MR SIMONSEN’S SPEECH AT DUNEDIN.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2151, 17 January 1881, Page 2

MR SIMONSEN’S SPEECH AT DUNEDIN.

The following characteristic letter appears in the Dunedin "Star” of Friday last, and as our readers will observe, refers to the extraordinary speech made by Mr Simonsen on his leaving that city, which we reprinted in the Globe of 14th instant “DER YERDAMMTE SHAKESBEARE.”

TO THE EDITOR. Dunedings, den twelften January, 81. Mine Liebor Frynd Simi, —I have real your sbeech in dat "Shtaar” to-night. It was grand. It was magnifio. By tam you hav giv it to dem shtubid Dunedings veil. I guess dey will not remember you some little dime. You vas right. You vas quide right. Yen ein man as you Simi goes about die country mit so much lots of monies und gifes grosse oper to die beable for pleasure, und shtill die beable do not come, it is zum verruektmerdcn, und vy did dem heebies not come to your himmelstrahlende goettliche obera ? Because es ist all die fauld of dat shtupid deutcher actor, boo blays mit ein few indifferent blaycrs, hoo cost him nix, and hoo cannot bold die candles up to dem shtiks of yours ; und dem fellowes blay to ein shilling in das verdammte pit. Es ist zum teifelswerden. Hundreds of beables goes avay from dere und finds kein room in das pit for Shakeshear, und only sex beables in das pit for der unsterhliche himmliche obera. But vat can you expect from beables hoo did not know dat you was ein Frynd zu der grosse Thalberg. Such beables are not wordy of your shoeribbons to schnall, Simi, or a hair of your magnetische fiddle-bow. Yen vas you ein Frynd zu Thalberg, Simi ? Not in unser Faderland, for you know veil you vas nobody dere. Vas it perhaps ven you blayed die second fiddle in die orchestra in Sydney ten years before ? Yon knowes dem orders you gave mo for your benefit, for dem circles; veil, I dried hart to get rid of dem. I vent to ein Frynd hoo has some nice Maedchens, very nice Kinder, and I dinks dem Maedchens vill be very mush glad to see entzueckende kinreisende obera mit sex ballet-girls and sex supers; but ven mein Frynd told dem Maedcdens dat he has some dickets foo dat obera dey all run away in terror to deir beds and sham shleebing. Dat vos nicht goot, und I dinks dat vas too early to go ehloebing, so I goes to ein anderer Frynd mit dem orders, for I know it was necessary dat circle must look nice dat night for mein genialer frynd Simi, der grosse impressario. Yell, mein Frynd says “I cannot go meinself; I shtood dat infliction vonce, und dat vos genug ; but I have a groom hoo looks very like a shentleman, und he shall go.” Mein Frynd rings die bell und gibs die instruction to dat groom. Dat groom trembles all over ven he zees dat order in his hand. But mein Frynd is a man hoo allows no wiedersprueh, und die groom knows dat very well, so he goes to his room. I says to die groom “ I vill vait till you come back,” I vait von quarter of von hour, and he comes not; I vait von half of von hour, and he comes not; den I vait von whole hour and he comes not; den Igo to bis room und see vot is die matter, und voud you dink it, Simi, dat poor Teifol hung himself on his bed-post mit his sheet out of desperation dat he vould have to vitness your glorious obera. Dat make me so melacoholish dat I rushed into dot Queen Theatre to see dat tam deutscher actor und his indifferent blayers. Simi! das house vas full, und der shtubid beable, vat knows nix of your grosse Frynd Thalberg, vas very much interested in dat lang meilige Shakesbeare. I need not tell you I vould rather see the front of your bald back head than dem beables in dat Shakesbeare. But der vas von.sbeeoh vat vos not very bad, it was dis, und von I heard dat line, your edle Angesicht stood close before mein ‘eyes, viz. : “Ein fool dinks himself ein vise man, but ein vise man knows ho is ein fool.” Good-bye, Simi! make anoder sbeech von der vos any more indifferent actors in dat Christenchurch.— Freundlichst dein, Hans Boeckhl. To Herr Simi Simo, Der grosse Impressario ov de Civilised World.