Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, CompleteVarious
General
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, Complete
Various
English wit and humor -- Periodicals
The yeomanry, not in the least dispirited by this reverse, plan a fresh
attack, and hearing that reinforcements are en route, in the persons of
the drawing, dancing, and writing masters of the Boarding School, cut
off their march, and obtain a second entrance into the enemys camp,
under false colours; which their accomplishments enable them to do, for
the captain is a good penman, the lieutenant dances and plays the
fiddle, and the cornet draws to admiration, especiallyat a month.
Under such instructors the young ladies make great progress, the
governess being absent to see after the imaginary daughter of a
fictitious Earl of Aldgate. On her return, however, she finds her pupils
in a state of great insubordination, and suspecting the teachers to be
incendiaries, calls in a major of yeomanry (who, unlike the rest of his
troop, is an ally of the lady), to put them out. The invaders, however,
retreat by the window, but soon return by the door in their uniform, to
assist their major in quelling the fears of the minors, and to complete
the course of instruction pursued at the Haymarket Boarding School.
Mr. J. Webster, as Captain Harcourt, played as well as he could: and so
did Mr. Webster as Lieutenant Varley, which was very well indeed, for he
cannot perform anything badly, were he to try. An Irish cornet, in the
mouth of Mr. F. Vining, was bereft of his proper brogue; but this loss
was the less felt, as Mr. Gough personated the English Major with the
rale Tipperary tongue. Mrs. Grosdenap was a perfect governess in the
hands of Mrs. Clifford, and the hoydens she presided over exhibited true
specimens of a finishing school, especially Miss P. Horton;that careful
and pleasing artiste, who stamps character upon everything she does, and
individuality upon everything she says. In short, all the parts in the
Boarding School are so well acted, that one cannot help regretting
when it breaks up for the evening. The circulars issued by its
proprietors announce that it will be open every night, from ten till
eleven, up to the Christmas holidays.
As a subject, this is a perfectly fair, nay, moral one; despite some
silly opinions that have stated to the contrary. Satire, when based upon
truth, is the highest province of the stage, which enables us to laugh
away folly and wickedness, when they cannot be banished by direct
exposure. Ladies boarding-schools form, in the mass, a gross and
fearful evil, to which the Haymarket author has cleverly awakened
attention. Why they are an evil, might be easily proved, but a
theatrical critique in PUNCH is not precisely the place for a discussion
on female education.
ENJOYMENT. The Council of the Dramatic Authors Theatre enticed us
from home on Monday last, by promising what as yet they have been unable
to performEnjoyment. As usual, they obtained our company under false
pretences: for if any enjoyment were afforded by their new farce, the
actors had it all to themselves.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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