Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-04-21

The Princess How Amateur Play
The Russian Honey moon The
Queen OF the Dudes New York Scan.
dais - Ten Button Gloves A Debu.
tante's Reception. Etc.
Special Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR
New YORK, April 20, 1881
Henry Bergh's society has gone back on HIM II
rs the first instance remember, and IL is notable
because the society was successful In making Mt
Bergh back down. The gruesome tale is as fol-
lows: Henry attended performance OF Barnum's
circus, at the Madison Square garden, and saw q
troupe OF twenty elephants Waiting around the
ring, piling themselves in pyramids turning hand
organs, see-saw, marching, trottng and jumping,
all at the word OF command from one small and
delicate man This man Is Arstingstail, the ele-
plant trainer. To most people the spectacle OF q
man OF Arstin gstalls delicate physique cowing
and intimidating twenty huge beasts and
having all OF them SO completely
under his control that they obey his slightest word
with the humility OF whipped ours is interesting
II not wonderful But the eagle eye Of Henry did
not look at this side OF the question. He detected
10 the hands OF Arstingstall a small prod with a
steel point, and thereupon Henry's great heart
was shaken with pity for the elephants, and he
Immediately ordered Arsttngstau to give up his
prod under penalty OF Imprisonment The trainer
said the prod was what tue elephants were afraid
Of; that their hides were two inches thick, while
the prod was less than three-quarters Of an inch
long, and that without It he could not manage the
huge beasts He added that II they should stam-
pede or get frightened in their performance he
could, by simply touching one or two of them with
the prod, subdue them In an instant Neverthe-
less Bergh said that the prod must be given
up. Then the keeper urged him to allow
him to keep the prod for the safety OF the women
and children In the audience. He said he could
not be responsible for the actions OF the epphants
III. m tcyhf hQ
sacrificed II the beasts Wild their caprfcious
temperaments often prompted them to do sull
Bergh Insisted and the prod was given up. Then
the trainer and his two assistants carried loaded
pistols and long rifles heavily loaded were placed
keepers refused to continue with the elephants,
as they were afraid to be among them Without
the means Of selfdefense, which the prod afforded
Still Henry persisted and the result was that for
several days the performance went on with
Arstingstail In the midst OF his huge beasts
almost unprotected. Gradually the shrewd AMI
mails perceived that he had not his usual weapop
and became restless The keeper was really
alarmed, and called I'm some or the members OF
the society TO use some reason with Mt. Bergh.
The society came In and the case was explained
TO them. They saw one OF the performances, OBJ
that the members OF the society appealed 10
Henry, and Bergh, the friend OF defenseless AMI
!nalS, agreed to allow the keeper to use the prod
In order that they might protect the defenseiess
public
sTHE PRINCESS"
The tickets for "The Princess" which Is to be
performed Wednesday afternoon at the Madison
Square Theater. are works OF art. They illustrate
forcfbly the extent to which amateur acting, and
all that pertains to It, is carried In New York.
''The Princess" will be given by Mrs Jas. Brown
Porter, well-known society woman. and half a
dozen other people OF high social standing, for
charltys sweet sake. Ii has been mounted with an
atter reckessness In regard TO expense, and will
be presented before people who pay We dollars
seat Ior the privilege OF being bored 10 death by
ati1caS among society people grows greater every
year. Only the night before last the amateurs
who gave the now famous performance OF "Pa-
tence," at Chickerng Hall, a year or two ago,
gave another performance OF that opera.
All the renowned maidens and royal dragons
came out In fult force, and exhibited their cos
tunes TO their own great delight and the edfica-
ton OF society people. 1t is no longer considered
formance In parlor or art gallery, church chapel
or concert hall II must be In or the three espe
| cially beautiful theaters OF New York or not at
ALL manager makes good thing renting the
theater in the afternoon TO these stage-struck
society nobs, for they are willing to pay any
Price no matter att how exoTbitans On the same
the Madison Square Theater, in New York, the
Kemble Dramatic society gave 'single Lie" at the
bulwer Dramatic society plays Married Lie" at
their own theater. and the clever little opera,
Robinson C.usoe." viii be given at the Athe-
naeum two nights after that for the benent OF st.
johns hospital On, Thursday the Greenwich
society gives an amateur performance OF PA
while the Clifton Amateur society takes It's an
nual entertainment with "The Old Story In
Brooklyn. During the same week "An on Sum-
mer's Day. will be given at ChickeriBg Hall, and
the Gilbert society produces "a Celebrated Case"
on Saturday. The amateurs are 10 high feather
to be genuine actors and actresses OF some ac-
count. But as rule when they 60 on the stage
they lose whatever force they had as amateurs
ana are grlevous failures as professionals.
THE RUSSIAN HONEYMOON"
Mrs. Burton n. Harrison still goes about the
city receiving congratulations on the brilliant
success OF "a Russian Honeymoon" There has
seldom been more fragrant case OF plagiarism
than this. She not only did not write IL, but did
not even translate IL. and she has no more right
to assume the authorship than has a Siberian
exile who cannot read or write. The play was
translated by Miss Bell, and is direct plagiarism
the Lady OF Lyons and ToSins saken ,oo
1t was case OF general surprise among people
here that Mrs. Harrison should lend her name to
play thus made up, for 1t was shown up In every
paper the day after The performance; and she
has received vigorous excortation from almost
every dramatic paper IN town Still, she parades
rently quite satisfied. Had the result OF all this
plagiarism and patchwork been good play soine-
the play proves stupid, monotonous and dull to
a an exaspera1ing degree, we are Obliged to con-
made the mistake OF her life
THE QUEEN OF THE DUDES.
Lillian Russell reappeared again last Monday
night, at the Casino, after her long illness. She is
known as 1.-THE Queen OF the Du1eS" She ap-
peared in ''The Sorcerer," and looked quite as
handsome as ever. The fascination that this
woman exercises over the gilded youth OF New
York is simply remarkable They worship the
stage she treads upon, and attend in a body
nightly. There were at least two hundred young
men there the other night, each one with his hair
banged, wearing dress suit that exposed spot
less expanse OF shirt BOSOM, and sucking a silver
KNOB at the end OF his stick. They gaZed Ia admit
ration at Miss Russell when she appeared and
when she went OF they thundered applause
Between the acts they rushed frantfcally down
stairs to the cafS and quenched their thirst
as as, tney eutSgl5ed the fair prima donna
gentleman OF Hebraic persuasion. who sat trt-
umphantly In the right pr0scenium box. His
name Is Likely" SOlom0ns He is four feet seven
inches high. is growing bald, has a cockney dia-
lect and Is altogether the pet particular detesta-
ton OF the vast army OF dudes who worship Miss
Russell: but Miss Russell loves "Ikey" Solomons,
and sIkey" Solomon3 loves her. This is known to
be fact, because each OF them has admitted 1t in
Interviews rfnfo md