The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-13

friends have combined for the purpose
of giving him a farewell testimonial,
and Monday. the 2lst. and Christen-
sens hall, are the date and place for
the affair. 4 strong programme is be-
ing arranged Mr. Ensign is a singer
who has never hesitated TO give his
services on any and all occasions. and
his testimonial ought to be a very
popular and successful affair.
writer IN the Times Herald con-
tributes an entertaining column on the
stage within the Confederate lines dur
ing the war. He says the southern
authorities knew the value of well-reg-
ulated amusements at a time when the
people were wrought up 10 the high
est pitch of excitement. and ali repu-
table actors found no difficulty in Sc
curing exemptions after the passage
of the conscriDt law.
Among the stars on the Confederate
stage in those days were W. II. Crisp,
the father of the late Speaker Crisp;
Z. r. Dalton. Theodore Hamilton and
Sam Hubbard. Among the ladies We're
Mrs Crisp, Miss Jessie Crisp, Miss
tiers.
These favorites of the public ap-
peared before the footlishts in various
cities. but. as a rule. they alternated
between Richmond and Atlanta. How
the managers got along during that
turbulent period is a mysterty TO me.
Night after night | went to see the
popular plays of that time. and, boy
as | was, ] could not fail to note the
threadbare raiment of the players and
their tawdry tinsel- All sorts of crude
makeShiftS had TO be resorted to in
the production of stage effects. and
some of them would be laughable now.
But the people were patriotic. They
felt it duty to encourage the drama,
and wien there was any lack of at
tendance on the part of the citizens it
was more than compensated for by the
large audiences of officers and soldiers
who swarmed in every city.
What were the plays on the southern
wartime stage? Perhaps the most
popular were: Camille THE Marble
Heart" The Romance of a Poor
Young Man." ''Rolla." La Tour de
Nesle,'' London Assurance The
ments." BOX and Cox" '.Corsican
Brothers" ..I.uoretia. Borgia." e.Blacll-
Eyed Susan" and others familiar to
the theater-goers before the war. Com
edy seemed to have the preference. The
people had so many serious things to
worry over that they did not care for
tragedy.
Still, the theaterS drew better than
ever. People had money to throw
away, and they tried to get rid of it.
Sometimes il was very inconvenient
to attend these places of amusement
Soldiers with muskets and bayonets
were stationed there to preserve order.
and when the audiences filed out Off
GERS were on hand to force every man
to show his papers.
Frequently a young man with his
best girl would find that he had for
gotten his documents. and a squad of
soldiers would then escort the two to
the lady's house and then carry the
gentleman before the provost marshal
for an explanation.
Generally whenever a play was pre-
scented the prettiest actress in the COM
pany would come out between acts and
recite My Maryland" or some other
war poem. and wave a Confederate
banner. This feature of the programme
always drove the soldiers wild with en-
Lhusiasm.
Through the courtesy of the manage
nent of the Grand Opera House the
members of THE Pirates of Penzance''
Opera company Will attend the per-
Torrance of "A Fair Rebel tomorrow
evening. The members are requested
% call on Mr.. II. S. Goddard in the
building. who will make
necessary ARRANGEMENTS