The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-02-06
VILLAGE BEAUTIES IN SLACK.
They Initiate Negro Mlnstreis, but Hays
So,ne pid1culty In Getting the Paint ON

They Initiate Negro MtnstreiN' put nav
some Dinncuity In Getting the Paint ON
The little village Of Clyde one of the
prettlest villages In Wayne county, has
great number of beautiful young women
Awhile ago somebody organized show
to he given for the benefit OF some local
church or charitable organization, ana
lot of the pretty girls, led by the female
members OF the choir Of the church when
was to be benefited, got together to discuss
what part they would take In the enter.
tainmcnt. Somebody had been reading oil
a minstrel show given by young women In
Brooklyn and suggested that Clyde FOLLOW
Brooklyn. The idea took. The girls de
cidcd that 1t would he perfectly lovely, ana
the details were arranged.
To make the show realistic the girls
thought they ought to blacken up. This
was what the Brooklyn women did. There
were some protests against going so tar
but the backing up Idea proved popular
with ma ority of the proposed performers,
and 1t was adopted. The performance was
given one night last week. Tho hall was
crowded, and things went off nicely There
was singing, and the end men (who were
men, by the way) worked oil their gags
and the whole affair wound up with soff9
In concert The Clyde orchestra was
| present and did wonders with its varied
assortment Of instruments and the village
| folk decided unanimously that they had
had their moneys worth and were per
| fcctly satisfied.
When the curtain went down, the girls
| went back to wash the black on their faces.
The first one to reach wash basin took II
sponge and began rubbing her checks. To
the intense horror of the entire company
the black would not bulge. 1t was there
to stay. Tho other girls seized pals, basins,
anything that would hold water, got wa
ter and began to scrub. The black remain
ed They might just rs well have been
negroes of the darkest hue for all the i'm
preston they made on the color. Thert
were Mysteries and all that kind of thing
but the black never budgcd.
The girls scrubbed and cried and cried
and scrubbed with the effect of getting of
some small patches Of black and heightcn
ing their grotesquc appearance. Ate
hours Of work they managed to whittier
their checks enough to enable them to q
out, and then they all skipped through
, back streets to their homes. Meanwhile
the men were having II similar experience
) They couldn't get the black off either
I The end men and the principal comedian
worked for an hour and then strollCd on
to the Clyde hotel with their faces al
shades from light drab to n conl black
> The leading comedian got some of tn
D black off his nose and chin, II little OIL hi
+, checks, but had been able to make no in
preston ON his cars, and he was yer
spectacular young man when he wake
+ into the billiard room of the hotel an
y huskily asked for something to drink.
e There was a theatrical man in tow
and late that night he was awakened by
heavy knock at his door. Say" said a
S excited voice, are you theater mani"
I He said he was.
~ well, heard you were. What do yo
i do to get burnt cork of when you blac
II up for niger minstrelsY'
Wash 1t off. -
e YES, know, but howf"
n why, take sponge. 1t ought to wa:
" right off.
W There was n long silence. Finally Il
voice said again, Say, mister, how do "
mix burnt cork when you use 1t to bla'
Is up for Niger minstrelsr
Mix it with water
~ Great Godl' said the voice; I'VE mix
IS ours with vaseline."
In the course of a week or two 1t Is c
~ pected that the young women who so su
u. cessfully participated in the minstrel she
will be around to receive the congratul
3 lions of their friends. In the moantii
1T the ears of the leading comedian are st
a of beautiful, glossy black, i
~ press.