The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-11-05
N|NsTRELs IN DIsFAVOR
Sharp Criticism of a Female
Church Performance.
GIRLS BLACKEN THEIR FACES
Wear Abbreviated Costumes a"d
Sing and Dance for a church
Organ Fund-Various Ideas as 10
the Pr"priety of the show-B shop
Potter Investigating.

New York, Nov. 5.Church and society
circles in Mount Vernon are sadly disturbed
in consequence cr ar entertainment frat
was given in the Opera House of that city
on the evenings OF October &c and y, 'or
the benefit of fund to procure new
organ for Trinity Episcopal Church Ii was
an entertainments of the female minstrel
variety. tut it Is 3:ltogether certain tina the
thirty young ladies vito ttOk part IN IT, ana
who were recruited chiefly from. the merl-
bership of the church, had not the fdintest
idea that any poSsiee stigma rested upon
that foru Of advertised amusement.
II did not even oScur TO them that by
sele, thug tine title or ''Snovdrops" ;or
their ''are1 ecation of talent" they were
inviting tie misrepresentation pf the god
less and giving rise to scandalous ruInorS
among the less cultured and envio Is
inhs bit ants Of the town, that they pfo-
posed to appear in those gaudy curtaued
co~tutr-s in which female minstrel
troupes are generally depicted on the hli-
boards.
All Mount Vernon attended Che show
and tie applause was cordial when the
pTetty ara Well bred girls troored out on
the stage with blackened faces. The skirts
they wore We're of the Conventional bicycle
dress length. ard there was, of course, a
total absence of any of those excesses III
sensational costume which ina agination had
called up la the minds or some OF the
youths OF the town 10y the preliminary an
nouncepiea6s.
nesoite the wigs and the burnt cork the
features of suciJ prominent young ladies' as
the Misses Hattie aud Anna LOOMS, daugh
tcrs of former street Cleaning Commits
s.oner I.oomis of New York; Miss Mary
Lc wis and Miss Jessie Lewis, daughters 1f
Broker Lewis; Miss Evelyn Graham, daugh-
ter of Rev. S. T. Graham, rector or the
church: Miss Mary Martin, and many others
were easily recognizable, and they were
all loudly appia uded. The net profit of the
enfertainment was 81 so, and all connected
with the show were congratulatinG them
selves upon it's success, when. as out OF "a
clear sky, came the news that somebody
had written to Bishop Potter protesting
against such form OF entertainment. and
advising hin, that the whole affair was
scandalogs.
The kuo Wedge that this ''sOneidCy" had
written such letter seems 20 have heca
first maaek nown To the triginators Of the
minstrel performance thruug5 letter
from the bishop, severe in tone. la which
he desired to know Just what had hap.
pened 1t is said that the bishop went ~
far a. to announce that he money wUuid
not be received by the church for the CrGs,ii
fund ut,il he was furthe informed rs Ia
precisely Row 1T tad been raised. Organist
Hubert wilson said yesterday: I've gut
the money, anG don t know Just yet what
to do with il If the bishop really objects
to its being applied 90 the fund FOX which
it was raised.
The Rev. S T. Graham, rector of Trinity
Church, is highly incensed by the coursemat-
ters have taken, and in his anger makes the
amazing Statements that he has been told
on what hv considers reliable authority.
that "a rival church is responsible for all
this un lust criticism" The indignant rec
tor said last aIght: "If the entertainment
had not been entirely refined, do you sup
pose for arEomentI would have allow ed my
daughter 10 take part? Yes, 1 received Il
letter from Bishop Potter asking for an ex-
planation. l wrote him a letter to-day de-
scribing the performance. told him that
/ would be willing to have it given I'm my
psrlor. Tt is cruel, very cruel. There is a
Certainty, however, that my daughter Will
not take part In aftysminstre!s again."