The Washington herald., 1910-10-21
AS THE DAYS PASS.
by FRANCES JAY.

/ that town. The American Stage Society
has been formed. which is 10 give a
series Of educational plays for the uplift
of the populace and the profit, ia a ma
teriai way OF its promoters. This he
| thought an ingenious scheme. but he
/ wondered If there was not yet some
| strain of Puritan blood in existence
| which would show itself in a vigorous
| protest at this time honOred game or
/ beating the devil about the bush. Then
| he told a bit OF history he had run
/ across in an Old library in London when
/ the actor was browsing in search Of at
mosphere, II the badly mixed metaphor
/ can be forgiven. with which 20 surround
/ his impersonation of Bottom in Mid
summer Nights Dream" that shows
| what once befell those who defed the
/ opinion OF the straiI-laced September
/ p 1881, being Sunday. which is a some
/ what duh period IN London even nova
| days, a performance of the merry play
/ was given. not in a theater, but IN the
/ house Of the Bishop Of Lincoln. in Lon
/ don. Doubtless II was enjoyed by the
/ audience and talked ~ for the Puritans
! got wind OF the affair and had an inves-
| tigation started very much after the
modern method in such cases But, I'M
! like the twentieth century way Of doing
/ things. they got a quill, conviction not
/ OF the bishop. but o. III poor profess
/ sional who played re .art OF Bottom.
| The technical chars amusing II
! was not Of Sabbat .ng so much
/ as Of making "a silly Of a creature
/ with an immortal soul
The findings OF the court read some
| thing like this we do order that Mt.
/ Wilson, being the special conTiver and
/ plotter In this business. and that he did
/ In such a british manner act the same
/ with an ass head. shall upon Tuesday,
| rom a. m. till p. m, sit AT the por-
/ ter's house al my lord bishops house
/ with hts feet In the stocks and attired
/ with an ass head, and with hay before
/ him, on his breast shall be displayed
/ an inscription, Good people. have
/ played the beast and brought III things
/ 70 pass. ] was a man, but thus have
made myself a silly ass " What a mag
nihcent advertisement for the show this
! would be nowadayi I have heard thas
the Boston fathers IN Revolutionary DAYS.
wanting some diversion and the play
/ house being prohibited devised a plan
/ by which plays were dubbed moral lee
/ lures and the theater an exhibition room
/ where moral lectures ran into 1--WE parts
/ with subdivisions that might easily pass
/ for scenes and acts. Gov. Hancock de
/ clded, when the moral lecture came 10 be
called The School for Scandal" that It
/ did not sound just right. so the sheriff
suddenly rushed the moral lecturer.
! otherwise Sir Peter, and carried him 10
/ the GaOl The audience had taken the
/ moral lecture so seriously that they rose
/ as one man. OF woman. and d. the gov
\ ernor and liberty and pulled down the
! arms Of Hancock that hung before the
/ stage box; but they carried the day. as
/ those resolute old fathers usually did.
/ and to this day Boston has been the city
/ OF appreciated theatrical performance.
/ oddly enough, IL has a taste IN matters
/ theatrical quite different from New York
Some think this difference in taste is
/ vastly 20 its credit.
/ Some Of US who value traditions and
care little for possible germs are crying
out over the loss Of the Washington
wells. Time was when the city was rich
/ in sparkling streams and hubbling brooks
most OF them pure and some medicinal.
There is always something OF romance
/ Clinging about a we'll or pump when
community depends on It's water supply
/ being brought by hand. for il is 10 these
/ places that the lads and lasses 20. the
/ latter to get the needed water. and the
ladies TO see the girls. Some Of the
/ prettiest stories in the Bible have the
vicinity Of a Well for the setting and
Washington wells might whisper of many
a romance that had beginning al their
Drinks, bat that their mouths are stop
ped by thick pipes and many LAYERS OF
/ concrete. one Of the most noteworthy
rendezvous was called Burns well. later
lrcchristened ST Paricks well. which was
on the edge Of the old Burns farm-the
father Of David Burns had hts home
between Ninth and Tenth and II streets
northwest. running south almost 10 F
street. The Catholic church was not Al
the present site, but back from street
a biz, with an old graveyard about it,
. There was also a graveyard. though a
small one, on the Burns farm about
the part OF II street where the Van Ness
mauSoleum stood at a subsequent time.
This well was not only noted for its de-
ightful water but for the grove Of trees
about 1t. In one OF them a substantial
swing was hung, and here she Burns
boys (there were four, and their sister,
the children OF David Burns brother)
used 10 meet the young folk oS town.
and many games and feats Of strength
We're tried on the grassy slopes Of the
hillside. When in tbs march OF progress
/ it became necessary 10 remove the grave
yard OF 81. Patrick's Church and the
church itself, the coffin OF a well remem-
bered priest was found so heavy that IL
was opened, and 20 the amazement 81
all the body was found partially pet
rihed. The theory was very generally
accepted that the water from the under
ground stream had chemical properties
that caused this condition in the long
inferred body
We have often heard that the great
fires IN overcrowded foreign cities puri-
ned the community and eradicated the
plague Is It not likely that this was
brought about not by the publication
by fire." but because the cinders from
the matter partly consumed in the flames
filed up the well? An old guide book
of London in very early days spoke of
a graveyard near the walls about what
is now known as the Barbican, about
FIVE minutes walk from the odd Lady
OF ThTeadneedle street" which I'm 1852 was
so over fun that a piece OF ground was
taken on lease from the city 10 add 10
Il. and IL is described as near ''Crowder's
we'll" which the historian went on to
say was a most popular spring OF water,
not only with the parishioners. but with
strangers. also being good for ophthalmia
and that its use would restore an In
toxicated person 70 his senses sooner
than any other" Hence, said the writer,
after telling of another stream draining
the graveyard on the rear. which Dick
Wilmington had arched over for the use
OF the public. the parish is well supplied
with this excellent-element." and then
he rushed on 10 tell of the awful raw
ages Of the plague in the parish when
the number Of iuterments raised the eX-
tensive graveyard two feet above It's
former level: no connection of ideas
seems 10 have occurred to the recorder. /
We are in no danger Of overcrowding. !
and the local system of drains is well
nigh perfect but sIin some Of the timid