; IS his master has runaway
son so be has RUNWAY dAugbtcr-the pedes-
1rian mania seems tho only actual vice prac-
ticed by the pair, but they have run OF to-
gether, and that Is the row.
When the stage is clear of the Sq7ttre aud his
friend, to slow music enters the recseant couple
-Thorne and Jcwett.
With faces worn and weary,
That told Ut sorrows itn,d,
One day II man and wpman
Crept down country road. "
They soug gbt their native village
Heart-6tstkef frttn tue frny,
Yet shining st, behind them
The lights Ut London tAy.''
Sara as the woman, all fororn, -
Charles nS the man quite tAilered and torn,
But she w;lsp't Jewetr and nc wasn't Thorne.
At least thoy were nut tho Stunning visions OF
beauty and lnantiness We are accustomed tn call
Jewett and Thorne. There was neither gruce nor
nobility about them. and every wonnn in tho
house registered u vow to 20 buy nure new
clothes uext day, aud every man recorded an
oath to see his tutor before ucxt set of sun. 1t
crushed; the absence Of cuts weighed him
down. and the loss Of tho blonde wig broke
Sara up like a sawdust-stuHcd doll.
Thorne brings back the daughter to the old
man. and during the scene S.u Prccne tStod-
DART stands at the gate behind. recognizes the
returned wanderers, and sltnks OF. The stew
ard advises the young tlan TO see his governor,
taxes his daughter into the bay windowed house
on the right, aud Thorne seeks bis old gcn1le-
nan on the left When he disappears tho
wicked cousin {De Belevie) and the silly dsugh-
ter OF old Stoddact Eleanor CAryl have love
scene-the inter part overheard BY Stoddurt,
who hupes to marry bis girl to the prospective
heir. He comes on and tells De Bel!eyie' that
ThoTpc has got back, and the nephew, knowing
the old man nas been growing soft lately Ii bout
the son, ssears they must not meet: thsn rho
two plot to rub the library, whicns On the stage
With huge windows back aud front, aud lay the
theft Oh the newIy-arrived prouigal. This plan
they retire and give room TO drmutage
pere ct ills. WHO promptly get at yarianca, and
the young man bushes oil to seek his fortune
once more, but alone, under the ':cruci lights Ut
London The old man goes to his library to
look at a can of dintuonds and destroy will
made in his sons favor; enter Stoddnr; at the
further window, ex.fnguishes tights, and bangs
the Squire over the head, steals the jewels and
papers, and gets out In the garden, where the
nephew takes the jewels. but Studtart
keeps the papers. Pursuit down the road is re-
warded by the finding of Thurne; the injured |
father points to him US his ussasln, and In this
unpleasant prcdcament the ACCUSED man stands |
when the curtain comes down on uct fret.
Three years elapse, when the story is taken up |
agniu iu the tup-rOuu, Of the Armytagc Tavern,
aud the most amusing people Of tho play arc in |
parsclle aud Mrs. Phillips us .ur. |
Ind Hrs. Ja,us, travelling showfoiks. In thisscene