Last Saturday I was asked to go to what was to me an entirely new theatro—the Standard in Shoreditch—to sec a Hebrew opera acted in Hebrew by Hebrews. As Talways like novelty, I went, and it was certainly " new experience. The theatre was packed—entirely with Jews. Itappears it isan annual occurrence given for some charity—of course I didn't understand a word, but as I sav two small boys in front of me who knew all about it, Lasked them after the first act what it was all about. They told me it was like The Sign of the Cross, only Jews instead of Chi bei persecuted, and it was in Spain in the time of the Inquisition; that a girl I had soon dressed as a nun was not really a nun at all, but a Jewess, disguised in order to save her father and small brother, and that the man who was being persecuted was her father. This was too much for an old woman seated at my side: she didn't speak much English, being I concluded half German, but she said to the boys: How can you say such things—he's not married at all, he's quite a young man and I know him well—and as for the girl, she's married and (pointing to a woman and baby near) that's her mother and that's her baby." I endeavoured to explain that they wore only telling me about the play whereas she was alluding to their private life, but it was of little use, so I had to listen to the remainder of the plot to a running commentary to the effect that it was "too bad to say such things." Tt was very fanny, but.I quite enjoyed my afternoon and thanks to my little friends quite understood all that went on. The singing and acting were wonderfully good for amateurs and certainly never saw-such an appre-dative audience ina West-end Theatre.
3rd June.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.