The sun., 1908-04-05
A WELL STAGED BIRTHDAY
SAN BERNARDS FITE-YEAR-OLD
At HOHE IT THE CASINO.

~ hVHL ~ AhH hNoANO
Invitation 10 the children Of the Audience
90 Come Up and Eat and The9 Accept
Presents a.Plenty. Including an
OmclalIy Reported sB .OOO In Bank
When Sam Bernard led his son Dick tC
the centre of the stage at the Casino yester.
day afternoon just before the curtain fell
On the third act OF Nearly Hero and
announced in the dialect he had been using
right along that Master Dick, aged five,
would have birthday party on the stage
Immediately after the show and that every
body was invited to stay about three
fourths Of the audience thought it was a
Joke and headed toward the exits
Their progress was quickly arrested,
however bv cry Of STOP in a treble
voice, and the crowd, turning, beheld Dick
IN all the bravery OF new white Buster
Brown suit perched upon the railing OF the
first box on the right Of the stage.
What are you going fori' he continued.
sI want you all to stay to my party
There was wild rush for seats, and the
youthful orator subsided into chair be-
tween Georgina Ethlyn Levey Cohan and
Murie Bamberger, who regarded him with
awed admiration His cousins, ROsalind
Bernard, Dick Bernard I'd and Sam Bernard
I'd, eat in the same box also Ruth Strass-
burger. Richard Strassburger, Mildred
Churchill and Frank Bentley.
And just about a minute and half after
Dicks speech Mrs. Gam Bernard stood up
and Immediately all the children whose
names have been mentioned, and also Vera
Bloom and Rita Pollak and Irene ROsenthal
and Evelyn Marks and William Roeenthal
and Edward Voksten and Edna Kimball
and Eleanor NOoman and John Hornung,
who we're sitting in boxes B and c with an
imposing array Of chsperones, stood up,
too, and every one Of them disappeared
behind the scenes,
When the curtain went up a long low
table was set right in the midst Of the villa
garden, loaded with everything that children
like to eat.
But the children we're not attending 10
the food They were all sitting very de-
murely with their hands folded, facing the
audience
The audience rose, applauded waved
handkerchiefs and murmured How per-
fectly sweet They couldn't be quieted
until Dick jumped 90 the table and raised
his hand fQE silence. Then he made an
other speech.
I'm awfully glad you stayed he said
-and hope you'll have a good time at my
party I've enjoyed myself very much
this afternoon but don't think my father
acted very we'll
Ikifs remark was followed by shrieks Of
laughter and Sam Bernard rushed TO his
son's side and demanded in stage whisper.
What did you say that for? That isn
the way ! rehearsed you.
But i ick was not In the least disconcerted.
Il want all the children 10 come up and
have some Ice cream, he concluded calmly.
And the children came as fast as their
lego could carry them and those who had
not yet attained the age where legs 60 into
commission for walking purposes were
conveyed by amiable mothers.
And Sam Bernard and Ffancklyn Roberts
and the chaperons served ice cream and
poured lemonade and cut cake and dis
tributed favors in the form OF big sticks
filed with candy.
OF course a birthday party isn't really
n birthday party without presents, 20 after
every one had eaten until the thought Of
eating more had become abhorrent Dick
ana Rosalind we're declared king and queen
Of the festival and all the guests paid
them homage while many brought offerings. |
Sam Bernard gave a bank book showing |
= deposit Of 5000, Lee ShubeTt, Julius |
Witmark and eight other friends eac a
gold ring. Ada Lewis chlnchilla dog with |
a lifelike bark, Edna himball gold knife, |
Edgar Norton a story book and several |
members Of the company boxes Of flowers.
After all these treasures had been ad-
mired by every guest, Sam Bernard shouted:
. Say. you mothers In the autiience. don't
90 away and forget your children. I've
got a small house. just come up here and
identify your property
And everybody went home happy except
GeOrgina Ethlyn Leyey Cohan, who, il
the press agent can be believed, has not
vet recovered from the humiliation at
PENDANT upon the failure Of her recent
attempt TO commit suicide because she was
not permitted 70 go on the stage. She
locked herself in a room. stuffed the key
holes and the chnks in the windows with
cotton and looked about for the gas But
there wasn't any SO she turned on the
electric light After six hours she emerged
from her retreat TO demand indignantly
why she " asnt dead.