Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-28
PARTY FOR STAGE CHILDREN.
zoo of Them Made Happy With Chris
 mas Trees and Gifts.

mas Trees and Gifts
 . New York, Dec 2S.-Five hundred stage children got clothes, presents ana food and entertained each other aC Tony Pastors theater and Tammany Fernandez. Mrs Antonio Pastor, Miss Amelia Bingham, Abe Hummel and Other friends of the stage have been receiving applications from the little ones for tickets to the annual fesrval during the whole of last month.
 The clothes were given out in the morning. $1, 100 having been invested in these articles: Thirty-two suits, thirteen dresses, eighteen overcoats, eleven cloaks, thirty-four pairs of shoes. sixty-two sets of underwear, forty-five pairs of socks, ninety pairs of gloves. 121 pairs of rubbers and thirty -four pairs of stockings.
 The children needed them. Two-and- s-haff- -footIhigh Colonel Blair ap- peared at tthe hall'' in veritable ~ags. The colonel was resplendent on the stage last night in an Eton coat and waistcoat and immaculate white duck trousers. He carried bamboo cane.
 'tOf course those weren't the only clothes we gave him." explained MT Hummel. He belongs to a stroLing company, and we gave him suit that's warranted to stand the blasts of the f1imsiest western road house."
 The children, like Tommy Tucker, literally "sang for their supper" They furnished the whole of the evening en- tertainment. After small Colonel Blair had piped an energetic "Won't You Come Home to Me?'' 'The Dimples," ;" two diminutive girls in black velvet coats, short red skirts and clogs, sang A German yodel. Then they changed to green jackets and low-crowped, high hats and jigged out ''My Heart Goes Rack to>Old Erin" When the younger of the pair, 4-year-old, 'tt'rw chest" in approved professional style, she brought down the house.
 Fay Cusick lisped the prospective enioyments of a first ball where she expected to "wear her hair all pompy," and Dave Runkle, with three and a half feet of scarlet fringe whisker and shil1elah, sang the story of Kelly. the Long Man; Kelly, the Strong Man"
 Ethel Hawkins had brave struggle with the orchestra, which insisted on pitching 'eWhen the Harvest Days are Oyer'' a good three notes below the most sepulchral stretch of her voice. Then she came back and sang "Just Because She Made Dem Goo-Goo Eyes, with such realism that Georgie Caine of the "Gay Girl from Paris" :" who sat with Mrs Tony Pastor in the right stage box, nudged her companion and gigled a connoisseur s: 'She can! She can make lem all right"
 Master Willie McWeeny, who rfvalled Colonel Blair as the smallest boy ner- former. forgot most of his words an the excitement of brand new marines suit but didn't get any the less ap- piause The performance wound I'D when an unnamed 4-year-o1d girl with a doll wandered out on the stage and calmly informed Manager Tony Pastor that she was going to perform, too.
 "And what are you going to do?'' queried the veteran meeklv. The small girl, finger in mouth. said she didn't know. but finally decided on "Let Me Coz
 Then all the 800 little ones who f'1ed the gallery piled over to Tammany Hall. First they gorged themselves on turkey and ice cream. Then they col 1ected around stage in the main hall and scrambled for the 2.0O0 presents which had been hung on two Christ mas trees on the roStrum ana wnlch half dozen laughing women handed down.
 Tn the wine room Mir Hummel dis. trfhuted wine checks for grown-ups with both hands.
 Eleanor Robson. Elsie Leslie. Tom Russell. Harry Woodruff and Willie Collver performed hera as children once" he remarked. "Hey. you folks I give you the stars of thirty years hence"