The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-01-02

task which will be an enduring tribu
boys real girls"
When the curtain arose that event
full night, when the boys were deter
mined to do or die, fired with. the spir
il of 'T6. The house packed with
Baltimore representative people, the
society leaders and business powers
that be, many there simply because
they had been enlisted in the sweet
name Of Charity, many to kill an even
ing, many to rtdicule, which was only
natural as impersonation of woman
by man had always been subject OF
burlesque and never acted with any
degree of Imitation or intelligence
Men of the press to get few slaps
Of sarcasm in their writeup, and the
gallery out OF curiosity. But after
the first sweet strains of the original
music, by the clubs own talent, had
penetrated to the furthermost corners
OF the vast auditorium, there had be-
gan to glide on the stage and as If by
magic and as frictionIess as well oilel
machinery, first one group, and then
another Of the daintlest, fluffiest
lunches OF lingeries and grace imag
Unable. and after the well modulated
voices ringing with clearness of sweet
toned bells had seemed to thrill the
very fibres of the audience. And as
the maze Of cuteness and the dazzling
OF jewels the combined like the PEG
pie had never before witnessed, and
as row after row OF the airy tripping
coryphees made their quiet entrance
and sort of fade away into nothing
ness exit like fragrance fading away
on the desert air. After the onlook-
ers came out of their daze and SUI.
prise, there burst forth such demon
stration from every part of the house
+ that has never been witnessed in Bal
timore before or since. The boys hal
won, they had created an Art. After
while, with close scrutiny, under the
paint and powder, and the dozen and
one make.ups, and the wigs, and the
padded chests and hips, the features
OF one after another became distin-
guishable, here knight OF the clnder
path, there the stroke on the B. A. C.
eight, another the bow man, another 6
hero Of the mat, another clever with
the mitts, there n jumper of the hur-
dies. and so on with those others who
were winning renown in the branches
OF commerce and science and all that
speaks the calibre OF the real man.
And as the show progressed, and the
comedians, and other participants who
were acting in their own sphere, men.
began to unroll their lines of wit,
principally new puns and appropriate
cracks to people local, and to sing new
songs composed by the boys of the
club, the audience cheerfully and glad
ly came to the fact that their own
boys were doing for them "just stunts"
some of which they had never before
seen better enacted.
But one launched into popular favor
they have gone on and each year rem
dered new opera, music and words
always written by their own members,
and their annual production In Balti-
more has become a fixture and its
playing always produces unstinted en-
thuslasm and support. The proceeds
of each performance is donated to
some worthy charity. The last night
is set aside for the Baltimore Athletic
Club fund and the members of that
club out in force to fill the boxes anil
seats and prepared to banter with and
have songs ing to them there CO.
partners, for the Paint & Powder Is
an auxiliary of the Baltimore Athletic
which is the oldest established Ath.
letic Club south of Philadelphia and
under the tutorship of that grand old
instructor, John C. Doyle. Many of his
'boys" have gone forth to battle anil
help carry to victory and renown Bal.
timore's athletic prowess. Suppose he
has sent more men to Yale and Prince,
ton and other big colleges to win su.
premacy on the field than any other
institution and wherever you find ath-
letes OF note you can come sure OF
thinking there are some in that bunch
who received the foundation of the
game under the colors OF the B. A. c.,
even to far OF Greece, where Robert
Garrett beat Athenlan at their own
game OF floating the little discus. and
the club has a dozen banners to at
test to the Drawn and vigor of her
rowers on waters in all parts Of the