The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-12-24
TONY PASTOR AS SANTA.
Veteran Actor Was the Friend Of the
Stage Children.

Veteran Actor Was the Frieno of the
Stage Children.
There are at present engaged in diff
serent capacities on the stage and in
the theaters about 400 children to
whom the holidays usually are days
of toll, and many of these little folks
are breadwinners for younger broth
ers and sisters. 1t was for them that
the late Tony Pastor and his wife,
Mrs. E. L. Fernandez, and Aunt
Louisa" Eldridge, now dead, inaugu-
rated the Christmas festival which
has become Perennial affair.
The little ones, all less than twelve
years old, provide the stage entesain-
ment on these occasions, and there
never is any interference by the au-
thorities. Christmas, 1907, was Tony
Pastors last appearance as the chill
dren's Santa Claus, and this year they
will miss his genial face and kindly at
tentions. Last year he was master OF
ceremonies and introduced his tiny
top liners" At the end Of the act he
presented to each of the girls beau
tifully dressed doll and to the boys
boxes of candy or appropriate toys.
Admission was by invitation only.
| and when the programme began the
house was crowded to the doors, the
balcony being given up largely to
poor children of the east side. Some
of the actors were mere babies, but
they went through the business like
veterans, and the gravity of most of
them when singing their comic songs
was immensely amusing.
One of the players was presented as
Baby Esmond, a perfect cherub, who
piped love ditty and danced with
one foot held in the air. Mr.. Pastor
said she was of "this years crop" alss,
when she had ended the performance
he asked her to tell the audience her
! age. Without shrinking from the QueS-
ton, as her fellow actresses do, she
| lisped, "I'll be four next January"
, Another of the same mature years
was Miss Miriam Jackson" If you
please. She came out with Teddy
bear in her arms, sang a song and did
such clever capering that every wo-
man in the audience wanted to hug
| her.
| Lillian Tobin, herself no bigger than
doll baby, sang "POor John" and in
vited the audience to join her in the
chorus, which it did with will. AT
the end Of the programme Mr.. Pastor
announced that a banquet was await
ing tie children in the basement of
Tammany hall.
After the little ones had been salts
fed in that respect they were sent up
to the main hall of the building, and
there the really big feature of the
evening took place. On the stage
| stood three Christmas trees, bendin.
over from the weight of pretty things
while the stage itself was heaped with
toys.
| After that there was Il second dis
tributiOn for stage children only in the
| committee room of Tammany hall
Most of the children had written re
quests for certain articles, and as they
| appeared one by one and gave name
corresponding with that on Mrs. Fer
nandeZ's list the present asked for was
| delivered. Some of these were o
! costly quality, having been purchase'
with money donated to the cause
Mrs. Fernandez said the children o
the stage nowadays ask for usefu
things rather than for playthings
Since these events We're inaugurate(
it is estimated that more than $4,000
| has been spent for gifts.-New Yorl
| Herald.