Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-12
EUROPEAN CAUSERIE
Max 0'Rell's Chat About People and
Customs on the Other Side.
HOPE FOR BRITISH AUTHORS
Music Halls MISUNDERSTANDING Merry
Times In Old England-Where the
English Ges Their Wrong Notions
AbOns Americams-lbsem in London.


| LONDON, June 50.
| ~ T THE dinner Of the Incorporated So
| AV ciety Of British Authors last year there
lis was much talk about the international
kA} vcopyright bill and the reasons for de-
"mNsiring its safe passage through Con-
gress. British authors rose to their feet one
| after another after dinner to enumerate their
grievances and all complained very Justly Of
the existing Wholesale robbing of their work by
transatlantic publishers. Being myself called
upon to speak did my best to console them
BY comparing their lot with that of the French
author. "You have the annoyance of knowing
that you are being robbed in pocket, gentle
men," said I, .but the Frenchman is worse
served still, for has he not the additional trial
OF seeing his books translated into Americana
You are spared that, at all events"
French books are still being translated into
American and English ones still being appro-
priated by the American publisher, but now q
Joyous CLEAN of hope lights up the gloomy out
look. Mr.. Moncure D. Conway has sent to the
Athenaeum, graceful, amiable and some wha.
ingenious article to prove that if the United
States House of Representatives refused to pass
the copyright bill it was because that docu-
ment did not sufficiently favor the British
author. This is certainly a novel view of the
case, and one which the British author would
never have hit upon for himself He scarcely
knows whether to be glad or sorry to hear that
his interests are so dear to Congressman, but
as nall loaf Is better than no bread he, most
OF him fancy, is inclined to exciaim: s'Save
us from our friends"
Assuming that Mr.. Conway is right. the atti.
tude OF the representatives of the American
people reminds me OF the good little British
boy OF my acquaintance who ono day came to
school without fhsa, \
being questioned to his reason for this an
swered: please, sir, 1 was not sure whether it
was the 10th or 18th that you wanted and was
AFRAID to do the wrong one" To whom I felt
constrained to say: Goodness is good my
son. but do not override it.
AN ENGLISH MUSIC HALL.
Last night went to a music hall for the first
time In fifteen years. You see I am getting
quite English in boasting of my virtues. had
always intended that first visit should be the
last, for the thought of it should linger seduc-
lively In my memory, but having heard lately
OF much improvement liz the entertainments
went to judge for myself. There came forward
the same brassy-throated vocalist, with the
indiscribable something in the voice which is
the peculiar product of tho music hall and is
| as vulgar as it is unmusical and they sang the
same class of songs. some vulgar some idIotic.
and they danced the same old jigs between the
verses. So much for the musical part. The
other part OF the program consisted of the an
tics OF pair OF clowns. They arrive on the
stage with false craniums. Number one
clown takes number twos head between
his knees, and drives nails inso it. Roars
OF laughter. BY and bye. number ones
Uranium is topped by a hat containing a hidden
lamp, no DOUBT The hat takes fire. More
roars OF laughter Number two gets on chair
and extinguishes the flame by means of a wat
ering pot. The fun is that number two does
not know that his hat is on fire. Wild applause
look about. Over in the box opposite are
some people evidently ladies and gentlemen
l marvel as l look at them. They are not ap-
plaudlng, 1t is true. but the idea of the ladies
being there at all strikes me as very odd until
l remember that it has been the fashion for a
year or two past to go to music halls. The sup
posed naughtiness OF the proceeding must form
the attraction. l imagine. though. to give the
managers their due, believe there is nothing
improper permitted
MERRY TIMES OF OLD.
After all, perhaps, the taste of the English
has not undergone much since the days of 90 cd
Samuel Pepys. fell to thinking of descrip-
ton he gives OF a mighty merry" time he and
his wife and some friends had one day in August
about month before the outbreak of the great
fire in London. l like the relish the good fell
low appears to have got out of it; there is quite
smack of the lips in his description of how
they went through the afternoon and evening,
First, there is a bull batting which, however.
only half meets with his approval Upon this
follows supper. After supper they go to a
hrework bout, and pelt and burn one another
with great glee. Next, there is more '.michty
merry sport at the house of a certain Mrs
Mercer, where candle grease and SCOT are freely
used about the faces and a kind of niger min
strel entertainment, minus the music, is INDUCED
in, until the jewellers grow thirsty. Then they
adjourn to Pepys house to drink and STAY to
dance, the fun eliminating in the masquerad-
ing OF the men of the party in women's clothes.
But how they appear to have enjoyed it,
take another look at the box opposite and
come to the conclusion that, though its occu-
pants probably inherit their taste for horseplay
from their old merry England ancestors. thew
have inherited the power of ENJOYMENT in a
considerably diluted form.
WRONG IDEAS OF AMERICA.
1t is really little wonder that so many Euro
peans who have never crossed the Atlantic
should have wrong idea of American people.
The extraordinary things that certain class of
Americans do amaze and appall them and as
the loud and eccentric samples from over the
water are necessarily more heard of than the
thousands of wetf-bred ones who make no
noise, they get taken as the representatives of
the millions at home. Last summer, being in
Heidelberg for day, went to see the lovely
old ruined castle with an English companion.
The hour that might have been full of perfect
enjoyment was spoilt by couple of Americans
time. Their jokes, leveled at everything that
they were shown and at the guide himself.
were in horribly bad taste and delivered in the
harshest OF loud voices. The poetry of the
place was quite lost upon them and
my companion was greatly incensed at it's
being spOlit for us. Cultivated Americans de-
plore the effect produced by their compatriots
and, If possible, dislike them more than do the
English. The latest illustration of the enter
prlsing spirit of the American is surely little
overdone. A paragraph in one of the London
papers announces that when it was reported
that Sarah Bernhardt's late injury to her leg
might necessitate the amputation of that limb
she was asked at once by an American show
man whether she would sell it to him to en-
balm and exhibit. We are all happy, too. that
the man is not to have 1t, for the best of rea-
sons, and the 1.-THE actress is coming to London
in q day or two to show us her latest creation
JOAN OF ARC AND GEN. HocHE
Readers of the papers will remember that
there was some talk last SIMMER Of her play
ing pioce in which she was to impersonate
the Virgin Mary. An outcry Of opposition
quashed the project, and now. instead of play
ing the mother of the Savior Sarah is PLAYING
the savior Of her mother country Joan Of
Arc has been much to the fore for wear or
two past. She has made such strides that in
fact that from o witch, that il to say a child of
hell, she has advanced to q saint, with a
good place among the aureoled dwellers in
heaven. Poor Joan; she had an aureoIe around
her helmet for little while during life, but
it was q very shaky one. The church that
has tardily made amends.
10 a.