Judge — March 17, 1883 — page 5: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

That Flood Benefit ‘Tue world, of course, knows how we responded to the calls for help for the sufferers by the Obio flood a fe weeks since, but only a limited number know about the fiasco attendir t which was to have come off in this city some t Sam a very | it was the best he bad to come bef world in the great name of charity) isan amat In other words, he is atagestruck pretty sev thinks be can act as well as the best When news came of the devastating flood in t Ohio vall on toa big idea. whi him the repatatio: ple man, bat at th long-sough y of one of hia great histrionic So he inserted the New York morning p: + Wastep Vo nin ald of th utferera, TI generally invited er with specialists and am teurs in the dramatic art who ar beth, or Hamlet A proposed bene 1 Smith (it isn’t e, but ur actor. of bel me time give bi p the p a charit * in one of the nteer entertainment to be Ohio toget! up in either Mac- Othel Iress Switit, Be pw it happens that nearly everybody kr bat more especially members of the profession and atnateurs in the dramatic art, and while the former ed him entirely, the latter, together with cialists,” felt something as he did, and thongbt tl to ‘ir liv Spe saw a chai before the public—th sire of t So when they saw his advertisements they flooded him with letters, offering th ways for the noble an Smith was delighted, for would not his name at the head of t Lon the bill! Of course it would, and after making up bis mind to play “Hamlet” to head that bill, he every offer that was if services in all sorts of philanthropic eau cepted nearly dle by combinations and. spe Smith. ns who had cialists. There was noth ‘There ws hogsish about -ame Wy two aspiring yc ver yet heen able to get an openit id unis ct called The T F young men who were amt g, to give a grand ‘fer us of figuring on F beautiful nth Street," a these atreet posters, volanteen t entitled, The Ma lovely song-ai at hit 110 xiv hers of ct th arte lance t would be sure to make an amateur juggler, who said man In the bnsiness, and who only natrate the fact before a The wn wanted fifteen minutes to spell-bound and palpitatin song-and-dance 1 nnililate phs and big typ he could d ya pair of whi ates to other two who ever figured in lith And a young lady applied fo place in the bill who offered to giv tion of songs in costum enough, and a youth from one ered to swing tof those Oluo spar for t a charming el shi of the ath poe hundred ferers, Two men also offered to penetit, and a young lady offered to aston. h her performance on the pia could have a Shomer grand brought upon provi got encores ie clus who mind clubs for the ish the audties provided sh the st Indeed, there were offers of almost everything in aid of the good caus er and chief getter-up of the great Ay all th Bat, of course, ** Hamlet” must come tirst ; an paid especial attentior take part in it tilling up the cast, for th besides himself who wanted to figure hind foot-lights. Several rehea «1 of the play, and little or no attention was given to the were to come after the grand tra tragedians. place o to the amateurs who He bad not the slightest trouble in reds of others in type and be- re were b reala we e specialists who ely and the grander Bot they were all given a prominent the bill, and assured that an appreciative pubs lic would stay to see them. The public was appealed to through the press and by aid of big posters; and a few days ago the time for the great flood benefit arrived. It was a great day for but to show how equal he was to the occasion, he resolved not only to play the melancholy Dane, but to be the stage manager of the whole affair as well. New Yorkers will respond to almost anything that has charity tacked to it; and so in this instance, al- THE JUDGE. Hours of Study GYMNAST (@) =] = hours i al n (Ae. Staclies V four - THE ct Terrible brain work LLEGE uf a college | wany of the on the my, bes did not kn people let nobly, tilling the Acai leving that these strangers were simply volunteers in a noble cans appeared to be rather Loo many of the volun- hind thy but Smith, full of ly stowed them scenes nbatehed Hamlet It wasn't the best start the play ever had, for in the Jon the stage © ot the hal rom “Romeo and Jul Ham Bat it was too late ayers went on to play. TI first scene penter 60} » sot f how 5 pny mend it now, and played havoc agedy, and got laughed ith all; an he felt equal to the task. hat tr it yet remained for a little nervoi th had a great head. He did passably well in his first scene and got eon- sid Dut when, in the next scene, his own foot and tumbled upon the stage, when his entrance should have heen a gliding fone, it somehow destroyed the yravity which should have obtained on the cea: redeem it able applanse; at trod up Smith was vexed, of course, ti people in front should laug! and it und his actin 1 he couldn't see why thing Like th of the beauty of through very well consid an to ask where Edwin Booth wasn When the curtain went was much confusion belied it 1 the first act, Un The stage carpenter swore he would throw up the whole business if those bloody amateurs didn't get out of his way, and, final- ly. the audience bes: nd whist Toast twenty minutes had elapsed. since STUDENT y the midnight la the rampart scene | the anything of Hamlet. But chaos and 4 reigned behind that curtain still, 9 wits’ end how to straighte Bat the two yo Heifer Dance in the oli they would not get a ehane tangle by stealthily rin on to do their act Of course they w plause, A heifer dance in Hamlet to be applanded, and it might have bee not the young volunteers got #0 ¢ the in two, leavin: own responsibility. If, how of snecesa, that wus then on record Smith didn’t like it, th e them a blowing up for going on out of their turn, which, how- | ever, could vot then be helped, and so th set for the second act of * Hamlet.” It may never be known how great an achievement imp: fe: to show, and « ng up the curtain and going | | received with thanders of ap- | + pretty cert a success 3 to break alf to dance on its cer, applanse is the test | vat successful helfer d cited heifer ach nce OF THE FUTUR aiding up for ezamination, this might have been for Smith, had nothing interrupt- ed it, but, embold by the suecess of the heifer dance, the four young men who were to do “Th Fourteenth St "took advantage of the change of scene, and rushed on to do their act, bound to get in their fine work at all hazards success. But ly that the curtal got into a fight the was to blame. Ar hind the scenes, tt It was a great moralized the second act of “Hamlet had to be rung down, yet whi crowd in front was calling it Never had there Ww like Ise, and many wer sullerers all this was going: on be pie it in New York, if those sorrow’ coult have heen the their behalf, The Ghost's black or he wore his be the Ohio flood what was being done in didn't and show, more this » of the per. jelay had been so great, the upon taking his turn next, and t nd-dance men swe 1 muc er before they burst up nt them however, ver down, began to get Into shape for a. © forma juggler insisted ce, n't w d, after about in up for possibly ot the st tel broke nd dumped the whole into some unknown region, and wh ther scene was shoved on to cover up the for the “pl lot of them two song-and-lance their turn” in spite of could do. Confusion worse confounded! The curtain was rung down before the dance was completely finished, and then they pitehed into poor Smith because he would not allow them to respond to the call of the audience, that was fairly yelling for They made it just torrid for Smith, also for Horatio, beth of whom were knocked one round, and completely disabled for further . heyond the parts of sufferers, Then the other volunteers in the olio went for and demanded that his “bloody old Hamlet" be ad: journed until they could have a show; and the result was that the whole thing was broken up, It was twelve o'clock, however, and by this time the audience had had their money's worth; and when somebody announced that, owing to the great length of the programme, the show would have to be consid. ered off for the night, they all went out laughing, and almost glad that something had happened to bring about such an unique performance. Bat it is still an open question how great a Hamlet our friend Sam Smith is. en skipped on, | that the unfortunate Hamlet a encore. mith —mRicgtor. comicbooks.com