Year: 1869




There was very neat stage with gaudy
drop scene, sde-wings, and a tolerable good
orchestra. In the stalls sat the chairman to
keep order over as motley an audience as ever
was seen out Of the gallery of the Victoria
Theatre. "Costors" seemed 10 predominate.
All appeared plentilully supplied with porter,
and all were enjoying their pipes to such an
extent as to make the place almost suffoeating;
for there must have been an audience of nearly
five hundied. A Niger walk round was
Just finished, and the shouts Of Encore u
whistling, and stamping OF teet made the hall
perfectly bewilderng and it struck us that we
were indeed sold as we thought of the im-
probability of drawing tears from such an au-
dience. However, name was announced from
The chairman, which we could not catch, and
amidst clapping of hands and stamping OF feet,
there was a buzz OF This is the SonR!" The
waiter called loudly, ANY more orders ?" and
these being taken and duly executed, all seem
ed to settle down quietly to listen to the song
There was the symphony, and another buzz OF
''This is it I" and we began to feel anxious
Presently female came IN front OF the curtain,
amidst great applause and commenced Father
dear father" &C. Every word was distinct,
and she sang the ballad with great feeling
In order however to fully describe the scene
which followed each verse, it is necessary to
give ''little Mary's' song


Father, dear father, come home with me now


The clock in the steeple strikes One (gong)
You promised, dear father, that you would


come home,


AS soon as your days work was done.
Our fire has gone out-our house is all dark,


And mothers been watching since tea,
With poor little Benny so sick in her arms


And no one to help her but me.


Come home come home, come home,


Please father, dear father, come home,


At the conclusion of the last line the drop
scene drew up, disclosing the father sitting
at the door of public house in drunken. be-
muddIed state, with pipe and pot before hlm.
Little Mary was trying to drag him from his
seat, at the same time pointing to curtain be-
hind, as she took up the refrain from the lady,
and touchingly sang Come home" &c. This
other curtain was now drawn aside, disclosing
a wretched room, with the poor mother sitting
on the ground with sickly-looking boy in her
lap, and in the act of feeding him with a spoon.
simultaneously with the drawing of the cur
tain, the hmelight was brought to bear upon
the tableau, giving them truly startling effect
After moment or two the act-drop came
down and the lady proceeded:


Father, dear father, come home with me now,
The clock in the steeple strikes two (gong,
The night has grown colder, and Benny is
worse,


But he has been calling for you.


Indeed he is worse, mother says he will die,


Perhaps before morning shall dawn,


And this was the message she sent me to bring,


Come quickly, or he will be gone.


Come home, come home, come home,


Please father, dear father, come home.


The act drop rises again, and now the child
has hold of the pewter pot, trying to take 1t
from her drunken parent, and as she continues
the two last lines, Come home" &C., the
other curtain is drawn aside and we next sec
the child lying stretched out on its mothers
p and as it Just raises It's little head and tails
back with q gasp, with the lime light strongly
reflected upon it, there was reality about the
whole terrible to view. Sobs were heard from
all parts of the hail. coming from the female
portion of the audience, while tears trlckled
down many a rough male check. We have
seen "Susan Hopely," ''The Stranger, ""Jane
Shore," East Lynn" and other effective
pieces played, but never before did we witness
such a scene Of general crying. The principle
feature called tOmind the picture OF the Sis
ter of Mercy." with the dying child in her lap,
and the death wasfearfully natural. Even the
lady who sang was affected, and could scarcely
proceed with the third verse.


Father, dear father come home with me now,
The clock in the steeple strikes three (goDg


gong, gOng)
The house is so louely, the hours are so long,


For poor weeping mother and me.


Yes, we arc aone-pOOr Benny is dead,


And gone with the angels Of light,


Aud these were the very last words that he


said,


Il want TO kiss papa-good night.


Come, home, come home, come home,


Please father, dear father, come home.
Again the drop rose, disclosing little Mary on
der knees appealing to her father, who, with
pot elevated, is in the act of striking her with
It, as she sings, "Come home, and then the
back curtain draws aside, showing the mother
= a h