The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-27
HER POSTPONED BENEFIT.
MISS MARRSTEIN TELLS III sroRr
OF A UIS.APPOIHT VITA

w" " sh'NH afito tUE NV hultCLfL
for Fourteen Wears aud she Thought THAT
She Would rse Helped In Her Hour or Need
New Plans for n Testimonial TO Ala Her.
Henrietta Mnrkstcin's benefit, which was an
nounced for last Sunday night. has been post
ponod until March % and will DO given at the
American Theatre. Miss Markstein is very
frank about the reason for the change.
Tits simply because tho tickets didn't SELL"
she said. MY friends who planned the testi.
monial felt sure it would be q success. They in
sisted that because l had given years of my life
to helping other people, other people would help
mo. / was foolish enough to believe thcm, so
we didn't make the %exertion We should have
made, and, naturally, the thing fell through. I
got II good deal OF light on the subject Of gratt.
tudc, though, and l confess I feel bitter.
You see. ii is this way. For fourteen years
I've been giving concerts every two weeks at Q
great many OF the hospitals, asylums and alms-
houses. | fell into the work accidentally. One
day I went down TO Blnckwell's Island with
Commissioners Brennan. went just from curl.
osity; but those poor people made my heart
ache, they looked so hungry for something that
would brighten their lives, and I told Mr.. Bren.
nan l believed / would take some OF my friends
down there occasionally and see II we couldn't
brighton the poor things up-givo them music,
and Rotations. and that sort OF thing. He
caught at the idea right away, and said
II would be n noble work. A little while after
that I persuaded some Of my professional friends
to help me give an entertainment ut the aims
house on the Island. That was the way I start.
cd; and the people were SO nbioctly grateful and
begged us SO to come again that, of course. we
went. The work went right to my heart and I
began to be tremendously interested and TO 60
all around to such places. / was q busy woman,
but l managed to give most o. my time to that
charitable work and never got n cent for IL.
Actors and musicians and elocution!sts would
go with me. out of friendship for me;
and then. when they found how much
1t meant to the poor people. and how
grateful they were, they were almost always
willing to 70 again. When people founu Gus
that l was willing to do such work they sent 10
To @I go ot 1nie es' / SS %as ii ii. piSMf ny fr fna n nscd to- Go sas e
was foolish: but | was so happy in doing some
i q ,Es to 9d help relieve tho pain and unhappines'
We'll, las, April ! was knocked down by!a
i came home; but, / suffered 'areadiuiiy and
70 st. inke's, and they doctored mo a while and
then said Ia better go back home; that my
was IA rest. ! had one doctor after another. but
none of them seemed able to find out
s SasI I aaa 'h dna %Sf'f I decided sifa Hi to Or 90 dG 20 ne ss aiRy
yue Hospital. had often given concerts
iAs would ii The 5S i H1G DAYS Us S Sns I o. G'V sSo sN %sFd:
there. and did what they could; but toe doctors
anything wrong except with my nerves; and at
last they told me- would better 60 home and
c courage sS but N ana fiyni i said T ia f @aRo one m 9,s,
well: but that year Of illness and expense has
made my money melt. and l won't be able to
II didn't know what to do, but some of my
friends said they would get up q benefit for me.
souls. public SymDQtly would Hn the bOuae. II
felt a trihe dubious because all tho time l was
c ty's sgm ln .he nG from the / e'a Seop Eet . nny s1p Mssm
had worked or the men and women who had
asked me ns to give my services to help their
flowers. and jcllies enough to start n store; but
the funny thing was that they came from
heard, but who knew of my work and were sorry
for ny misfortune: r..
charitable institutions, &C.. where I had worked.
else paid no attention whatever TO the matteri
Mr.. Brennan was the only exception, and he be-
always is. try to think that Il the poor T peopis
n 16sm bsys fsi Geaid m have hui helped done me they would Tba
Keepers ens at i the asy 'Hni Used u to tell tell ! m ep tRsti af hes
the music the insane patients were almost
AWAY b more ebss n nit; and an ,s eassi 4! m;anaged: and
but a year is II long time. and they all seem to
postpone the affair and appeal to the general
public; and now things are going better. The
people for whom | haven't done anything come
TO tho front and show their sympathy. and I'm
very grateful; but can't get over the hurt Of
Jude and sincerity. and l surely had a claim on
hundreds of people. They used to say. God will
reward you for this guess they were 80 sure
Of that that they thought they would leave It
Ill to Him; II l had died, I've a notion that the
homes and hospitals and asylums and all would
have sent wreaths. / would probably have had
a splendid showing in wreaths. That's pleasant
to think about.
I'll tell Won who are the manila ma can
always count on--the professional class. You
hear a good deal about the spite and pickering
and jealousy among musicians and actors; but
let one of their number get down. and watch
how they. all come forward to help him. They
are the biggest.hearted most generous people
on the face of the earth. and they are proving IL
TO me. They have taken up my benefit and
are going TO put 1t through. There's Tony
Pastor. He's tho friend. of every one In hara
luck; ana Mckee Rankin and Nance O'Neil
has come forward. too. and there are a good
many Others. Oh! there are splendid people In
the world, but my heart was in that charity
work. and I'm all broken up about that"