Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-03-17
LONDON LETTER.
Pancake Tuesday in England.
Tremedeus Scenes i'm the 'OuSes
OF POllyment. "-aBraidlor
Expelled.
The Famous Beauty, Mrs. LangtrY, in
her new role of Actress.
THINGS THEATRIcAL.-"THE SCHOOL
OF SCALDAL."-PINAFoRE LONG
SINCE DEAD.
From our Foreign Correspondent

/ OF ScALDAL." -PINAFoRE LONG
i SINCE DEAD.
From our Foreign Correspondent
/ LONDON, Feb. %, 1SS2.-We have
had very pleasant day in honor of
Ash Wednesday and Washington's
Birthday-more like an English 4th
of July as far as temperature was
concerned than like day in winter.
| We have not celebrated Washing
tons Birthday for various reasons,
which need not be mentioned; but
Ash Wednesday has been, and is
now being studiously observed, to
Judge from the clangor of church
bells. One peculiarly about the
day, and one which causes a great
1 deal of annoyance to all concerned
Is that all the theaters on the Mid
dlesex side of the Thames must be
closed. 1t is an old custom, and
| therefore the harder to get rid Of
Theaters on the Surrey side may
open. and music-halls in all parts of
London have perfect liberty to do as
they please, but the high class thea
tiers must close their doors. This is
only one of the many peculiar Gus
toms relating to the government of
| London. Some of these customs or
laws are little short of idiotic, but
they have been so long in use that
it is imagined an impossibility to
do without them. One can not OBJ
ject to a custom, however, which
makes it almost duty to eat pam
cake on Shrove Tuesday. There's
something almost picturesque in
observing it, and one feels besides
that it is almost a blessing in a
country where pancakes come
but once a year, but where on
the other hand dyspepsia is al
most unknown. We all ate pan
cakes yesterday-pancakes as large
as plates, spread with sugar and
sprinkled with lemon juice. 1t is
very likely that most people in Lon
don and in England keep Lent" by
eating pancake on Shrove Tuesday
and a hot cross bun OH Good Friday
with perhaps a little salt fish in
special cases. In London Lent has
been ushered in with most exciting
scenes in the Houses of Parliament:
Late last night the 'extra specials" of
the evening papers gave the news of
Mr. Bradlaugh's latest move. As
came out of the Vaudeville about
eleven o'clock there was tremen-
dous roar along the strand. |
thought the Queen must be i'll, or
that Prince Leopold and his intend
ed bride had met with an accident;
But it was only the cries of the news
boys, Tremendous scenes in the
ouses of Pollyment, Braidlor takes
the hoath." To night there were
more cries of "Scenes in the 'ouse,
Braidlor expelled" and it seems that
the unfortunate member for North
ampton is in hotter water than ever.
1t does not seem right that bitter
prejudices should be able to keep a
man from his own, and there is no
doubt that Mr.. Bradlaugh has every
right to his place in the House Of
| Commons.
I have at last seen the famous
beauty, Mrs. Langtry, in her latest
role, that of actress, and have come
to the conclusion that she is more
satisfactory as professional beau
ty." She is very beautiful, there is
no doubt about it, although many
are of different opinion in regard to
her; she has moreover the charm Of
seeming unconscious of her own pow
er, great charm in any good looking
woman, and most surprising one in
this case, seeing that its possessor
has had, in the last five years,
enough f1attery to turn the heads Of
hundreds of women. The duties of
an actress, however, call for some
thing more than physical beauty,
exquisite taste in dress, and the car
riage and voice of lady. Mrs.
Langtry does not seem to be gifted
with that necessary something. She
may glide imperceptibly +" across
the stage as one critic puts it, and
she has without doubt a very pleas
ant voice, but the general effect of
her acting is decidedly amateurish.
| Ofcourse little else could be expected
with one of so little stage experience,
and it is after all easy to overlook
many shortcomings in one who is so
good to look upon. In the second
act of" Ours - the piece in which
she is now playing at the Haymar-
ket - she ices very well IN scene
with Conway - her stage lover and
the handsomest man on the London
stage. They have a parting scene
which is quite too fetching, as the
slang phrase goes. The lover must
be off to the wars, and has barely
time to declare his love and bid
her good bye. AS she watches
the troops march away in the
distance her feelings prove too
much for her and she faints away,
making as graceful and beautiful
a figure as can be imagined, her
cream-colored satin gown carpeting
the stage for miles C) around.
This is when she makes her best
point and it is duly appreciated by
the public who applaud her to the
echo. The great question is, what
salary does she get for thus exhibit
ing herselfl many sums are stated,
the highest that | have SO far heard
of being three hundred pounds per
week. This is probably too high;
even the great Sara herself could
hardly get SO much from London
manager. In few months Mrs.
Langtry is going to visit the large
provincial cities and towns, and is to
receive sixty per cent of the gross
receipts. That while she is a novel
ty to the public she will make a
: great deal of money, is foregone
conclusion. People will flock to see
her no matter what she looks like OF
how she acts. They want to see
Mrs. Langtry not because she is
beautiful but because she has al
. ready been so well gazed at in anoth.
: er capacity. No doubt she looks al
ready with wistful eye on the land
n