Life — December 1, 1921 — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

29 A Christmas Spectacle Hor Use in Christmas Eve Entertainments in the Westry Robert C. Benchley T the opening of the entertainment, the Superintendent will step into the foot- lights, recover his balance apologetically, and say “Boys prance out from the wings, uttering the first shrill notes of a song, and will have to be grabbed by er hands and pulled back. Twenty-four seconds later the piano will begin “The Return of the Reindeer’ with a powerful on the first note of each bar, and Flora Rocheste McNulty, Gertrude Hamingham and Martha W swirl on, dressed in white, and advance heavily footlights, which will go out. There will then be an interlude while Mr. Neff, the sex- ton, adjusts the connection, during which the four little girls stand undecided whether, to brave it out or cry. As a com- promise they giggle and are herded back into the wings by ent Lillian ist will into the and girls of the Intermediate Department, parents and friends: I sup- pose you all know why we arc here to- night. (At this point the audience will titter apprehensively.) Mrs. Drury and her class of little girls have been working very hard to make this entertainment a success, and I am sure that everyone here to-night is going to have what I over- heard one of my boys the other day call- ing ‘some good time.’ (Indulgent laughter from the little boys.) And may I add before the curtain goes up that immediately after the entertainment we want you all to file out into the Christian Endeavor room, where there will be a Christmas tree, ‘with all the fixin’s,’ as the boys say.” (Shrill whistling from the little boys and immoderate applause from everyone.) There will then be a wait of twenty-five minutes, while sounds of hammering and dropping may be heard from behind the curtains. The Boys’ Club orchestra will render the “Poet and Peasant Overture” four times in suc- cession, each time differently. At last one side of the cur- tains will be drawn back; the other will catch on some- thing and have to be released by hand: someone will whis- per loudly, “Put out the lights,” following which the entire house will be plunged into darkness. Amid cat- calls from the little boys, the footlights will at last go on, disclosing : The windows in the rear of the vestry rather ineffec- tively concealed by a group of small fir trees on stand- ards, one of which has already fallen over, leaving exposed a corner of the map of Palestine and the list of gold-star classes for Novem- ber. In the center of the stage a larger tree, undecorated, while at the extreme left, invisible to every- = one in the audience except those sitting at the extreme right, is an imitation fireplace, leaning against the wall. Twenty-five seconds too early little Flora Rochester will which Mrs. Mrs. Drury, amid applause. When the lights the applause becomes deafening, and as Mr. Ne x0 OF in, walks tri- umphantly away, the little boys in the audience will whistle: “There she goes, there she goes, all dressed up in her Sun- day clothes!” After severa Drury “The Return of the Reindeer” the show-girls will reappear, will be started again and this time more gingerly and somewhat dispirited. They will, however, sing the fol- lowing, to the music of the “Ballet Pizzicato” from “Syl “We greet you, we greet you, On this Christmas 0 fine. We greet you, we greet you, And wish you a good time.” They will then turn to- ward the tree and Flora Rochester will advance, hang- ing a silver star on one of the branches, meanwhile re citing a verse, the only ¢ tinguishable words of which are: “J am Faith so strong and pure—” At the conclusion of her rec itation, the star will fall of Lillian McNulty will then step forward and hang her star on a branch, reading her lines in clear “And I am Hope, a great, My gift to Christmas now I make, That children and grown- ups may hope to-day That to-morrow will be a merry Christmas Day.” virtue The hanging of the third star will be consummated by who will get as f. to place upon the tree—’ will become too great and she will forget the remainder. ul frantic glances toward the Gertrude Hamingham, yeweet Charity I bring at which point the strain ar as wings, from sending out (Continued on page 55) comicbooks.com