The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-12-23
TONY PASTOR AS SANTA.
Veteran Actor Was the Friend Of the
STAGE Children.

Stage Children.
There are at present engaged in diff
ferent capacities IN 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 b~readwinners for younger broth
ers and sisters. 1t was for them that
the late Tony Pastor and his wife,
Mrs. =. l.. Fernandez, and Aunt
Louisa" Eldridge, now dead, inaugu-
rated the Christmas festival which
has become q 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 III
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 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
ton, as her fellow actresses do, she
lisped, "I1l be -four next January"
Another Of the same mature years
was Miss Miriam Jackson" If you
please. She came out with a 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
a doll baby, sang Poor John" and in
vited the audience to join her in the
chorus, which it did with a will. At
the end Of the programme Mr.. Pastor
announced that a banquet IS 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 N by one and gave a 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 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
1t is estimated that more than $5O,OO(
has been spent for gifts.-New YorL
Herald.