Arizona republican., 1909-05-22
FUN AND FROuc OF MERRY MINISTRIES HIGH SCHOOL TALENT SETS A STANDARD FOR BLACK FACE ART. 4 Music and Cake Walking and a New
 Line of Home Grown, Made
 to Order Jokes.

Al G. Fields Lew Dockstader and all of that host of the artists of the burnt cork and blazing costume who have for years delighted the American pub lie with merry wit and clever songs from the minstrel boards will have to enlarge their black-face hall of fame to include the songsters and the pun sters from the Phoenix High School of the class of 10 for the minstrel show given by the junior class of the high school last night was a success, not only financially, but from the standpoint artistic. The songs were well sung and the stunts were clever. the only poor feature of the show be- ing in the mechanical department, where someone failed to drop the American flag over the chorus at the proper time, and also let the cur tain fall when it should not have drop ped at all. However, the members of the troupe or the trainer were in no wise to blame for these unfortunate occurrences and the members of the chorus were sufficiently well trained not to look for the flag when it failed to drop. so that many in the audience did not know that a mistake had been made.
 After an overture by the High school orchestra the curtain was rung up on the opening chorus and showed thirty six of the students with black faces of all degrees of darkness and costumes of all of the glorious, gaudy colors of the rainbow. The natural beauty of the lassies of the class was indeed well concealed by the daubing of the cork. and the crowd looked like a bunch of darkies imported direct from the cot ton fields of Georgia. The male DOT ton of the cast was arrayed in mar velous dress suits, each with a tie of different shade, and the end men were there in the crowning glory of knee brooches and white silk stockings.
 After the opening chorus, which was a medley of the choruses of popular songs Sport" Tolleson. end man. attir ed in green, said in song that once he was afraid to go home in the dark, but that now he was afraid to go home at all. 'brother sang an account of sCriptural ball game. Both members of the family were forced to respond to encores. Then came Doc" Stroud, who produced as chorus to a song telling why he was no longer married, clever parody dealing with the Cen ter street bridge. An old grip was brought in by the singer. On one side of it was printed dimly with chalk. "Tempe Bridge" The singer had to leave the country, but if he wanted to go by way of Tempe he must take the train. which his circumstances would not allow. He then turned the reverse side of the grip, which bore one of the pennants labeled Center Street Bridge and Greater Phoenix" This was to be his way of leaving.
 Earl Hawley sang of the troubles of the umpire, after which Byron Bellas sang lazy mans yawning song which was one of the features of the show. String Alllire was there as end man with the real negro voice and a num- Der of clever jokes. The work of the chorus closed with a rendition of the choruses of a number of popular airs, the last Of which was The Grand old Flag, during the singing of which the last flag to float over old Fort Me Dowell was dropped before the mem- bers of the chorus
 The olio included a baritone solo by