Punch (94.1888)

May 19, 1888.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

229

A MUSICAL NOTE.

Bon voyage and "Many Happy Returns" in every sense of the
Word to Mr. Feed. Cowen, who is off to Australia. Miss Cowen,

"the girl
he leaves
behind
him," is
giving Re-
citations.
, The taste
J for recita-
' tions, and
drawing-
room duo-
logues is
growing
rapidly.
Miss Cowen
and Mr.
Eitic Lewis
gave a capi-
tal speci-
men of this
sort of en-
tertainment

?,red- Cowen Personally Conducting his Orchestra to ix8A,Jijf-^
_ Melbourne. Overture, "Adrance (£6000), Australia! " "ay Hafi.
Miss Cowen's recitals were all good, but I should select " Bodgy"
n°a Little Mrs. Somebody" as the pick of the basket. Miss
Th °» daml^'s singing of fl The Angel Came," and " For Lack of
the £' maae a great hit—quite a coup de " Grace "—and confirmed
thi BiU j0ess °f the Matinee. There is something so thorough about
wort +Ly's metno(L ner whole heart and soul being evidently in her
in o *' inspired by a friendly feeling towards her, as her name
80 ^commonly like " Damon," I sign myself Mistee PriHiAS.

INFANT POLITICIANS.

A Forecast of the Future.
as t ^om.en °ould very easily begin political training with their children so
at h° .^i"1-186 them with hearing the great questions of the day discussed
,f v?m2;"—Report of Ladv Montagu's Speech at the Ladies' Grand Council
J the Primrose League.

j Mamma (to highly-trained children). And you must never

iSse °r look down upon other people just because they happen to
e Wadstonians. You Bhould always remember that it is your good

difierentl110* y0M °Wn merit' tllat y0U ^aVe been DrouSnt UP
»; V* Eldest Boy. Yes, Mother, if Papa hadn't ratted at just the

right time--

{Tory Mamma thinks it is time they went up to their tea.
Scene—Afternoon Reception in a Conservative Salon.
Little Lady Primula Darner (ageT—to Noble Kinsman). Oh, Uncle
uaktehbltje, will you get my doll's name put down on your list for
f . special service" clasp P She's got all the Noah's Ark animals
to join our branch of the League I

SCENE— The Nursery.
Father, M. P. (going up to see his children, finds himself coolly

Ethel ? why' what '8 ^ ms ? why w°n't the baby kiss me' ea'

^Ethel (severely). "Well, Papa, you see Baby's a little disappointed

witn the vote you gave on the Second Reading of the Lundy Island

Jiome Rule Bill- and so are all of us!

******

Godfather (to Godson). Well, what would you like for your birth-
day, eh, Bowsr ?
fobby (with decision). Guide to the House of Commons, please—

and a new ballot-box.

******

i~?}£~ta-s}vloned Friend (to Small Boy). And what are you so in-
terested in, my little man ? Fairy Tales, Nursery Rhymes, hey ?
<,nw,Za Something much better than that old rubbish ! I'm

W; trough the Statistics of the last Bye-Elections-and (with
nJCta ent'iusiasm) oh, Mr. Humdbum, won't it be jolly when the
you know? ■Election comes, and we're " as in 1885- only better,"

In the Nursery again.
it Ys^1 ^° her 6ovemess). Oh, Miss Gueton, do speak to Reggie—

DoII'k ? mean °f him I You know the Gentleman Doll out of my A Peimbose Dame and enereetin Wnmar,'* q„ff„re'm s„vs of
lls-house was ret™ed for the F*ePlaoe Marion, by a large! the Member for Hanley, " J2X mE5™

majority—all the cats plumped for him and two of the canaries!
Well; Reggie says the General of his tin soldiers is really elected,
because there was "undue influence," and—and he's gone and
unseated my Gentleman Doll on petition, into the bath!

******

Artful Little Girl(te her mother, a strong Gladstonian). Mummy,
will you buy me a new doll ?
Mother. But you have a very nice doll already, dear I
Little Girl. I know—but I've just found out she's a Dissentient
Liberal!

******
Little Priscilla (aged 9). Mother, what do you think ? "While you
were away, I've had quite a long talk with Mr. Blank—(you know
he's Chief Secretary for Ireland now)—and just fancy, Mother, I've
almost persuaded him to turn Home-Ruler!

Bound the School-room Fire.
Political Parent (Radical). Tell you a story P "Well, what shall

Frederick (aged 8). Tell us about what Mr. Baltoub told Mr.
Blunt he meant to do to the Parnellites!

Madge (9). No, that's a silly story! Let's have the onelabout
Mitchelstown.

Harry (10). Oh, we've heard that so often ! Tell us how naughty
Colonel Dopping shot at good Mr. Gladstone.

Violet (11). Oh, not that one! I want the Battle of Trafalgar
Square, and how Mr. Gbaham went to prison!

[And so on—until Political Parent, as a compromise, reads to
them out of Hansard until bedtime.

Not Improbable Result of Early Political Training.
Friend of the Family (in touch with the latest ideas—to small boy).
So you 're twelve next Monday, are you, Master Haeold ? "Well, I
tell you what I'll do—I'll take you into the Strangers' Gallery
of the House that evening—exciting debate, Gladstone to move
vote of want of confidence in Ministry. Come, that will be a treat
for you, won't it ?

Harold (with wounded dignity). Thank you, but I'm not in the
Nursery now, you know. I've got a little too old to be amused by
all that sort of thing any longer!

«A WINTER'S TALE" SPOILT.

r, 4i „> n„h„ at the Globe as a play is not up to the Stann'ard of
Bootu\™^' novel by " John Stbange Wlnteb." This un-
the well-known novel dramatisation of Booties' Baby at the Globe
is an ill-constructed play furnished with stupid dia-
loeue, and too long by at least an Act. . But for the
infant Booties, of Act II., and the charming acting of
little Miss Minnie Teeet—the only uncockneyfied
Xldlever remember to have seen on the stage—the
first night's performance would have been a very
dreary one, even in spite of one of the most friendly
and patient audiences ever assembled at a premiere.
The stare mis-management is on a par with the con-
~u~ f +v,o niece By the time this notice appears, considerable
mS^^^W^*"* made, and the piece will be played
within reasonable linuts. , villain. Miss Edith Wood-

Mr. Sf^V^eK^SS tried to compensate for poverty of
woeth looked interesting, riate aotion. Mgg Ijndley

dialogue by ^mui &s*Mrs. Smith. Mr. Edmund Maueice
looked and acted very ^ Mforward manly style. Mr. Gilbeet
Slaye™« renreTented, it is not improbable, a type of regimental
FAEauiiAB representee ane I am unacquainted. No better

fffitr^Tervan^ctuld be found than Mr. Chables Collate, only
olncer s sei v of eyen g0 good a performance as his, and

■n!c&a rWnkine over it, the impression left on my mind by the
indeed, tninKing^ ^ CoLMTTE and BaWes. X wag boredby it)bllt

then I deserved to be punished for breaking through my rule and
S to a premiere, an exception for Yours Truly,
going to a f Jack-in-the-Box.

■p g_jbere doesn't seem at first sight much connection between

tbis very modern inartistic work and the picturesque, romantic,
„„o,Val fragment, entitled The Sorceress, as performed at Professor
Heekomee'! Theatre, Bushey. Yet there is. In the latter, round
+be stolen child the picturesquely ragged rascals ran, and danced,
and kissed his little hands, and hugged Mm uncouthly. Now this is
precisely what the idiotic, prosaic, Tony Lumpkinetque officers do
with Mignon in Booties' Baby, Another curious and undesignett
coincidence is the resemblance between Booties' Baby and. The LucK
of Roaring Camp.

vol. xcj-.