“Gus Harris has got Shuttleworth, or Pennington, or some other reverend gentleman, to write him a letter about the sad condition of the children of the poorer clergy, who are in worse plight than the thousands who recently attended Drury Lane from the national and orphan schools and asylums, seeing that they are never invited to witness a pantomime. Quite ready with his response was Gussy, who has now issued an invitation for Thursday morning next to ‘the families of curates and ministers of all denominations who are not in a position to pay for seats.’”
Church or Stage;
Or, the Cry of the Clergymen’s Children.
Do you hear those children weeping, O my brothers?
They’re poor parsons’ little dears!
They want to go to theatres, like the others,
And hence their trickling tears.
All the ragged-schools have seen the clown’s hot poker—
They have watched him steal the sausages with zest,
They have seen his face all bismuth and red ochre,