The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-12-23
BROWNIES ON THE STAGE
ts WISE AND SOLEMN AND AMUSING
AsIyA PICTURE BOOK.
Audiences OF Children Greet Their old
Friends aud Laugh and stare at Their
Troubles and Pleasures.

| mes THESE 0INS. anu tNN'S n''-N VI AhNiis
| Is to be found there. They are to be seen
| I'm slammed calico stuffed out 10 their
traditional brownie proportions and can
| be bought for "A small sum. There are
| other kinds OF brownies spattered over
| the facade of the Fourteenth Street
| Theatre. and inside there are rows OF
| them scampering along the gallery and
| balcony rails and suspended about the
| prosceuium arch. Behind the curtains
| are brownies that speak and sing and
| dance as no ether brownies We're ever
| seen t. do before outside OF a picture
| book. They are there in the play with
| their friends and their enemies. They
| have their troubles and look as wise
| and solemn eyer them as they always
| hove looked. But they have revels also
lust as brownies of well-:egulated lives
| have had ever since there were such
| curious little people.
| Whether they be struggling with their
| traditional foe one Dragonfels, on dane
/ ing while the morn sings to them, they
| have sympathetic friends over the foot
| lights who follow their movements and
| laugh with them always, Tor brownie
troubles have the strange quality OF be-
| ing lust IS amusing as their gayest mo-
uents. Perhaps it's because the brow
MES have always come out right i'm the
| end that there is just as much childish
| Iaushter when the big sea bird swoops
! down and carries of dude brownie as
| when the brownie standing army rebels
against being "A standing army any longer
because it's tired and wants 10 sit down.
| u must be the most cheering thing in the
word 10 a brownie TO know that he Is
/ so well remembered " whether IT be
the dude brownie. or the sailor brownie,
| or the Uncle sam brownie who bounces
snIf q
laugh Of his old young friends 10 greet
him. and they do IL with genuine sin
ceritv that fills the theatre with the
eomd OF children's laughter and the
natter Of tiny hands applaullng. Then
eyes that stare with almost the solemn
interest of the brownies famous google
eyes settle down to watching their trou-
bles and Joys. There is only one really
wicked man in the whole brownie his
tory, and he isn't Il brownie. but de-
mona spangly red demon. His name
should appropriately be spelled with
large capital "D" 10 give any idea OF
the amount Of mischief he plans and ac-
complishcs among the unOnending brow
MES who seem to be perfectly willing
10 live along i'm their own quiet way,
hurrying some whore or other, looking
very wise and knowing while they are
doing 30. and enjoying themselves all the
time.
II is very typical Of the brownies that
their red enemy should be got out of
the way i'm the same transformations.
| modest way that they do everything else.
Dragonfels had them locked up in dia-
mond mine 50 far down under the earth
that even their best friends could not
get at them. They didn't buster around
and call up their standing army TO get
rid of him. The brownie king suggested
a game Of tag. II happened that II was
a game which only two could play, and
Dragcnfels didn't know probably that
the anarchist brownie who was running
after him was trying 10 tag him with
bomb and that there was dynamite IN
il. There was an explosion, of course
when the anarchist brownie hit the enc
my Of himself and his race. 1t was
very loud one in fact, but 1t only lasted
moment, and shows how much better
the brownie way of doing things Is than
the way of ordinary people. They didn't
call on the police or the militia or make
any such disturbance. They settled their
troubles with a simple game OF tag, and
the anarchist brownie looked rather
shame faced at having caused such
loud explosion. When the matter was
all over the wicked Dragonfels was out
of the way and the fairies were hurrying
down to nclp their friends out OF the
mine.
IL IS about the only sad thing about the
brownies that all Of them are men
There WAS never any such thing as a
brownie girl and, on the other hand,
there never was any play without
girl in it,. The brownies are too old
race to be changed in any way, and
Mr.. Palmer Cox knew, therefore that
brownie girl was an impossibiltty. But
there was TO be "a play, so there had to
be- a girl and Mr. Cox decided that she
should be fairy. Being good them
selves. the fairies were friendly TO the
brownies. so the author decided that
brownie prince should marry fairy
princess. who would come to the we'd
ding with her fairy friends. Perhaps
If the brownies had never had those
FAIRIES as visitors they would never have
had the cruel Dragonfels along with
them, for Sc WAS Go carry oil the pilh-
cess that hc came 10 the brownie we'd
ding The first thing that sets the eyes
OF the brownies friends a-starHg ana
their mouths a-smiling Is the brownie
WpdIiuu The brownies have all come
along 10 the wedding with Prince FLOR
incl 10 see that the future king IS mar
rird i'm the styIe that becomes brow
ME ruler. There are with him, j. Chdppie
Goodfrrtuc the brownie dude, and the
brownie policeman. the Indian, the Chi
namau. IN. Japanese, and the Anarch-
ISL together with d lot Of just ordinary
p,oip brownies with coiored cloth suits
and lils buleine eyes, and anatomy built
entirely OH the brownie principle.
The chief difficulty attending the trans
fer of the brownies from their usual
hgunts TO the stage was that the brownie
proportione DO not readily adapt them
selves ia representation by human be-
ings who are anxious 10 hold on to such
usati1 members as their necks or such
ORGANS ms their eyes. Now, no brownie
ever had "a neck. and no human being
oyer had q stomach 80 highly placed and
rotund as every brownie worthy the
name values ds his most attractive fea-
ture There were plenty of dwarfs who
wanted 10 be brownies, and they went
IN AIR Cox as soon as they heard that
tho brownies were TO BE- put upon the
staqe But a brownie, 10 be genuine,
nIst he a great many other things be
sides a small man. lie must be a good
,1arcar ard singer ahd az clever as the
hrouni4s all are. The dwarfs did not
moot All these requirements. so the larger
men were selected. The task Of making
tham look like brownies was difficult
ono n would not do to pad them too
,,,,cb for then th,y could never have
danced. and to pad up their shoulders
mil their necks disappeared would
hava made them top-heavy. The brow
Mo eves. moreover, are something not to
10 found anywhere else, and ii took a