The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-03-26
CHILDREN AT THE GUIGNoL.
Punch and Judy Shows C~aptivate
the Boys and Girls.

F0ncn anu Juuy SnOWS SaptlFato
h Boys and Girls.
The Punch and Judy show, or Guig-
mol, is an important factor In a Paris
ian child's life, says the New York
Post. From the time it can walk il is
taken to the small open air perform
ance. either in the Tuileries or the Lux
embourg. The Oldest show is the one
near the Marigny ia the Champs Ely
sees.
For more than a hundred years chill
dren have sat on the low benches In
front of the miniature theater. Thou
sands of little minds have beer capti-
waited by the same old story, told in the
same old way. OF late, however, the
traditional one has been replaced by a
new story and the Guignol near Marig-
ny copies the ideas of that famous
place; it is more Of a dolls variety
show than anything else.
Clowns come out and knock each
other down to the tunes of the tom
kinoise, dressed-up dancers perform
some fancy steps, just like the live
ones at the cafe concert. Are the chill
dren more blase on this side Of the
river than on the other? Or is it be-
cause the plot is different? They re
spond less here than on the Rive
Gauche. There is nothing like the Lux
embourg if you want to see a good old
Guignol.
Go there some afternoon. The little
gabled house is not so richly painted
as the one in the Champs Elysees, nor
can it pride itself on two musicians.
No; there is only one harp, played by a
blind old man. who rattles q tin cup
now and then in the hope that a kindly
soul may drop a sou into 1t.
The fountain in the middle Of the
garden sends its spray up higher than
ever, and the boys, sailing their little
boats, run from one side Of the basin to
the other. The terrace higher up looks
inviting, and one feels like taking a
chair and sitting down to look at the
wonderful combinations Of color. One
pauses a moment before doing so, how-
ever, as the strains of a harp are
heard. The sound m from the
Guignol. Involuntarily you approach
at first you stop outside the rope mark.
ing the limits Of the theater, finally
stepping inside and sitting down OF a
back seat. The front rows are crowd
ed with children ranging from 2 to 8
years Of age. Some are there for the
first time; they sit between protecting
brothers, but still they must get up
and hide themselves in their mothers
dresses once in a while.
A loud knocking begins. "Entrez,"
all the little voices call. A doll dressed
up as an old gentleman sails around
the room. He has just bought some
milk, he explains, and he Is going to
make such a good cup of chocolate. He
goes away to look for his utensils, but
no sooner is his back turned than the
bad boy Guillaume comes and drinks it
all. The old gentleman returns, finds
all his milk gone and looks for the
thief.
AHA! Did he go that way?' the old
gentleman asks, pointing in the wrong
direction.
"Oui, Out ~ a chorus of children an
swer, for the villain is always attract
i've.
rs that true?"
"Oul, oui."
After a fruitless search the old man
returns. "He wasn't there" he says.
The children laugh with satisfaction.
Fate, however, steps in and Guillaume
is at last caught. He gets a cruel beat
ing, and is wen to be killed. But first
the old gentleman turns to the audi.
ence:
"Shall / kill?'
mon, non," all the little voices cry.
"Shall 1 forgiven"
"Oui, oui," they answer.
That ends the play. The blind man
begins to u n his harp and the little
one trip of, still excited by Guillau-
mes adventures.