Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-03-06
N u aooa' 'o"' MI. Brggs, with quartette chorus

The programme was we'll diversified,
coon songs of the cooniest kind being
mingled with fine selections of an entire
" different character. The medley sung
by the quartette was an especially pleas
ing number, while some of the coon
songs were very taking, and the children
of course were much amused by the an
tics of the end men. The chorus was
not bad, considering that 1t contained so
many who are not reckoned as singers.
Mrs. Cora S. Briggs was accompanied
throughout the programme, and has drill
ed the entire company from the beginning
of rehearsals. The production would
hardly have been considered possible
without her work. Stearns' Orchestra
also played for the overture and part Of
the choruses.
Az to the Jokes, which are the essence
of a minstrel show. Well, we can't re-
produce them all, and II we could, we
might be defendants in q bunch of libel
suits, for minstrel show is a privileged
body. About every joke had local ap-
plication, and some of them were decid.
edly personal. They were distributed
with the greatest impartiahty. The
school board and its critics alike came in
for their share, and shafts of varying
oalibre were aimed at citizens and insti-
, tutions of all positions In the COM
muuity. There was an evident deter
minstion not to slight any good material,
and there certainly isn't much OF general
interest In the place that wasn't brought
into the limelight.
Undoubtedly the hit of the evening
was made by one Of the original verses
added to Fred Halls topical song, which
referred to aforementioned historical
incident:
OF all the strange things that have happened
| In this little town,
Was the time they 9 looking for that KID
| They said 1t had been drowned.
They must "a looked peculiar In that boat,
Searching all that day;
And when you asked them what they's dong
Why, this 10 what they'd say:
"wer. we may be crazy, but we don't see why q! ;
Harry Stuart SE sis csy Quay nc "'A'u ' '''
| And when thew hauled up that old bran sack,
| And didn't and n0thin' but an old dead cat,
They looked kind O. foolish-I wonder why"
And another was the end mans story
of the South Paris citizen who dreamed
he died and went to heaven, where after
some search he located the South Paris
colony, "the most dolefullest set OF
angels you ever see," who were singing
"the melaucholiest kind of hymn" to
a tune bearing distant resemblance tc
"The Good Old Summer Time:
"Church suppers all the time.
Church suppers all the time,
Suppers, fairs and s0ciables,
And 90 on down tho line.
We've plenty to eat, but nothing TO wear
Our pOcketbO0k's hatter than time.
oh. YES, we cana from South Paris. wher
There's church suppers all the Tins"
The second part opened with a duet
"Just Little Rocking Chair and You,
by little Misses Marie Newton and Doris
! gilbert, which was very taking. Her
, bert A. Hilton In costume sang 81 aim
Done Nothin' to Nobody" and was re
called. w. N. Davis, made up as al
, old darkey field hand, gave monologu
mainly local In It's application, and full
of hits. Fletcher and Shaw did goo,
, turn with song in uniform, "T'm
. Yankee Doodle Boy" and responded y
r hearty recall. The programme closes
with the darkey farce, "The Wig Make
and His Servants" acted by Messri
D Park, Briggs and Hall, which was vel
, done and kept everybody laughing.
D Friday evening the show was repeate
with another packed house. The pre-
0 gramme was given with slight varia
). lions, including some new jokes, an
the addition of reading by Frank l
. Starbird, and q song and dance by Nj
|. Hilton, 10 the second cart.