Lullaby Land.

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 201, 7 May 1904, Page 16

Lullaby Land.

A ship is sailing for Lullaby Land ; And what may the cargo be? A woolly dog and a china cat, A trumpet of tin, and an old torn hat, Are 1 eady to go to sea. Foi Lullaby Land her sails aie set — (Oh, pray ye the winds be true 1) She will gently glide cioss the sea of Dreams, 'Mid the moonbeams bright and the starlight gleams, 'Neath the skies of sapphire hue. Now, •"All aboard for the Lullaby Land?" (One tiny tiaveller to go) — The woolly dog and the trumpet of tin, Two chubby hands have folded within, While a golden head droops low. For Lullaby Land is leached at last, The captain's duty is done' — By her syeet low voice, and her face so fair, She has sailed the ship — the rockingchair — To the Land of the Setting Sun.

There ib a luinour flying about that the Free Lance has beeaxsold. It is quite devoid of truth. Theie are many who would like to buy out the Lance, hut it has neither been sold nor is even under negotiations for sale. The many friends and business connections of Mr. Morrison Passmore will be interested to learn that he hag commenced business in Auckland on his own account, as a rope and 1 flax broker and commission agent. Mr. Passmore has been connected with Donaghy's Ro"e and Twine Company foa twenty years, dunne the last nine of which he occuoied the 1 position of Auckland manager. "Presented to E. Wilson, in token of esteem from a few friends." Suoh is the inscription on a solid silver tea service presented to mine host of the Post Office Hotel on Monday last. The occasion was the jubilee of Mi . Wilson's active business life. That the inscription meant all that it said, and more, was evidenced by the representative nature of the gathering, amd the manifestl-" sincere tone of friendship and genuine esteem which uervaded the whole of the speeches. Mr. T. Young, sen. occupied the chair, and) the speakers included Messrs. A. R. Hislop, A. Lewis, Levers, Collins, A. Kelly, and A. MaoGregor. In responding, Mr. Wilson indulged in a few reminiscences, mentioning amonest other things that in 1880 he, by his personal exertions, prevented a strike amongst railway employees. As he quaintly put it- "The men didn't strike, but I did and I have never worked since."

British critics say that Wilson Barrett's "Never-Never Land," a tale of the drought is too realistically dry. * * « The Iroquois Theatie, Chicago, has been refitted at a cost of £5,500. It "s now called the Noith-West Theatie. * * * Wallace Brownlow, the beautiful baritone, is stairmg through Uncle Sam's land in 'When Johnny Comes Marching Home." * • • Flora F. Donaldso.i and Gavin Spence, Scottish vocahstsand entertainers, are on the way from TrisQo to give their fellow 'Soots in Australia and New Zealand "Twa Hoors afc Hame," * * * George Stephenson, late of Dunedm, has purchased fiom the directors of the London. Hippodrome the Australian rights of '-Pansy Faces," a novel ballet, with all props ' stage and lighting effects, etc. He has also bought the Australian rights of Arthur Robert*, screaming musical comedy, 8111 Adams , or, the Hero of Waterloo. It is quite o.\ the cards that the next J C Williamson show to visit New Zealand will be the Knight-Jeffries Drama^ tic Company, with Julius Knight and Maud Jeffries as principals— to produce Hall Caine's ''Eternal City," Tolstoas "Resurrection," and Belasco's "Darling of the Gods." No doubt, the local gods will be pleased to hear this news. * * * New York has been going wild over Wagner's "Parsifal," with Madame Ternina and Herr van Rooy (a Dutchman) in the leading parts. At a matinee, at the Metropolitan Opera Hous« lecently, the performance began at 11-30 a.m. An hour before that time it was necessary to open the doors and admit the crowds which thronged the footpaths in the rain. Five minutes after opening the doors there was no standing room left in the theatre. The receipts reached the neighbourhood of tdoUU. The tenth and last performance of the work was given two days later. * * * "The Cingalee" is the latest title which has been fixed on for Messrs. J. T Tanner's and Lionel Monckton s work which is to replace "The Country Girl" at Daly's Theatre, on the production of which upwards of £14,000 is said to have been expended. The spectacular splendour of the piece is said 1 to be on a scale hitherto unprecedented. '.A Country Girl," which came to tow™ last week, is a specimen of Tanner and Monckton's joint work. "Cingalee is gaid to be full of taking airs, the most popular being "In the Island of Gay Ceylon," "Spite of All That Lovers Do,' "Readmtr Writing, and Arithmetic, "Little White Girl," and 1 "My Cinnamon Tree." * » • Williamsons new London Gaiety Company are due in Sydney to-morrow from 'Frisco, and are billed to ooen their colonial career at the Princess (Melbourne) on Saturday, the 14th inst. It has been an enormous success in New York, and includes the famous comedian, Mr. George P. Huntley, Miss Madge Crichton fa handsome actiess, who played in Wellington seven ot eicht years ago\ Miss Maud Hodson, Miss Delia Mason. Mr. M. Farkoa Mr. Geortre Carroll Mr. J. E Fraser Mr W Feriot. and" Mr. R St George. The initial production of the Australian season will be the delightful musical comedy "The Three Little Maids." It has been runninc steadily in the States for upwards of three consecutive years. Other pieces in the company's repertoire are "Kitty Grey," "The Girl from "Kays " and "Madame Sherry."

Harry Roberts and his wife (Maggie Moore) promise to return shortly to the colonies, bringing with them a budget of "some of the best plays that money can secuie." Amount oi: money not stated. * * * Kubelik, the crack violinist, who has been playing in some of the leading Gei man cities, astonishes the good German burghers by the way he travels and lives. There are always a dozen persons more or less, with him. Be engages the entire second' floor of the best hotel in town , he hires the opera houses and orchestras outright for his concerts, and makes generally a splurge sucti as the Get mans never saw before man artist His receipts ar© large, but his expenses are so great and there are so many hangers-on that it is doubtful if he saves anything.