The morning call., 1890-12-07
FORWARD THE
LIGHT BRIGADE.
The Survivors of the Famous
Charge Have a Benefit.

LONDON, Nov. 1.-England has not the
pension list you have. The "penSion list"
of her Britannia Majesty is not, for the
most part, adorned with the names of old
soldiers or men who have done yeomen's
service for the State in times of dire rea4tii
but with the names of court favorites or the
descendants of men and women who have
been placed there for services rendered."
said service being generally connected with
our old friend Cupid. The pensions
conferred upon soldiers of the British
army, whether for wounds received in action
OF for length of service are of the most mra-
ger and paltry description, and unless a man
has served the best part of his life the pension
he is entitled to is barely sufficient to keen
body and soul together. Many there are
who have served but who have no pension,
or so small one that it can scarcely be dig
nliled by that name, and men who served in
the great fights of the CrImea and the Indian
mutiny are among those who are specially
badly off.
1t will scarcely be believed, but it is
nevertheless fact, that until comparatively
lately nothing was ever attempted to be
done for the survivors OF what was probably
the greatest cavalry charge in history. No
cavalry fight had ever been so celebrated in
song and story as that of the famous Light
Brigade, who rode TO their death on That
misty October morning thirty-six years ago.
Poets have sung about it and children,
wherever the English language is spoken,
have listened with bated breath as their
elders told them of that deed of heroism.
What matter if the whole affair were
men were uselessly thrown away? 1t
was not their fault, "theirs not to ask
the reason why" and yet the survivors
of that gallant band have many of them been
left to rot and end their last days in the
workhouse. Last year some one called at
ten tiOn tn tho fact that of tho
OF tie Light Brigade were in great poverty
and for very shame something ought TO be
done. In America Congress would have
been your plethoric Treasury, but the
English Government is by no means ''pater-
naP' when it comes to voting money, and
If anything were to be done to relieve the
declining years of that small band of heroes
it would have to be done by private enter
prise. The result of the appeal was not
magnificent one, but enough money has
been collected to keep the wolf from the
door.
The eliminating point was reached last
Monday afternoon, when a matinee WIS
given for the benefit of the survivors at the
Empire Theater. The Empire is the home
of the ballet in London, and perhaps the
finest theater of its kind in the world. 1t is
the headquarters OF the uppertendom of
maSherdom, and in the lounge OF the En-
pire after o'clork at night you will see
better dressed men and better looking
women than can be seen anywhere else that
| know OF. 1t was literally packed from
floor TO ceiling, Notwithstanding the fact
that the price OF every seat was doubled. |
understand that over 5000 was taken at the
doors. All London was there, and they had
an array of talent that woald be hard To
beat. Florence St John, whom yeu know
well; Edward Terry, whom you don't
know. but whom you ought to know, as he
is far and away the best comedian in
London. and can give pounds and beating
to Fred Leslie any day; E. j. Lonnen.
whom you know but don't like, but win
is great fayorite here. and "Chirgwin,"
the 'White-Eyed Kaffir," in my humble
opinion the best negro delineator en- the
stage. Then they had the ballet of "Cecile"
a regular poem in ballets," with CavaiazzI.
the ever popular on both sides of the At
lantic, looking very handsome as tie
''Rajah," and all the rest of them. Last,
but not by any means least, there was a
scene that no one who ever saw it is likely
to forget. The curtain rose on q specially
pointed scene representing the field of
Balaklava the day after the battle, with the
valley of Death" rs background. Groups
of "supers" in the uniform Of the Light
brigade were standing or seated round the
camp fires. Then MIR. Langfried. who was
ono OF the buglers who sounded tue charya
on the eventual day. came on the stage ami
sounded the Assembly" and from the wings
came trooping the remnants of the .nubl,,
six hundreS."
All looked weary and worm with their
breasts covered with war medals; but they
Strengthened themselves up and sal,lted the
audience Once more their old bugler
stepped to the front and the notes of the
'Charge" rnng out full and strong aud filed
the theater, the Old heroes following it up
with cheer that was but an echo Of the one
they gave when in response to that same
call they had charged the Russian gems
Charles Warner, che actor. now Appeared,
and, standing before the veterans, reci,ed
Tennyson's immortal poem, and as he came
10 the line,
Honor the Ligh; Brigade,
He pointed to the war-worn and battered
heroes behind him. Cheer upon cheer hr1k,,
from the vast audience, and truly we could
all say that we had looked upon a scene the
ike OF which, few Of US were ever likely t.
look upon agnin