THE LATE IOGT ENTERTAINMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 591, 4 March 1876, Page 2

THE LATE l O G T ENTERTAINMENT.

Sir,— Will you kindly permit mo to reply as •briefly a* possible to the very Bcamfyins letter of '-The Unwilling feetotatar" which appeared in your Thursday's i«sup, m reference to my report of the late lOGT concert. Tim wouldbe scribe complains of the general dissatisfaction, with which fie critique on the said concert has been received, and object* to b> " damno'l with faint prane." Now, nr, the« 9 satellites oonrted criticism by inviting the Press to be presonl on he occasion, and as I was "told off" for this u-po»e, I used my own judgment in the matter without allowing myself to be influenced by »ny one in auy way. As I state.l, m a pecuniary tense the entertainment ibas a sue -ess, but is in point of merit it was a signal failure, in charity I *aid nothing about that. The ontioum was written in a friendly spirit and imperfections pointed out, ta order that they might bo rectified on a future occasion. The concert vraa not for •uncharitable object, nor were funds urgently needed for anything connectod wi'h the lodg*, so that the excuse of baste cannot be taken into consideration. The writer, like raostof those who were not •' favourably" noticed, ot course exclaims that he does not care « rueh, «nd blows hi 9 penny trumpet in a manner most fulsome, but quite characteristic of tbo individual. He aays: — " Ag far as the critique on my own humble efforts to ftTiuse is concerned I can afford to let it pa«s without any comment, as ny reputation a3 a low comme lian ,m I comic Binder was made wheu your reporter wai feebly endeavouring to solve the Oadmean Mastery, or in plain English vben ho was learning his alphabet ; fend, although lam getting 'into "the *' B-»r and yellow now, yet, f.om the kind greeting ■'♦rhich *I hay» met with every" time Th»ve made my fcppeartrace. before a Hamilton aU lience, 'I-feel'oonvincei there is enoughs the <nfcg of the old metal yet to make it piss current." If he is a comedian, he is, as he suys, » " low" tone— one of the ldwest description,'! should imagine, judging frt)tn the clas3 of songs he has from time to time introduced before respectable audiences. He doet not say where his reputation as a comedian or oomic sin s er was made, and as 'I hare never heard of bun on the boards of any stage, I pr«•u>ne it must have been as % travelling mounteban^, or punch and judy ibowman. Thi* imm»eala'o disciple of tiochab take* vrabrage at my stating that the parts in the farce of " Toodles*' were read without a -flaw — when the n'Ofd "read" was used, it me jut that the parti wexe repeated, but not acted. I have since learnei that hai it; not been for the aid of an excellent prompter, even, the r admg of the parts would have been a failure. The real re ison of all the dwaatisfactioa of the Templars, is that the unf^rtudate member of the Fourth EsUte who dared to m »ke tbeir performers anything hss than stellar p ienonena, h*d themisffirtune to be himself » G-ooi Templar, andof courseoughtto h^ve lauded them to tlieskie?. I would, as ;i ret ring brother, odrhe tliem to giro themsilvtis more tima to Jot up their next entertainment, and to retrain from introducing question ib.e tap-room sougt, oriu'faot anything tlut 'Would make the ears oi the moat delicate la dp tingle with a fcluili of shame, Than, even if they do court cnUcitm, they may bo a little more leuiently dealt with. —I «m, &o, J-*MK.s O. Hamilton. 3rd Maroh, 1876.