Punch (95.1888)

November 3, 1888.] PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. 209

Captain §kkll, of % "88pte Star" Jme.

IN MEMORIAM.

" Many an old voyager across the herring-pond will be sorry to hear of the
awfully Budden death of that staunch veteran shipmaster, Captain Gleadall,
of the' White Star' Line, who for ten years had the Celtic, and later commanded
that favourite ship the Germanic. Captain Gleadall died at the post of
duty: he was found seated in the 0ermanie'» chart-room when the ship was
running through a fog, his face prone on the open chart he had heen studying
when the life had suddenly gone out of him. During his long and worthy
sailor life he had rescued a great number of lives, and had received recogni-
tions of his courage and humanity from almost every maritime nation of
Europe and America."—The World, Oct. 23, 1888.

Sudden, yet splendid too! What litter end
Can fancy fashion for the brave old tar,
All his long life with -wind and wave at war,

The Oeean-crosser's trusty guide and friend,

Keen-eyed to mark, stout-hearted to contend,
With every danger of the treacherous deep ?
So might we all, who life's long watch must keep,

Fronting its perils our last moments spend:

Like gallant Gleadall, playing well our part
To the last pulse within, not of our fate
But of the great ship's course considerate ;

Humanity's loyal servants, high of heart,
Content the great dismissal to await,

And fall at last—face forward on the chart!

PLAY-TIME WITH FRENCH ROYALTY.

On Thursday last I went to see Le Fils de Famille, in order to
compare M. Lafontaine as the Abbe Constantin with Mr. Lafon-
taine as Alphonse Deshayes, Colonel
of a regiment of Lancers. He does
not appear till the Second Act, and
then he comes en bourgeois to a ball.
Not a trace of the kindly genial
simple old Abbe about this stiff-
backed elderly martinet, who is every
inch a soldier, and whose bearing is
that of a man who has risen from the
ranks, and who is nothing if not a
soldier. I may bo wrong in supposing
that he has risen from the ranks, but
certainly his comparatively uneasy
bearing in " Society," his awkward
compromise between a gracious bow
and a short, sharp, military nod, and
his hearty grasp of the hand when
he wishes to express his cordial
agreement with M. Francois, the
Artist, gave me this impression ; and
the sentiments the authors have put
-£/lr into his mouth concerning the well-
-r. , _ . _, , born prodigals, " ces enfants mal

, I)ean 8 lreat> Soho- eleves," who put on a uniform as a

disguise, and then wish to take it off again as though it were un
costume de Carnaval, confirm me in my view of the character.

In this Second Act M. Lafontaine is perfect; with the exception
of exaggerating and repeating the business of his characteristic bow,
merely for the sake of obtaining a laugh from the feather-headed.

In the Third Act M. Lafontaine, with great judgment, shows the
old soldier quite at home in undress and in full uniform. The
awkwardness has entirely disappeared, not a trace of his forced
" society manner" exists, and here and there we get a hint of that
natural kindliness common to the good hearts of the Colonel and the
Cure. Occasionally a mannerism of utterance reminded me of the
Abbe, but it was only a momentary family resemblance, which I
vvas on the look-out to detect. I hope, before his departure, that on
?iQe P^ht he will give us an Act of L'Abbe Constantin, followed by
tne Second Act of Le Fils de Famille.

Mile. jane May is lacking in the quality of earnestness that alone
could make the girl's part interesting. She seems to consider Emme-
Ime as a heroine of Opera-Comique, and that the authors themselves
have not got much beyond this 1 am not prepared to deny, but it is
just one of those parts that the pathetic power of an actress should
hit above itself. M. Schet gives a broadly humorous sketch of a
It renoh marechal de logis. He is rather inclined to exaggerate, as if
he were playing Valentine in Le Petit Faust, but there is true
t c2°le(iy in his impersonation of the type.

In M. Lafontaine's impersonations of the Abbe and the Colonel is
to be seen a very near approach to the perfection of the comedian's
art: and on the same stage may be also seen glaring examples of the

worst fault of the French school of acting, viz., the actor insisting on
points by addressing his speeches point-blank at the audience.

Now that M. Schey has arrived, couldn't we have Tricoche et
Cacolet again ? Chaumont and Noblet are coming with Divorcons.
En attendant, M. Lafontaine is announced to appear in Le Qentil-
homme Pauvre. It ought to be a very fine performance.

Jean dans le Loge.

OUR BOOKING-OFFICE.

Published by# Whittakeb & Co., with two "t's,"—not that
benefactor of society, Whitakeb, the Almanack Maker and universal
intelligence provider,—is a small volume, well got up and clearly
printed, of the selected poems and songs
of Chaeles Mackay, " the British
Beranger," as Douglas Jeebold styled
him. It was only lately that some one
was recalling to the public mind, in
aid of a Mackay Fund, that Jeebold's
" B. B." is the author of " Cheer, Boys,
Cheer!" "There's a Good Time
coming, Boys!" "To the West!"
" Far, far upon the Sea!" which were
all associated with the name of Henby
Russell, whose music gave them an
immense popularity. Unfortunately, Based on solid principles.
Mr. Words goes for very little where Mr. Music steps in, and
Mr. Music gets all the credit which should be divided between
Messrs. Words and Music. Certainly this class of songs would not
have obtained their success without such music as Henby Russell
composed for them. And then the Composer, who was a capital
entertainer and pianist, sang them himself, with no voice to speak
of, hut, all the same, most heartily, and with great dramatic skill.
But Chaeles Mackay has written songs that require no singing
to recommend them, and ballads that suggest their own music ; as
for instance, " Geraldine," " The Angel and the Mourners," " The
Wayside Spring," "The Dream of the Reveller," "The Fair
Serpent" "I Love my Love," "I lay in Sorrow," which doesn't
seem a very good stock to " lay in,"—but read the two verses. _ Get
the book. He is not a Tennyson nor a Beowning ; it is all simple
versification; nothing abstruse, subtle, or obscure; yet plenty of
food for thought, andmuchthat will " catch on" and be remembered,
says the Baeon De Book Wokms.

A CIGAR CASE.

" Miss Maggie Lockhead "Watson brought an action for £500 against
Mr. William Kirkland, because he failed to marry her. Kirkland, who
was a smoker, received a letter from his sweetheart, the plaintiff, in which
she stated, ' You must choose between me and a cigar.' He selected a cigar
instead of Miss Watson, and hence the action. The Sheriff Substitute
decided in Kirkland's favour, and yesterday the Sheriff Principal upheld
that judgment."—Daily Neivs.

Don't you consider, sweet Miss Maggie Lockhead

Watson, that some one showed himself a blockhead

For choosing thus ? If this be true we read,

It must have been a choice cigar indeed ;

And the cigar, now, was it new and green

And soft ? Was it Imperial or Queen ?

For if it was all these, then he won't thank

His lucky stars, for ''his offence was rank."

Did it look light, seductive to the lip,

Or was it very rich, with a fine tip r

So, was it rank or wealth that this choice weed

Embodied ? Well, the parties are both freed.

Let's trust that this Cigar no heart hath broke,

Not new that sanguine hopes should end in smoke.

Whispee fbom the Gaiety.—"In the time of Chaeles the
Second," wrote a D. T. leader on Dress last Saturday, '' it was a dis-
grace for a man of fashion to wear a suit too long." Observed S-ms
to P-tt-tt, in the absence of their tyrannical Stage Manager, "It isn't
considered a digrace in the time of Chaeles the Third for burlesque
actresses to wear a suit too short." " Hush !" said his partner, ' he
comes! We must dissemble!" [They dissemhle accordingly.

Peo Bohno Publico.—Our friend Boeeowdale, whose library is
composed _ exclusively of books which have been lent to him at
various times during his long and honourable career, humorously
calls them " Bone's Editions."

The Duke of Westminster, one of London's greatest landlords,
is now created a tenant, in fact the only Lord Left Tenant of the
County of London, by the Local Government Act.