The Russellville Democrat., 1881-09-15
THE PRICE FOR A SEAT.
What Has Been Charged Daring the Past 5000 Years for Seat in the
 Play Houses.


 The price of admission to theaters, like everything else in the world, has advanced since the beginning. It is curious to look back and observe the gradual increase. Among the Romans amusements were made free; and in Athens. up te the time of Pericles, 300 B. C., the people could enter places of amusement without payment. But after some time there came change. In Paris in the early days when the Mystery Play" WAS the only known drama, en- trance was free to all, but a collection was always made up inside. It is on record that in 1547, at Valenciennes, one crown was collected per head for entrance to the representation of the " Passion Play" In Paris, at that time, all places of amusement were free. But one day Charles VI, not being able to find seat for his royal body on account of the large crowd present, authorized the monks who were running the "Mys- tery Play." to make reasonable charge for admission. Henry III. brought some comedians, called gel0si, from Venice. These gave representations at Blois and Paris. and the king authorized charge of four sous lone sue is equal to one cent for each person admitted. Gan thies Garguille, ross-Gouilliaume, and Turlupin, the legendary trinity of farce, used to charge two and one-half sous for ,dmittance to their performances, given at the Porte Saint Jaquese.
 About this time the regular theaters began to fix their prices, and the better houses charged ten sous for the gallery and five for the pit But those ot the Hotel de Bourgoyne the predecessor oi the Comedie de Fraucaisel were some what higher, as much as fifteen sous be- ing demanded for places in the pit or parquettee. At the Theatre Moliere the price of seats in the pit, which used to be ten sous, was gradually increased until in 1667 one had to pay fifteen sous for seat.
 The right to sit on the stage was paid for in 1892, the amount being one gold crown, or about twelve franks. In 1889 the price of places at theaters was raised one sixth. in favor of the hospitals, seats in the pit calling for eighteen sous. Seventeen years later another increase was made in favor of the hospitals; for the pit the price was twenty sous, and in proportion for seats in the gallery. In l76S the price of places at the spectacles in the Boulevards and at the fairs was officially fixed at three franks for the first, twenty-four sous for the second, twelve sous for the third, and six sous for the fourth gallery. In 1769 the law prescribed that ten per cent. should be collected out of all receipts at theaters for the benefit of the poor. Accordingly, the managers increased the price of places without delay.
 From I760 to l79S the price of seats at the different theaters were as follows : Opera, balcony at the side of the orches- tra, for the nobility only, ten francs; seats in the boxes in the first gallery, and seats in the amphitheater, seven francs ten sous; boxes iu the second gallery, four francs. pit and paradise, two francs. Conedie Franeaise Orchestra, first bal cony boxes and amphitheater, four farncs; second balcony boxes, two francs; third balcony, one and half francs; pit, one franc. Whenever the comedians at the Franchise brought out new piece, costing them a good deal of money, they were allowed to increase these prices one third, excepting to the pit which had to remain always the same. Prices at the theaters were reduced during the revolution. Up u 1870 the prices of seats in the royal and imperial theatres could not be changed without the au- thofity of the crown. But with absolute liberty of the theaters the sale of tickets was regulated like that of any other merchandise, and the cost of seat de- bends on the will of the manager. This is true ot all the theaters in Europe, except the subsidized ones, where the prices are regulated by the government.