The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-08-08
VILLAGE BEAUTIES IN BLACK.
Initiate Negro MinstreIs, But Have
Difficulty I'm Getting the Paint on.


The little village of Clyde, one of the
prattiest villages In Wayne county has
great number Of beautiful young wom-
en-. Awhile ago somebody organized a
show 10 be given for the benefit OF
some local church or charitable organi-
zstiOn. and lot of the pretty girls led
by the female members Of the choir of
the church which was to be benefited.
got together TO discuss what part they
would take in the entertainment Some
body had been reading of a minstrel
show given by young women I'm Brook
lyn and suggested that Clyde fol-
low Brooklyn. The idea took The girls
decided that II would be perfectly lovely,
and the details were arranged.
To make the show realistic the girls
thought they ought to blaclen up. This
was what the Brooklyn women did.
There were some protests against going
so far, but the backing up idea proved
popular with a majority Of the proposed
performers, and il was adopted. The
performo nee was given one night last
week. The hall was crowded, and things
went off nicely. There was singing, and
the end men (whO were men, by the
way worked off their gags, and the
whole affair wound up with a song in
concert. The CLYDE orchestra was pres
ent and did wonders with ITS varied as
sortment of instruments, and the village
folk decided una nimously that they had
fectly satisfied
When the curtain went down the girls
went back to wash the black off their
faces. The first one 10 reach a WASH
basin took aspongc and began rubbing
her cheeks. To the intense horror of the
entire company the black would not
bulge. 1t was there to stay. The other
girls seized pals, basins. anything that
would hold water, got water and began
TO scrub. The black remained. They
might just as well have been nebroes of
the darkest hue for all the impression
they made on the color There were hys-
terics and all that kind Of thing, but the
black never budged.
The girls scrubbed and cried and cried
and scrubbed with the effect of getting
off some small patches of black and
Tightening their grotesque appearance.
After hours of work they managed to
whiten their cheeks enough to enable
them TO go out. and then they all skipped
through back streets TO their homes.
Meanwhile the men were having a SINH
lar experience. They couldn't get the
black off either. The end men and the
principal comedian worked for an hour
and then strolled out to the Clyde hotel
with their faces all shades from a light
drab to a coal black. The leading
comedian got some Of the black off his
nose and chin. little off his cheeks. but
had been able to make no impression on
his ears, and he was a very spectacular
young man when he walked into the bill
/ lizard room of the hotel and huskily asked
for something to drink.
There was a theatrical man i'm town.
and late that night he was awakened by
a heavy knock at his door. Say" said
an excited voice, ARE you a theater
MANI"
He said he was.
''Well, 1 heard you were. What do
you do to get burnt cork off when you
black up for niger minstrels? ?"
Wash it Off.
Yes. 1 know, but how?"
'Why, take a sponge. 1t ought to
wash right Off,
There was a long silence. Finally the
voice said again, Say mister now do
you mix burnt cork when you use it 10
black up for niger MINISTRIES"
Mix 1t with water"
Great Godr' said the voice; I'VE mixed
ours with vaseline.
In the course of a week or two it is
expected that the young women who so
successfully participated in the minstrel
show will be around to received the con-
CALCULATIONS of their friends. In the
meantime the ears of the leading
comedian are still Of a beautiful, glossy
black-Buffalo Express.