THE PENNY HEADINGS.

Southland Times, Issue 977, 29 June 1868, Page 2

THE PENNY HEADINGS.

The> entertainment., given! by the .... Penny ~ : Reading's Society, at' the Theatre Boyal, oo - Friday evening last, is deserving of more ;th»n = usual notice. . From' the growing success which . has hitherto rewarded the efforts of the pro*.' motors, and from .the attractive character of theprogramme drawn up for the' occasion, the com* mittee of management no doubt anticipated a good house, but we feel certain4hat their utmost expectations fell far short of the reality. By eight o'clock, the time at which the performanoM commenced, the whole of- the area of tke Theatre was densely crowded — a very large number of | -ladies being present. The assemblage must have } exceeded at least four hundred in number. The performance as a whole was by far the best yet given.; The readings and the musical pieces > were all of a very high order, , while the presence lof a number, of ladies . and gentlemen on the stage lent an air of, elegance, social harmony, and > comfort to the proceedings which was quite ex* liberating, and at once put the whole assembly, performers included, into the happiest humour. The " Trpyatore Quadrilles," the first piece on the programme, having been performed by the in* strumentalistfl, with their usual taste, Mr Samuel Beaven came forward and read several •elections from Longfellow. The reader had evidently bean atf pains to choose the moat suitable pieces, and equally so to do justice to the author, in which he succeeded: moso admirably, for although the extracts given occupied a considerable time the audience listened nu»t attentively throughout, and frequently interrupted the speaker with their applause. The song "We meet again" which should have followed, was substituted, at .• the request of a number of ladies, by the ever charming "Gipsy Chorus" from .JP reciosa, on* of Weber's gems. The chorus was spiritedly given, and quite delighted the audience. A beautiful aria by Flotow, was next given by the leading violin, and was listened to with hushed attention. Mr Richardson then came to the front and read an extract from Mark Lemon — "The force of circumstances." The awkward situation in which Mr Thomsohj 'the victim, of circumstances, so unexpectedly finds himself, was admirably brought out by the reader, as were also the other minor points of the story, which is full of laughter provoking incidents. j So ..- thoroughly did the audience appreciate , the subject that the reader had more than once to pause until the mirth of the people subsided. " Home to our Mountains,* 1 a. sweet duet, by Verdi, was the next on the list. When we say that Mr Kingsland, and a lady whose presence on -the platform is always warmly welcomed, stepped forward to sing it, it seems superfluous to add that it was^sung well, was loudly applauded, and that an encore was absolutely insisted on. Although not in the programme the song which followed, "Home Sweet Home," was none the less ; welcome, and was .certainly one of the choicest pieces of the evening. Sung with great feeling by the lady who took part in' the preceding duet, it had to be repeated to satisfy the audience. A violin duet was next given, from Bosini's " H Barbere.'* It was rendered with that taste and correctness .which ever marks the playing of our two favorite violinists, and was in fact quite equal to the performances of firat-class professionals. Extracts from the writings of Arthur Help, were next read by Mr Armstrong, who was listened to with marked attention. The Hon. Mrs Norton's, beautiful duet, "Juanita" was the next on the programme, and -was sung to perfection by two ladies .who Have more than once before this delighted an Invercargill audience, and their effort on this occasion raised them yet higher in - public esteem. At the conclusion of the duet, the plaudits were so persistently continued that the ladies had to come forward again and repeat a verse. The V- Mabel Valse '? by the leading violin, with piano accompanyment, followed, and gave great satisfaction. The last reading ..on the, pro* gramme — " A New Year's Day "Visiting," by Orpheus G. Kerr came next, and when Mr Wotton stepped briskly forward to the .footlights, ' he was cordially welcomed.. This gentle* man is already a favorite with the public, and on the present occasion he folly sustained his well earned reputation, his reading was inimitable in its way, and elicited continued applause, when he hod concluded and retired the audience became absolutely - clamorous for his re-appearance, and the chairman had great difficulty in obtaining a hearing to explain that bo many encores had taken place during the evening that the performanoM had been protracted beyond the intended limit* He busted that the good sense of the people would make them refrain from insisting on Mr Wotton's recall. A trio, " The Wreath," by three old friends concluded the programme, after which the whole company joined in singing the National Anthem. We had almost forgot to mention that a well-known musical gentleman from the Tois Tois,' who happened to be in town, kindly volunteered to contribute to the evening's amuse* ment, and sung, accompanying himself on the piano, "A motto for every man," which he sung so well that he had to give another. For the encore he ' gave, at the impromptu request of some one in the audience, "Brush your boots, Sir." Both songs were received with great favor, and we donbt not the gentleman will receive a very hearty welcome should he ever again lend his assistance at the Penny Headings, as we trust he wilL The very favorable reception which these pleasant enter* tainments have- met with at the hands, of the ' populace, must be highly gratifying totheoom* mittee, and their indefatiguable managing director —who has certainly worked Well for the cause. The success achieved by them . demonstrates the possibility of carrying on, even in these dull times, a course of instructive and recreative entertain* ments, at once possessing the two imperative elements of permanency— merit and cheapness. It ia fonnd that by judicious management these entertainments can be kept up at a very trifling cost and that even when left to voluntary contributions the receipts are quite sufficient to meet necessary expenses. We think, however, that the time has come for the Society to adopt a broader basis, to oscupy a yet wider sphere. If we turn to the home country we find that movements of a kindred nature are .commanding a very large share of public attention, that statesmen of all shades, and of world- wide renown, including even Mr Gladstone, so far from thiTiVi^g it beneath them to take part in the organisation and carrying oa of Penny Societies, are coming to look upon them as one of the great agencies at work in train* ing the intellectual growth of the nation; while the names of the nobility may frequently be met within newspaper reports, as having taken part ia snob

performances. It is the same elsewHere. In the adjoining colonies Penny Beading Societies are in great repute, all classes of the communities joining heartily in carrying them on. In short, it would appear as if by tacit con-ent parties had agreed in connexion with these entertainments to ignore ail class distinctions, and meet upon the broad platform of a common humanity.