1938-12-22 — Page 44

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1938.

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Can this be CHRISTMAS?

HERE IS A Christ--"Posinun Knock"-and a host of others which I would enjoy as much mas Card upon my to-day, as I did then. desk.

Above the usual words of Greeting and Good Wishes for the celebration of Christ's Birthday and the unborn year, is a little coloured picture that seems to exude, like a breath of frosty air, all Christmas used to mean to those, who in "the Good old Days,' made such elaborate pre- parations to welcome the Earth Season of Peace on and Good Will Among Men. Dashing across the paste board in fine style is a coach, the panting horses churn- ing up the dizzling snow which speckles their glossy skins, anit the tall chimney pot hat of the ruddy faced conchman, whose cheerful grin indicates that, comfortable and warm inside his

+ * No. In place of the stage couch,

the coachman and the guard with his pealing horn, we have the motor ear and electric kluxon. In place of carol, "Swing Music.” And "Yam-1 shudder an write

We

the the

Mr. Pieltwick's dance, not to the but to

words-supplants Quodrille strains of fiddle and guitar, "Canned Music" brought all the way from America.

Very few children hent up theli stockings now-fewer still belleve in the scarlet-gowned, white bearded, Kevin old genticruan, who drives bis reindeer with ringing bells across the whitened house-tops, and who care-

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in company with the other "out- |sider," does not mind the cold in

the least.

One of the young gentlemen is waving exuberantly 21 large bottle, which, I assumed contained a "drop of something good," and perched up on his little sent in the rear sits the

fully lowers himself down a sooty shapes and sizes from the sack of chimney and flls stockings of all

Cruse the Bible, is apparently in- exhaustable.

+

MUST CONFESS that, as a child, I found it hard to believe that "Santa Claug" really came down my narrow chimney, sack and all.

I saw him one day, standing in the gutter outside a large store in Lon- don.

He was a thin miserable locking

this

"Santa Claus," his whiskers bedraggled and his scarlet cont dirty.

Wyndham St., Hongkong guard, a fat jolly looking fellow, dellow,

'Phone 26615 December 22, 1938

in a green cout and a large scar- let muller twined many times about his neck, and a very long brass trumpet at his legs.

Of course, I cannot hear the merry blast but I can easily imagine it ringing out loud and clear through the December air.

Carol Singers and the Waits-the butt of nearly all black and white artists are having a lean time.

Only in Cornwall are there har bingers of the Christmas Spirit wel- comed.

*

REMEMBER an oid Indy saying to

"Things arn't like what they used

Two Japans THE JAPANESE GENERALS in China have again got the

I can also imagine myself "bit between their teeth.

ine one day, this snatching a kiss from the pretty time in Tientsin and Hankow. face that smiles from the coach When this happens you hear, | window, but only of courne, from straight away from Tokyo, that under a bunch of mistletoe. it must have been a sentry's mistake, or the facts are not as stated, or that it won't happen again.

That is an artist's idea of Christmas.

It's also mine.

captures the Spirit of Christmas well with his "cups of ale" and crack- ling brake."

HERRICK, who calls it Mortalmass,

The fact is that the Japanese Government and the Japanese High Command are two different things. Apologies and regrets

Dickens, in his wonderful story. come from the Government, "Christmas Carol," shows us with his more incidents from the Army.kept and loved by the very poor in masterly pen how Christmag was Other Governments are asking the early nineteenth century. Also with which of the two Japans another merry scree at Dingby Dell. in his "Pickwick Papers" he paints

are they to deal? Britain, when the amiable Mr. Pickwick France and America could very

dunced the quadrifle with all the

well deal with either, or both,

In acting together in a matter which vitally concerns all the

protection of their citizens' lives and property-the democratic Powers would be doing the wise, effective thing.

In the same way the British and French are sensible to share the burden in the Mediterranean in defending their joint interests --that of keeping open our high- way from England to Singapore and Hongkong, and their high- way to Africa,

charms of the young lady who wore

"boots with fur round the tops."

✰

*

JOHN CLARE, the Northampton

peasant must have known and

to be when I was a girl. Times are changed, sir, and they arn't changed for the better!"

She may be right and she may be

is wrong. She certainly correct When she said Times have changed. but whether for better or for worse we don't know yet.

I am old fashioned, and I hate to ser Christmas go.

That is why I read "Christmas Carel and Herrick and Clare's "De- cember." Only these people can give me a real "Christmassy" feeling.

Always shall I remember Tiny Thm's words-"God Bless us, every one."

GRIN AND BEAR IT

By Lichty

Der 1924 by United Feature Tradhumta. 2006

31-29

"Nonsense, dear, it's easy to know what to do-just imagine I'm driving und you're sitting in the back!"

No

Ordinary

Gift For Mavis

MAVIS OBSESSED with know you're always grousing about

self revelve."

the idea of sending to her banality of the presents you your- Auntie what she terms a

"flat, red duck."

"It would be so unusual, dar- ling!"

But, short of opening a can- ning factory, I find the notion unfeasible, and say 80, in-

"What about some ox-heads, then, dear"?

by NORAH

timating that after a sca journey WHITESTONE

of some thousands of miles the bird would be unrecognisable as any variety of duck, flat, red or otherwise.

"Ox-heads?!" shrieks Mavis. Auntie

is an old mald and doesn't live in a

in lin suits!"

"But, Howard dear, ships baronial hall with antlers and men have cold storage, don't they?"

the

"Oh, you know, those nut things I ponder over the uninviting prospect negotiating with the you see about, just like little horned

entile." shipping company for the neces- "Auntle hates cows, 3a you know

well after falling into sary cubic contents for the ac- very

SKUVO her commodation of the unnatural manure tank frying in

when she didn't want to be saved. fowl, and find no ray of light in She's not afraid of cows, she just a gloomy situation.

"Mavis, don't they have ducks in and off che goes into shrieks of most and, to me, misplaced Dorking, and why should Auntle want unwifely

flat, red one?"

Imerriment. remember the incident (Continued on Page 14}

"Oh, she's never seen one, and you

loathes them. .Oh! Oh! Ah,

Cinderella Has Four Hundred Versions

loved Christmas well when he wrote-ID you ever wonder, as you sat

"The singing Wates a merry throng

At early morn with a simple skill Yet imitate the Angel's Song And chant Bheir Christmas dittys Atill

And mid the storm that dies and sterlis

By fits in Hummings softly steals The music of the Village bella

· Ringing round their merry peals,"

*

➜OTH DICKENS and Clare lived in B

the same era, so Christmas--nc- cording to them-was very much alive, as bright and merry as it was In Herrick's time.

so-otherwise

It must have been

have extracted the stanza

That joint understanding does not commit Britain to interfere in France's troubles in, say, Poland. And British and Amer- Clare would never have sung such a ican collaboration in the Far song as his "December," from which East would not involve

us inpoem i America's affairs in, say, Brazil. Nor would it engage America to take on any of Britain'a Own muddled obligations in, Memel.

and

bove,

Nor would Dickens have written his "Christmas Carol." One cannot write of stuffed turkey and puddings "like speckled cannon balls," If there say, are no such things in existence,

Dickens, Herrick, Clare a host of others, Itved

In an age when Christmas Day of Days, and

WOR it they would prepare for this occasion As early as the month of November... the Feast of St. Martin-and kept the and watch Japan seize and close folly bull rolling until twelfth Night

East against all other-or St. Distaff's Day.

Further

this collaboration must come about, or the Western Powers must tamely stand by

the

comers.

A Thought

Hence-

"Down with the rosemary and so Down with the boys and mistletoe."

looking at a Christmas panto- mime, Just how it all came about?

Why should the fairy queen come in from the right; demon king from the left?

Whe first called the clown Joey? Were there my Babes in the Wood? Had Dick Whittington really got a cat?

-by- GEORGE EDINGER

It was rescued in tears from the skin, for this monkey was a three- year-old child, called Joseph Gri- maldi.

From 1782 Ull his last appearance In 1828 Grimaldi never missed 27 pantomime.

He was the greatest clown who ever Ilved. He overshadowed Harle- Dick Whitlington, who married the quin completely, and he has left his There is reason for all things, daughter of his master, Alderman name, "Jocy," to every clown in even in a pantonime. Usually Fitzwurren, and became Lord Mayor | pantomime, very old reason, sometimes so old of London iliree times before he died | that we have forgotten it.

Collins" His big song hit, "Hot 1423, never hud a ent and never went to Morocco.

(1offee apples), from "Mother Goose," had a rhn of 120 years, from 1804 PRINCIPAL boys and dames, for

But he invested his savings in a 1020. Yet Grimaldi, who died instance. They go right back to ketch that did trade to Morocco, and in his fifties a hundred years ago, the Roman Feast of Saturn when the that was the beginning of his fortune. never earned more than £14 a week. world turned topsy-turvy for ในด Stories like these were preserved weeks at the end of every year; by travelling elowmen til when masters served their staves pantomime took them over. and inen changed clothes with their

wives.

Grimaldi introduced many features

the Into pantomime. He first made the

audlence join in the chorus by leaving the last word of ench verse

That custom was long kept up over AT the end of George II's reign it for them to sing."

occurred to managers to sub- here on Twelfth Night. Shakespeare stitute English favourites for mytho enlled his play "Twelfth Night" be logical and historical beings,

cause in it sister strula in her brother's clothes.

"The little old woman she thought

it no al to warm herself up with a So London saw "Columbine Red quartern of Riding Hood"

The pantomime fairy queen de-1zon Crt and "Harlequin Robin-

scends from the good angel in the old mirnele playa: the fest demon King was Beelzebub,

In the churches when a stage wan' put up for a infracle play heaven

"Gin," shouted the audience, and Grimaldi pulled a shocked face in the And by that time new stories had George Robey style,

the caught

fancy people's

and He, too, standardised the clown's wollen the showmen's repertory. dress, as it has remained ever since. The adventures of Alexander Sel-(The costume he wore in kept in the

who lived alone on Juan Fer-London Museum.

jett, the sinister side. So the goods, and

when the "Arabian over to New York, where they were

always kay on the right, heil on the nandez Isic in the Pacific, and in- And he inspired the first American

Defoe to write "Robinson tour. After the success of Mother

people still come from the wings right of the stage, the evil from the left,

in

•

"first performed in punto- Goose" In 1804 the company went Nights" were

translated from the hooted off the boards after four Mast of the stories of our panto French in 1704 the stories of Aladdin nights. mimes To-day come from the old and Sinbad the Sailor became quite. ☆ ☆ ☆

puppet shows which travelled the

as popular as Dick Whittingten and FTER came the Victorians, with THE PLEASURES that flow

fairs and markets of Britain all the the Babes in the Wood.

A their pantomimes growing more hundreds of year of her history, re-

and their harlequinader from the senses die young. BUT TO-DAY, in the twentieth These desires-and satisfactions century. I cannot help but think curding the stories that took the Such a play would begin by telling elaborate

story of Robinson Crusoe or Dick shorter. people's fancy from time to time, wiltington; the characters changed I can just remember Dan Leno, of the heart turn in time to that the Spirit of Christmas is dying.

Cinderella is the oldest, Especially when I have laid down

nobody halfway through the evening into greatest of pantomime dames, singing sorrow, or at best to longing the story nf Scrooge and of poor little

knows quite how old.

harlequinade characters, and the per about his Hille house where for six that can never be realised again. Bob Cratchit, with his long muffler

There are 400 versions of it, and formance wound up with traditional months the river was at the bottom The pleasures of the mind hurrying home to play a now nearly

It is told in every language in the rough-and-tumble. forgotten game of, I think, "Blind

As time went on the harlequinide of the garden and for six months the live on throughout the years. | Man's Buff" with his children.

was pushed further and further back garden was at the bottom of the river. It was the Victorions, too, who The joy that comes from know- I am old fashioned enough to be- ing what the finest brains in the Heve that

we moderns are killing E Babes in the Wood is based in the evening. By 1900 It wna re-indanted Rossini's opera "Cinderella" on the true story of two children duced to twenty minutes. Now it to pantomime, and took Danding out world have thought, from sec-Christmas-killing Romance.

who were abducted and abandoned has been pushed out altogether. of it and transformed the widow ing what the greatest craftsmen.

in Norfolk in the fifteenth century.

Mustapha Now, we have no time to alt before

Cheng in "Aladdin" to have fashioned. The content-the fire and tell our ghost stories in

One of the rufflans concerned con- TN 1782 the pantomine clown ap- Widew Twankey. ment that abides in the evening hushed volces-no time to play the

fessed the crime before he died, and peared at Sadler's Wells with a Under Queen Victorin the old bar- of life when a man has done the simplo games I remember well and the whole Incident left such an in-ttle monkey on a chain. He swunglesque extravaganza was finally oust- subject for pantomime by the when I was very pression on that age think t was it round his head so violently that the ed as a best that was possible with the enjoyed so much

young-Nuts in Maya prime handed down in song and story to chain broke and the monkey flew off nursery tale, and pantomime became quality he had in hime:

| favourite="Poor Jenny Is a Weeping"

Into the pit.

set in the forms we know.

world.

our own.

C

1