The morning call., 1893-12-03
A READERS CLUB.
1t Holds a Fashionable
Open Meeting.
A Number of Young Ladies Who
Recited Successfully Both
Tragedy and Comedy.

The entertainment given by Miss Louise
Humphrey Smiths Readers Club. drew q
large and fashionable audience to Laurel
Hall yesterday afternoon.
Nothing had been neglected that could
add picturesqueness to the reunion. The
shutters were closed. and gaslight and
prettily shaded lamps threw their more
effective light upon the numerous elegant
tolettes present. The platform was
most tastefully decorated, and charming
young lady ushers, in evening Dress
showed visitors to their seats.
With one exception the programme was
entirely made up of recitations. This was
in the case of Miss Evelyn Henry, who
played piano-forte transcription of Sig
mund's love songsfrom "Walkure" with
considerable expression and brllllancy.
Wagner, however, is not a composer VINO
adapts himself particularly we'll to tran
scriptions, and Miss Henry's good playing
would undoubtedly have aroused more ap-
pause in another selection.
The first recitation on the programme,
"My Old Sweetheart" was we'll rendered
by Mrs. Carrie Fross. Snyder, who showed
herself to be a young lady possessed OF
considerable elocutionary ability. Her
voice carries we'll, and her enunclation is
remarkably clear and distinct, although
her secopd recitation. THE Day of Judg-
ment." showed that she is heard to better
advantage in the humorous than the pa
thetic.
The latter story is supposed to betOld by
a child. who has been reading blood
curdlIng accounts of how comet was to
burn up the earth. A storm comes. and
the child thinks it is the 'day of judg
about the way Mrs. Fross-Snyder recited
this story that charmed her hearers.
Miss Helen Kelleher is already we'll
known as an elOcutionist. Her first seler-
ton, 1.-THE Village Dressmaker," by Kate
Douglass Wiggin. awoke rippies Of laugh
ter all over the room. She oke and acted
the loquacious village busy body naturally
and with coDsidera Die spirit. aud although
the selection was somewhat long it was too
well delivered for any one to wish it
shortened.
The letter scene from Macbeth" was a
difficult selection, even for any one of
Misc Kelleher's acknowledged ability to
attempt, to render successfully on plat
form. The young lady gave Shakespe speare's
lines gracefully and with carefully marked
expression; every gesture was rounded
and supple, and her facial expression was
goad. But this finished statuesqueness
was not in keeping with the character of
the Thane of Glamis' wife. Lady Mac
beth was made of sterner, ruder stuff than
Miss Keleher gave to the cruel lines she
recite0 in the letter scene yesterday
The young el0cutionist was more like some
irate, dignified Greek priestess than a
bold, lawless clanswoman.
A paDtommic scene. "Watching and
Waiting" gave Miss Kelleher a good op-
portunity of displaying her admirable
command of expression.
Miss Anna E. Daily proved herself to be
possessed of charmingly sympathetic
volre and an easy. natural manner in r.
citing. Her piece, Tomorrow at Ten, :"
was given more with the rendering of the
actress than the elocutionist, and the two
are generally widely apart. An actress
with theatrical surroundings who "elo-
cuied" would appear stacy, but Miss Auna
+. Daily in Tomorrow at Ten" struck so
true note in her elocutionary eff orts that
she almost appeared to be upon the stage.
marguerite" and "a Piece Of Red
Calico" were also ably recited by the same
young lady.