The times., 1899-09-06
SOCIETY TN VAUDEVILLE
The Usual Calm of Laurel Dis
turbed i'm Good Cause.
Il Programme Containing Many Fea-
lures which Gave the Participants
Ample Opportunity TO Display
Their TaIents-StnEe Fright and
Apologies for Few Shortcomings.

town of Laurel was disturbed in a good
cause last night. The disturbance Te-
suited from the heroic efforts of a patriotic
gathering OF amateurs who blaekened their
faces and assumed uncouth costumes, and
the good cause was the Confederate monu-
ment fund, which received a substantial in
crease because of the disturbance. The oc-
casion was the long anticipated summer
vaudeville performance which was given
by company of well-known society people
who had volunteered to dance and sing that
the fund for the erection of the proposed
monument to the Confederate dead might
be augmented. The affair was originally
proposed by Miss L. D. Mullikin and Mrs.
f. /. Mareoe, of Baltimore, wife of Colonel
Marcoe, of the Fifth Maryland Regiment,
and was received with enthusiasm by prom
inent society women in Baltimore and
Washington. Mrs. A. p. German, wife of
former Senator German was one of the
first to patronize the movement, and many
other prominent ladies in high social cir
cles volunteered to furnish the talent The
Academy of Music in Laurel was chosen
as the place wherein to hold the show, and
the artists had been in rehearsal for sew
eTal weeks.
The performance was a complete success
in every way. Several hundred prominent
people from Washington and Baltimore
were present. and many persons from
! Laurel completed the audience. When the
receipts had been counted up it was found
that nearly $1,000 had been subscribed,
and, of course, everyone was happy The
audience was lavish in applause, and ill
the language of the youngster everything
went and the perspiring artists strove not
! in vain.
The hall was lavishly decorated with
1 Confederate flags, bunting, and flowers,
while above the stage hung a rare sam
pie of the old Lord Baltimore flag. Pretty
female ushers dressed in the stars and bars
| escorted ticketholders TO their seats and
no man begrudged the price of admission
when it included a smile from young
lady. There was some delay in beginning
the performance. but the three separate set
tings were handled smooth1y and all was
well II may have been that the singers
were several bars behind the orchestra at
times, and it was true that many lines were
forgotten and many cues missed but the
audience applauded these things. Augustus
F. Erich looked the part when he sang
I'm a Friend of the Prince of Wales, al
though the singer was not made up.
Howard Clifton and Harry Eldridge made
a pair Of the blackest of black comedians.
with the aid of burnt cork.
The sweet young lady debutantes who
acted as lend men and chorus wer1 pret-
" in evening dress, but acted as though
they would rather be heard in something
classic rather than in such catchy horrors
as Rag Time Liz. and ma Pork Chops
Greasy" Miss Annette Iolanthe Garner
managed to carry of the honors with a
double turn, one part being Mrs. Padel-
thorp,'' in the curtain raiser, and the other
as a merry cultured lady" in Happy
Days in Dixie
1t is true that the sweet strains of Mr..
Johnson Turn Ne Loose" attracted the
local constable to the hall thinking just
ly as he did that some one was disturb
ing the peace" but when he discovered
that Arthur Pue German, jr., had broken
into vaudeville, the defender of the quaint
little town became pacifed, and devoted
his time to chasing small boys who rudely
whistled ''Unchain the Dogs of War"
Il is also true that while the colored dem
liens OF the place We're aware that min
strel show was in town" they could not
understand why ii was that such strange
strains of discord came from the hall, and
the faithful four-footed guardians of the
neighboring farms resented the music in
a chorus OF groans.
STILL the affair was enjoyable, and the
more so because of the fact that the lists
made frequent apologies for their
breaks" The blackened scions of prom
inent families persisted in wiping tne
perspiration from their oyerheated brows
and in looking like zebras, but no one
present objected and the female portion
of the audience laughed until they were in
danger of Mysteries. Mr.. Dot FifeT made
several good evolutions with a baton while
the audience lodged. Miss Maud Emory
danced something called a pas seul.
which was both novel and graceful
Harry Bernard Weeks, who acted as
stage manager prompter and leading man
in the one-act tragedy entitled "The Day
Before the Wedding" was very busy and
very clever. The aforesaid tragedy was
labeled as a comedy but everything went
and no one objected.
The great feature of the show was the
applause, which appeared as often as did
an actor cross the stage. Even the flags
were applaGded and the orchestra received
the full credit due ii. The brilliant mill
try spect5@le" which closed the programme
was wonderful conglomeration of the
male performers, who looked like Ma
poiecns, Nashingtons and others in turn
Il was a great show and will long be a
brilliant memory in the minds OF society
folk, and may even be repeated-if Laurel
does not offer objection. The programme
of events and some OF those who partici-
pated we're as follows the remainder being
too bashful 10 break into print as they
had into vaudeville
PART I.
''THE DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING
Cast:
Ebcnezer Padelthorpe ..Mr. Harry Bernard Weeks
Mrs Ebenezer Padelthorpe. rpe...................
Miss Annette Iolauthe Carver
Alfred waEiord ..............MT. Harris NJ. Hoer
Ada Padelthorpe. pe...-........-.. Miss Grace Daigen
Dick Padeithorpe ........ Mr. William 4. Bochau
Dcllie Boston. Miss Anna Marie Ricrdon
PART II.
- SOUTHERN GARDEN PARTY"
Introducing the following vaudeville members:
Messrs Clifton and Eldridge in black face
sketch: Mr.. Augustus +. Erich, humorous lyrics;
Mr. Dot Fifer, baton evolutions; Miss Maud Em-
ory pas seul; Miss Annette lolanthe Carver,
s. tod By Howa Clifton, 'Eapgy Days in Dixie
PART III
sTIE SOLDIERS IN THE PARK
Soldiers-Edward Gordon, Edward J. Meehan
Gordon Hopkins Robert Rath, Jack Hawkins c.
y. Cary, Ralph Barker, Roy Peddicord. Harry
Eldridge. Howard Clifton, William A. Bochau
and Augustus r. Erich Heralds-Messrs Dot
Fifer and George Bishoh. Captain-i. b. Weeks
The young ladies who acted as ushers were Miss
Grace Fuller Miss Sophie Snowden, Miss Matte
Snovdcn, Miss Marie T. German, and Mis- Jennie
Berry.
The committee on arrangements was A. p
GorInan, jr., ;. ". Cambnll. John Douglas Cron-
miller, John Fenwick, and DIR. W Franklin Tay
lor.
The patronesses Of the entertainment were Mrs
Arthur r. German, wife Of former Senator Cor
m8n; Mrs. Stephen GamhTil. Mrs. William Snow
den. Mrs. r. c. German, Mrs. Charles r. Cot
I'm. wife Of former Representative Coffin; Mrs
Mary Brehme, Mrs. John Cronmiller, Mrs. vii
iiafa r. Walk Mrs. Evans Dlvall, Mrs. G. A. c.
Hodges, Mrs. William f. Gilbert, Mrs Frederick
Daiiam. Mrs. julia 4. English, Mrs. l.. Crow