"It is gratifying to see that no imputation is brought against them of presenting any thing offensive to the eye or ear."
Mr. P.T. Barnum says,—
"They are extraordinary, and the best I ever saw. They fully deserve their large patronage."
Said Dexter Smith, the eminent song-writer,—
"Boston has unconditionally yielded to the Georgia Minstrels. If you wish to see the brains, beauty, and fashion of the musical metropolis, a peep into Beethoven Hall will give you an insight of it. Never has a minstrel troupe created such enthusiasm in any American city as the Georgia Minstrels have done in Boston."
And the Boston "Folio," that excellent journal of music,—
"The Georgia Minstrels, who are nightly appearing before crowded houses at Beethoven Hall, deserve more than a passing notice, on account of their excellence, and the utter absence of aught that could offend the most fastidious. 'The Traveller' expresses our sentiments so exactly, that we cannot indorse them better than by quoting:—
"'There is a freshness and a completeness about the whole performance which entitle it to the fullest praise. As for the whole evening's enjoyment, it may be characterized as novel from the fact that it is native and not imitative, commendable because it is wholly refined, and most pleasant because it is always artistic. The comedians are very numerous, and all unite in giving a perfection to the rendering of the whole bill.'"
"The Boston Herald" said,—
"Beethoven Hall was well filled last evening by admirers of Ethiopian delineations, assembled to see and hear the original Georgia Minstrels, who have returned from a very successful tour in Europe, and are now located at the above-named hall for a short season. The company is a novelty from the fact that all the members are colored, and their performances possess a genuineness which no burnt-cork artists can fully imitate. Their music, both vocal and instrumental, is excellent. Each performer seems to be not only a natural, but a cultured artist; and all have the faculty of being exceedingly mirthful, without overstepping the bounds of refinement. In fact, each performer seems perfect in his rôle; and all appear to be masters of minstrelsy."