Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1908-12-17
TONY PASTOR AS SANTA.
Veteran Actor Was the Friend OF the
STAGE Children.

Veteran Actor Was the rrteno " eho
Stage Children
There are at present engaged In diff
ferent capacities on the stage and III
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
y.ouisaa 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 entertain
ment on these occasions, and there
never is any interference by the au-
thorities. Christmas, 1907, was Tony
Pastors last appearance as the chill
drens 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
stop liners.y At the end of the act he
presented to each of the girls a 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 a love ditty and danced with
one foot held in the air. Mr.. Pastor
said she was of "this years crop" and
when she had ended the performance
he asked her to tell the audience her
age. Without shrinking from the ques-
tion, as her fellow actresses do, she
lisped, "I'I 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 song and did
such clever capering that every wo-
man in the audience wanted to hug
her.
Lillian Tobln, herself no bigger than
a doll baby, sang Poor John" and in
vited the audience to join her in the
chorus, which it did with viii. At
the end of the programme Mr.. Pastor
announced that banquet was await
ing the 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, bending
over from the weight of pretty things.
while the stage itself was heaped with
toys
After that there was a 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 We're Of
costly quality, having been purchased
with money donated to the cause.
Mrs. Fernandez said the children of
the stage nowadays ask for useful
things rather than for playthings.
Since these events were inaugurated
it is estimated that more than $4,000
has been spent for gifts.-New York
Ha.~.---;
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