SYDNEY GOSSSP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2505, 26 March 1902, Page 70

SYDNEY GOSSSP.

By Cigarktte

After v.tek- :ind weeks of drought the welcome *>ound of ram is hc\iid at la-t. Whether it will continue remains to be n-en —everyone fervently hopes it may, for what with the war, the "plague, and the drought the outlook over here is veiy black. For the last three days there Lave been no frehh plague cases in Sydney, and since the doctors affirm that it is not infectious people do not seem so scared as they v>ere during the last visitation. Contact* are not quarantined, but are simply "under observation." and the victims themhe!ve a . instead of being rushed off to the Quarantine Grounds at thf Head&, aio driven comioitably out to Little Bay Hospital, and if too "ill to be moved are allowed to be nursed in their own houses. On the day of the " Rat Cruhade " 18 carts perambulated the streets to the accompaniment of a handbell and the cry of "Rats! Rats!" but only 52 <.oip--e= were garnered m, two of which were iabbit>, the happy pof^esor of rats preftvi ing to them at 3d each to depositing them gratis in the "dead caith." On the j-ame day bundled* of packets of rat poison were distributed free to householders, with instructions liow to u*e it. in case any ignorant persons might be tempted to sample it themselves. Over 4000 rots were destroyed on the day of the crusade, and as another rat-hunt is proclaimed for to-mor-row, the numbers are steadily decreasing. In the meantime tne newspapers are kept busy answering questions of this sort:— If a cat catches, "kille. and eats a bubonic rat, or if a flea leaves the rat and takes to the cat. -uK-it will the consequences be to tb/i cat ".'"

I The theatres are not «o vrell patronised as of yoie, many people being afraid of annexing* a bubonic flea during a visit. Habitual theairegoeis have found a charm, however, in formalin tablets tied round their ankle*. Her Maje&ty s Theatre has had a thorough cleansing, and the night I went to " Ben Hur' 1 the place reeked of disinfectant. Some people disLke the smell ; fortunately, not bein^ one of them, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the play. It is one of the most "beautifully '•tdgeil pieces that has even been seen at Her Majesty's. There rs no need to describe the plot, as probably most of you have read the book, but it is impossible to overrate the magnificent manner in which this play is presented. From start to finish each tableau is a trioinph of art, and a vein of religious bentiment runs thi-oiudb. it all. The curtain rise* Ur solemn

music, and reveals the wise men from the East, to whom the star appears. Then comes a scene in Ben Hur's palace, from, whose housetop a vast view of Jerusalem stretches out. Ben Hur (Mr Searle) himself is a handsome youth with' | superbly-moulded limbs ; while the part j of Massala is admix ably filled by Hamilton Stewart. Mr Austin Metford, who takes the part of Simonldes the Jew, is a striking figure, but whei c all are good it is difficult to particularise. Miss Mabel Lane ib a beautiful woman, with a Jewish cast of . countenance, who fills well the part of Ben Hur's mother, and Miss Ruth Mackay deserves great praise for her capital representation of Iras, the Egyptian's daughter. There are 23 characters acting in the play, and 400 auxiliaries, so it would be impossible to mention them all. There is a -non- • derful scene of shipwreck and rescue, where the red sun rises over a waste of waters and Ben Hur and another are seen clingingto the wreckage : then comes along an ancient Roman galley, and they are saved. The revels of Daphne are the excuse for c very pretty ballet, but the piece de resistance is the great Chariot Race. Everything leids up to it. and one can feel a wave of excitement rising in 'the audience as the great event o? the night draws near. First we »es the wagers being made outside the great gateway of the circus. Massala, resplendent in a gorgeous costume of scarlet and gold, laughs at Ben Hur's ba.ckers. who flannt the white and gold colours in bib face. Then there is darkness for a niinute or so ; the music swells, with a. rushing sound of trampling fact. faster and faster still. Suddenly a flash of light and there are the flying chariots, with their eight horses each, the red driver ahead. Ban Hur plies the whip, he gains on his rival, he passes him. he wins, and down goes the curtain, amid3t a burst of applause, for Ben Hur is the favourite and an Australian audience loves v race. The miracle where the lepers are healed is capital!^ managed. Everything is reverential, and the Presence of Jesus of Xazareth is shown only by a beam of light, which falls in the faces of the lepers, and makes them whole. Soft music and a rhorus of singers holding palm branches in their hand* accompany this act, and the impression is as realistic and reverential as music, art, and wonderful dramatic organisation cm make it. The expense of bringing out " Ben Hur " has been stupendous-, but its success is phenomenal.

The other d.iv in Pitt street T saw a r.ovel fire escape, and for half an hour stood and watched among the crowd, as one after another mid 9 the descent from the top of Ydralla Chambers to the pavement. The escape i< like a huge jelly-bag, sewn in zigr.,igs, long enough to reach to the pavement. It was hooked on to a top window. You i^et in and f-Jitlu-r down leet foremost to> the iir.>t bend, which catches you -i second till you are oft' ag-:n to the net! b(M ••,.'. and so on till you s-afelv leach the bottom. Each zig-zag js the height of a man, the whole contrivance exreedinglv simple. One after* another snfely made the defceent, the first man being enthusiast ica'lv cheered as lie W7i^_'!"d through and safely reached the pavement. Several small boys then slithered down, and hy-and-bve there were cries fcr a woman to rry it. but not one was found willing to a* tempt it before that gaping crowd, so one by one they dribbled away.