Home Sweet Home. Scenes from the Homer booth, French,
Egyptian, Walter Scott and the Lytton booths.
It is a well-known fact that a crowded house always produces
enthusiasm among the actors. This proved to be true on the opening
night of this tremendous undertaking carried out for ten nights. The
executive committee left nothing undone to make the old pavilion
attractive. There were international gardens and archery and fan
brigades, restaurant and refreshment department, Italian art gallery
and gardens, loan collections, and camp of the carnival guard. The
grand stage and the carnival bridge with the Shakespeare booth were
the largest divisions on the main and upper floors. Among the booths
were the following: Dickens' booth, pictures from artists and poets'
booth, musical composers' booth, Shakespeare booth, Hawthorne booth,
Arabian Nights' booth, Lord Lytton booth, Bret Harte booth, Charles
Reade booth, Tintern Abbey booth, Jacob Grimm booth, French booth,
Cervantes' booth, Egyptian booth, bon bon booth, floral booth,
executive committee booth.
The fine music of the carnival was under the direction of the
competent leadership of Mr. Gustav Hinrichs, who, with his splendid
military band, gave pleasure to thousands of spectators and
inspiration to the able participants, quickening their steps and
urging them on each night to even better work. The executive committee
spared no pains to make every part attractive to the public. Every
convenience of the spectators was promptly attended to. New
attractions were added from day to day, and rarely has there been an
entertainment given which offered so much genuine amusement for the
price of admission. The grand march was one of the most beautiful
spectacles ever seen. The rose-colored lights thrown on the French
booth, the blue on the Homer, the green on the Lytton produced a most
marvelous effect. On the grand stage four booths participated, the
members of each having the advantage of thoroughly rehearsing their
tableaux in their own booths before appearing. The result was a
splendid triumph for them all. "The Child's Dream of Fairyland," by
the Jacob Grimm booth, was a delicately conceived tableau. The quick
changing of the beautiful representation of "Peg Woffington," which
might properly be termed a pantomimic representation of a drama, was
efficiently executed, the characters all entering into the spirit, to
the delight of the interested spectators. The Alhambra booth, with its
wilderness of eastern magnificence, presented "The Lovers of
Abdallah." "The Minuet de la Coeur" was danced nightly by the French
booth. The Carnival Guard, with their bright dresses, was one of the
nightly attractions. The Egyptian and Arabian Nights' booth presented
a scene from the "Forty Thieves." The closing tableau by the Lord
Lytton booth was a grand success and represented scenes from Bulwer's
"Rienzi." The groupings and arrangement of the various scenes were
exceptionally fine and reflected great credit upon the managers. After
the grand spectacle on the main stage, the different tableaux were
enacted in the separate booths to which the immense crowds gathered.
The Dickens booth, one of the largest, because of the many characters,
was a great attraction. From the "Pecksniffs" to the "Old Curiosity
Shop," grotesque scenes were many. There was the one in which
grandfather and little Nell were the prominent figures, Nell trying to
comfort him in their poverty. Quilp enters and perches himself on a
high chair, leering at them. Quilp hops in at Mrs. Quilp's tea party,
she supposing herself free to entertain a few friends at the time.
Next in order was the meeting of Kit and Barbara; Kit's trial scene;
Sally Brass and the Marchioness discovered eavesdropping by Dick
Swiveller, and her punishment. Later the Marchioness and Dick at
card-playing, followed by Miss Montflather's seminary, and the whole
concluded with the panic of twenty-five young ladies.
The Scottish clubs of the Caledonian booth regaled their listeners
with quaint dancing of reels and strathspeys. The Walter Scott booth,
with bagpipe accompaniment, was an acquisition to the various
representations. The rustic harbor in the Italian booth was complete
and a pleasant retreat. The music and tableaux in this booth were
worthy of the immense audience which crowded the space each night. The
Italian poets and authors were represented here and it was not at all
unusual for Dante, Michael Angelo, Petrarch and Boccaccio to hobnob
over a glass of lemonade with a sprightly fairy from the Jacob Grimm
booth or some other personage diametrically opposite in legend and
dress. The matinees during the week were prepared in many ways for the
amusement of the school children. One special tableau from the
Egyptian booth was the finding of Moses in the bulrushes. Moses was
played by a beautiful baby a few weeks old, and the young people were
ever ready to crowd the pavilion to behold this tableau. There were
many quaint curiosities exhibited in the Old Curiosity Shop, loaned by
the owners. It took much of my time to borrow and arrange the articles
that were from 100 to 200 years old and very rare heirlooms. My aim
was to make the shop as perfect a counterpart of the original as was
possible. The gladiatorial sports, enacted by the 100 picked men of
the Olympic club of San Francisco, was a nightly attraction which
brought out much cheering.
During the carnival week the Dickens booth had several large groupings
and tableaux that created a storm of hilarity and amusement. Mrs.
Jarley and her famous waxworks, Mrs. Jarley, Mrs. Hodgkins herself,
was a sight that would move the latent risibilities of the most morose
Iago. It would be impossible for me to give the harangue of that queer
old lady, the unction, the comical postures would be lost on paper.
She was "sui generis" and must be seen to be appreciated. Her wax
figures were original and pertinent hits on the live issues of the
day. Dr. Tanner created much applause; the new charter 13-15-14 and a
dozen other topics kept the immense audience in a roar from beginning
to end of her harangue and only subsided at the drop of the curtain.
It would take too many chapters to tell of each actor and the nightly
performances. The managers of the booths were wide awake men and women
and the participants vied with each other, especially when their night
came to be prominently grouped on the main stage. Then it was that all
the artistic skill was brought out.
There were distinguished visitors at the opening of this great
carnival. No less a person than President Hayes and wife and party
with General Sherman had prominent places in the private boxes. Mr.
Hallidie and Manager Locks escorted the general and his party to the
booth in the Tintern Abbey where they partook of refreshments. In the
company were Mr. Burchard Hayes, representatives of the New York
Herald and Bulletin, the California Democrat and the Carnival Record.
The women in the company were the Misses Hayes, Elliott, Raymond and
Miss Nellie Smedberry. They had the highest praise for the carnival.
Mrs. Hayes said that it was far better than anything she had ever seen
in the East; that it far eclipsed her anticipation and that it was
sweet to see so many men and women and children busying themselves for
charity's sake. At the Floral Temple the guests were presented with
floral offerings. They closed their visit with partaking of tea in the
International Tea garden presided over by Mrs. Dr. Wanzer and waited
upon by Mrs. Phoebe I. Davis in a becoming Welsh costume. Before
going, General Sherman sent an orderly to Camp Sherman, the
headquarters of the Carnival Guard, with his regards, and regrets that
the stay was so short. The dignitaries of the state and city were
prominent visitors during this season of merriment. Not an evening but
some prominent visitors attended. Mr. Joseph Redding and his fellow
workers, and Mr. Charles Crocker, the treasurer, had a busy time
handling the receipts. The first two nights and afternoons the
receipts were $20,820.20, and daily increasing. The undertaking was an
unbounded success from the start. I do not remember the full amount
but I know it came beyond the expectations of the management. Many
unfortunate men and women and children were made happy and comfortable
by the generosity of the people of San Francisco and other cities over
the land who visited us there and enjoyed the grand spectacle and
praised the ability of our people to inaugurate and successfully carry
out such a laudable enterprise.
[Illustration:
Etelka Gerster
Mme. Bowers
Julie Rivé-King