Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-09
WAKeMAN'S WANDeRlNGS.
An Odd Gathering Of Odd FOlk In an ODD
Corner Of London--muslc Hall Perform.
ers-Typlcal London Scenes
and Incidents.
Copyright, 1893, by Edgar L. Wake.
mani
london, March -, 1893.

In order 20 appreciate one of the
oldest gatherings of che oldest folk In
one of tae oldest corners OF London, one
must hio't know something about those
whose strange lives aud unique vacations
make the noted London Poverty june
tiQn' what II Is.
They are the "pros" or "prossers" or
music hall performers OF the worlds
metropolis. There are from 1000 60
aOQO of them, great aud unknown. mon
and women, aud there are no other folk
lust like thcm within the whole world.
They provide the amusement" for the
score or more of great music halls, into
each of which nirhNy crowd from 2UlO
To 5OuO people and for the hundreds
upon hundreds Of lessor affairs. ranging
which the modern music hall has sprung.
20 the penny gals where Audiences of
FROM 100 To 500 persons may be found
Besides these. ] would almost venture
the assertion, these are thousands Of
pubs or public houses, drinking places
with assembly rooms behind the bar,
where free smoking concerts attract a
permanent nightly audience of from
score 10 u hundred wOrNugmen, and the
foul rlbbe that subslst upon their gene
rosdty aud weakness
Indeed any one who knows this great
city Mt all in that wandering, Nagmnt,
ubseryant way which leads thought Into
grave conclusions, would have DO hesi-
fancy in saying that u quarter OF mill
ion human beings may be found any
weekday night IN these places CHEEKY
or more 50, from lQucr, and FROM thcsr
sources forming their odd ideas OF Ia.
tcmatonal contra - gathering from
vile-mOuthed performers qtNps. the ucws
aud scandals of Tine dny; Increasing their
contempt of order and law from thCr
endless satire aud rdicule; gaining ln
general and particular deeper mired OF
English society above thcm' ana hcaf1hg
often with their wives and daughters
beside them. the most sacred relations of
men aud women never spoken or sung of
save az perennial playground for cun-
ming and inhdelity, until the hthrucst
laugh Is In response Go the hroudesi en-
tehdre. and the luudest roar from theTe
prpnt seas OF upturned faces Wheu the
yllest music hall indccencics are per
pctluted
OF AN these places the "pcnny-gan," or
outragcously ridiculous pantOmine, on
yuiceleSs melodrumu, or worthless tragedy
in which there rs indcocribable murdcr'
highway robbery, and other laird crime,
but all enacted without Spoken word To
yyade the law governing dunntie repr"
scutatiuns Is the least harmful Tor u
has no bar and 20 get his penny ortli
OF play the Whitechlpel BARBARIAN 81
kept for az least two hours away from
n public house.
ihc great London music hall Is simply
large aud more iuHlduously hurliul
| TYNE OF the free smoking concert room
! Ii Is practically a gigantic bar or series
OF tiers of bars, surrounding an huutlo-
rum where thousands instead OF scores
can be admitted. at u merely nominal enc
| tnrnce fee; where u stage with specially
performers supplHut the PLATFORM me
plnpist aud the volunteer. ana where me
| same classes. or more vicious ones win
"arrys and 'orricis' of London hh thf
pit. while every manner Of cad, iAst
| fellow Of the gentry and nobility, mclud-
| inc "A GOOD rprinkling Of London lt1hemia'
Sumter Ia the promenades ana MI the
| boxes and stalls.
Abom twenty different nets called
turns are done boy as many dihtrrt
performers In one evening, hhu Jaw,
motor will have from one 10 four turns
for tho snme evening each az dinercl
hnlls 10 which be speeds IN every SORT OF
| rouypynpce from u CJstcrH donkey cart
10 a broughum Programs are infnisheI
on payment, ana huge numerals tlll
| into the prOsceninn siues ooIr'SPoN"
| with program numbers
phesc shows, with few exceptions m
| favor of individual performers, are US
| terly pointless, mrthless, inane ana
| heastly There are perhaps IN an MS
host of london music hall ACTORS
| half dozen who have deuohstrateu that
| time art may find reward even N 30
Sl,,,n canadian. Jenny Hin. imper-
sonnfnr OF the cOstcr girl, the Judging
| ou4e missua' aud female characters OF
thnt ik: aud Albert Cheyaher, whose
studies and representation OF tnc ~
ann cosdeimonger should give HIM rank
me- really great actor AMI man Oh
positive genius.
But between all these odd folk and the
| I nudon actors Of the dramatic stage
| there Is endless emulation mmEe9 WIN
| tnnmlizing attempts az Irrelefg hnu
| niriuess ON the one side, aud a Ihaeie's
dread and contempt on w. o o,ar,,, ,,crs
| "prus" on "prOsser' ~ he IN eNeryWhcW
| known Ia London, Is IN nearly every M
lstnnce n product Of tle lowest London
| ne AS rule he WAS Originally cos
tormOngcr stable boy, boots, s,nfFi-
| ing frO.n tho travelling noon silDM ~
Rillinasgutc crAte-cnrrler or from some
v,bere ONT of the East end sluins.
N he be OF rs good quality ms from
"a hnmblpst laboring classes he siill, ns
wen ms all other music hall performers
Graduates into bis profession th1nkh
one unyaIying school OF low Nnu "i''l
! Vie. training from the "penny-ghii or
from the smoking concert deil Wheir
10 has. as volunteer sang, danced
eontOrted or Auggcd, for the Tree enter
tninment Of the gutter hosts OF ltohuyl'
Many Of these fayOues command HhiN-
ries of from GA0 20 200 per Wee6 bul
about Nll OF AilNAM Nt'tAhHf ''.ff
mn offca respectahlity. ONT Of the some
original depths, and along the same
ycsatous road.
The only sime when dramatic actor ana
"nros" ever meet is NJ the annual Ohi1tt-
,pos PLAYS and pantOmlnca. linen the
'uros' n Ia dcmand NJ the lhehtrrr 20 90
sbecialtiea. The lofty scorn ana the
atrv de6nnce between actor ana pros
G. hen something wonderful 70 behold
"Vbot's thatY Is tie contempiu0us
o,,..v ~ one actor 10 another, az
aprosu h es.pied IA the stag, WINS ~
Cb,Gstmas, time, waiting 20 DO his turn
~ bis act or specially ~ called.
"Oh. rs only thing from TIE aus
ahe music halls: his companion VIII as
Wear ar 6l meg' retorts the pros with
an airy snort at his prosecutor hit
cawnf be lits on the staigei they
wouldn't ave sech bloomn holJeets ~
'"T N America there Is considerable
fiendlv communicating Of actors and va
rietv performers This makes possible
,be "Rinitos" OF our larger cities which
Are really rOtpd rs hannts OF nll manner
M siage folk, and which are the resort.
M. certain hours Of every day, Of Nll
theatrical people The casual passer
ilmgefs cdriously within the region. Even
one least accustomed 10 striking city
nhpseg n Instantly impressed with the