Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-13
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
The Crystal Palace Beneft-Who Was the
Paul Revere of the Conemaughe-Notes


The Crystal Palace Beneft-Who Was the
Paul Revere of the Conemnughs-Notes
of Currenr Events.
HENRY ABBEY has not all the qualities that
make great man, but he is undoubtedly to-day
the originator of grander dramatic schemes
than any other impressario dare think Of His
last, which is to give an all-day Johnstown ben
eft entertainment in the Crystal Palace, on the
outskirts of London, at which Irving Terry,
Coquelin, Benhardt and a score of other
great actors are TO appear is superb one.
Nobody but Abbey could put such gigantic
enterprise through with success
The capacity of the Crystal Palace is virtu-
ally illimitable. Fifty or hundred thousand
people have been within its immense glass halls
and beautiful gardens, and yet the place has
not been crowded. The Palace is the most
popular resort near London in the summer
time, and the displays of fireworks there are
witnessed by tens of thousands.
No doubt Mr. Abbey knows full well the Lon
doners' love for big combination bills The
benefit performances at the theaters in which
half dozen stars appear always bring gcrowded
houses in London. Such an array of great
names as Mr.. Abbey will be able to put upon
the bills for the Johnstown benefit ought to
draw, think at least So 600 people to the place,
and possibly more. At half a crown head
no extravagant charge to make for such a
gigantic show-the sum of nearly $4,000 would
be netted.
No ONE desires to depreciate the services Of
any of the heroes of Johnstown less than the
writer, but would not it be well to have itmade
clear who was the Paul Revere OF the Cone
maugh2
There is good deal of fog about this ques-
tion. Some people insist that man named
Daniel Portion bore the warning of the food
down the valley Of death, as Chicago paper
puts it. but correspondent of The DISPATCH
who has been on the scene of the disaster
since that memorable Friday night, tells me
that he can find no trace of such man and
such deed.
Credit has also been given to the young engi-
neer of the fishing club, Mr.. Parke, for bearing
the news to Johnstown of the dams disruption.
But it is stated that his ride only extended
from the dam to the South Fork station,
where he sent a telegram to Johnstown of the
foods descent. This was a good deed, but
hardly parallel to the ride of Paul Revere.
Now is the time, while the eye-witnesses of
the food have their memories clear and fresh,
to make sure that the credit goes to the man
who deserves it. Was Daniel Portion the heroH
or was some one else the second Paul Revere?
50
THE preparations for next seasons theatri-
cal venture which Pittsburg brains, money
and pluck will send out, namely the new farce
comedy, "The United States Mail" by George
v. Jenks have been resumed in dead earnest.
Two days ago Mr.. jerks secured as his leading
lady Miss Kate Davis, who is regarded every.
where as one Of the brightest and most orig
inal comedieDnes on the American stage.
She played rather quantity drawn Irish
woman in one of Hoyt's comedies here last
season, and played it so well that THE DIS
PATCH and all the other papers In the city
gave her unlimited praise. She is very pretty
woman, but the character referred to above
forced her to disfgure herself fearfully. In
1.-THE q. s. Mail" her good looks will be re-
quired, and the part of a romantic young Irish
colleen which she is to fill seems to have been
cut out for her, 1t is probably a piece of luck
for both Mr.. jerks and Miss Davis that she has
entered into this engagement.
%ss
POETS are responsible for great deal Of
laziness in this world. Some twangers of the
Tyre are forever tunefully telling US what de-
lightful thing it is to do nothing, to lounge in
comfortable armchairs to lie on the grass in
summer and gaze at the blue empyrean, and
waste the precious hours that never
come back in selfish trihing.
Here's poem of John Boyle o'Reilly's going |
the rounds of the press of which the refrain is:
t'For dreamer lives forever
And toiler dies in a day"
Everybody who knows the world and its |
ways knows that thelreverse of this is true. |
Dreamers. unless they have very large &C.
count at their bankers, usually die in day, |
while the toiler goes to work and earns his |
daily bread and the right to live tomorrow.
Dreams are dangerous things to daily with |
in daylight. Even at night they are nuisance
to working man.
&xx
IT is said that Mr.. Reuben Miller showed |
Governor Beaver some of the newspapers of |
this city to convince him that his inaction was
being harshly criticised. But Governor Beaver
could not see even in the newspapers what the
great mass of the people in Western Pennsyl-
vania, Republicans and Democrats alike, were
saying of him. The popular criticism in this
Ease was too violent to print The disguise of
Haroun Abraschid might assist Governor
Beaver to find out what his loving subjects
,hink of him in this neighborhood.