The Portland daily press., 1893-10-20
Mrs. Virgins Reading.


The ladies of the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union are entitled to the
thanks of every person who was present
at Kotzschmar hall last evening, for the
delightful entertainment provided by
them. 1t was an evening long to be re-
membered. The occasion introduced to
Portland people Maine woman whose
gifted brain has made the name of Kate
Douglass Wiggin famous wherever the
English language is spoken. Mayor
Baxter in his introduction of the lady
was singularly happy in referring to the
night when Charles Dickens brought
Tiny Tim and Little Nell wildly before
his hearers since Mrs. Wiggin also caused
her listeners to see as they never before
had seen, Timothy, Lady Gay and Rats,
Samantha, Dixey, Phil Mattocks, and
those other characters of her imagination
as if they were personally acquainted.
The stage last evening was transformed
into drawing room to which flowers
and plants added their attractions. Mrs
Wiggin, graceful and easy in her manner,
moved about the platform, sometimes
reading as she stood, or at others, while
seated in capacious armchair beneath
a parlor lamp. Her selections included
scenes from "Timothy's Quest, 2 the
Birds Christmas Carol,n and a new
manuscript story "The Nooning Tree
In speaking of the last selection, Mrs.
Wiggin referred humorously to the fact
that while from the inadyertence of her
parents she was born in Philadelphia
she only passed portion of her baby
hood there, and then came to Maine
every stick and stone of which she loved,
and to mark her first appearance in
Portland she had chosen to read this
story here for the first time.
AS a reader, Mrs. Wiggin possesses a
singular charm. She is exceedingly
magnetic, keeping her audience closely
attentive Her voice is musical and
vibrant, and her enunciation so clear and
distinct that every word drops from her
mouth clear cut and penetrates to the
farthest corner of the hall She knows
how to tell story as well as how to
write it, and that is an extremely rare
her audience as if she was receiving
members of her own fam lily in her
own parlor. There is not shade of ex-
preston beyond the powers of her rare
voice. Perhaps as perfect bits of artistic
work as any was her descriptionsof Lady
Gay seeking the capacious lap of
Samantha and beingsrocked to sleep, and
again, the terrible struggle going on in
the brain of The Man from Tennessee, y
as he saw in his minds eye the merry
go-round at the circus, Phil (his wife)
and her lover seated upon it, heard the
creaking of the machinery and saw the
boy who cried to get on and then cried to
get off, horrible vision thatit seemed
only the river could silence forever. The
terrible quiet force .of this latter scene
was given with the ability that belongs
to finished actress. And if the tragic
and the pathetic found admirable treat
nent from her so also did the humorous
with which her pages are SO lavishly
filed, while the great audience, which
was composed of the best known people
of the city in all walks Of life--were SO
absorbed in Mrs. Virgins reading, that
the silence, broken only by the speaker
voice, could almost be felt. 1t seems as
If everybody ought to be able to hear this
Maine woman-of whom they should be
so proud-read, or more properly, narrate
her charming tales.
Mrs. Henry St John Smith kindly sang
two selections during the evening but
she declined an encore. Mr.. Barnard
graciously responded to his recall; Miss
Cobb furnished the accomplishments
most satisfactorily