Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-01-03
In THE BOX orFrCE.

DEPRESSION IN THE box OFFICE.
A bad Season In the Amusement
WOrld-IHOw Financial Stringency
Affects the Theaters-High Prices
and Low Prices-GOvernment EN-.
piOyes Retrcnching, &c.
''This has been the hardest season on amuse-
ments yet" said Mr.. Bixby, one Of the Madison
Square managers, to STAR reporter, land the
worst is yet to come. The theater is the first to
feet stringency of money. When compelled
to retrench people begin by cutting of their
amusements. Now 1t Is not the wealthy who
patronize and support theaters. 1t is the mid
die and working classes, if 1 may be permitted
to use such a distinction to convey my meaning
The social demands upon the wealthy in their
almost endless round of receptions musicales,
etc, no doubt prevent many from going to the
theater, and then there is feeling of exclusive
ness among monied people which keeps them
away from any place which is accessible to the
masses. Now, | never saw that feeling better
illustrated than at Coney Island last summer
Lulu Hrst played one night in one of the
amusement halls to $500. The price OF adms-
sion was IS cents. week later she performed in
the Casino at an admission of 81 so to over $780,
Now the society people turned out in force to
the last performance, because the price of
tickets was high enough to exclude the general
mass of people. A good many theatrical COM
binatiOns have been financially wrecked this
season, and similar fate is in store for a good
many more. But all this talk about
cheaper prices of admission to first-class thea
tiers is based upon lack of knowledge Of what
it costs to give the public the class of amuse-
ments it demands. Popular taste insists upon
the best aud upon having plays put on in the
most expensive and attractive manner. 1t is
SimDIv imnOCSiblp q maintain q
frst-cass theater and present the class of amuse-
ments the public wants at a less rate of charges
for admission than now prevail"
Have you observed any falling off among
government officials as patrons of the theater?"
asked the reporter OF Manager Kinsley, who
was present.
Indeed, have" he replied. ave see 1t here
every day. Men who formerly came to the box
office and threw down bill. calling for the
best seats, now slip up quietly avoiding OBJ
servatiOn, and whisper upstairs They take
their tickets and glide up stairs as If trying to
escape the eyes Of friends and associates These
men are apprehensiye of losing their positions
and they are saving their money"
Bill Nye Compares Noah WebsIer's
Books with His Own.
From the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Mr.. Webster, no doubt, had the best COM
mand of languages of any American author
prior to our day. Those who have read his
ponderous but rather disconnected romance
known as ''Webster's Unabridged Dictionary;
or. How One Word Led On to Another" will
agree with me that he was smart. Noah
never lacked for a word by which to express
himself. He was brainy man and good
speller.
1t would i'll become me at this late day to
criticise Mr. Webster's great work-a work
that is now in almost every library, school
room, and counting-room in the land. 1t is a
great book. only hope that had Mr.. Webster
lived he would have been equally fair in his
criticism of nv books.
hate to compare my own books with those
OF Mr.. Webster. because it may seem egotis-
tical in me to point out the good points in my
literary labors; but have often heard it said.
and 80 do not state it solely upon my own re-
spOnsbility. that Mr. Webster's books do not
retain the interest of the reader all the way
through.
He has tried to introduce too many charac-
ters and so we cannot follow them all the way
slrough- 1t is good book to pick UP and
while away an idle hour with, perhaps; but no
one would cling to it at night till the fire went
out. chained to the thrilling plot and the glow
ing career of its hero.
Therein consists the great difference between
Mr.. Webster and myself friend of mine at
Sing Sing once wrote me that from the moment
he got hold of my book he never left his room
until he finished it. He seemed chained to the
spot, he said. and if you can't believe a convict
who is entirely out Of politics. who in the name
OF George Washington can you believe?
Mr.. Webster was most assuredly brilliant
writer, and have discovered in his later edi-
tons l1S.000 words no two Of which are alike
This shows great fuency and versatility it is
true. but we need something else The reader
waits in vain to be thrilled by the authors Won
deriui Word-paintlng. There is not thrill in
the whole tome. | had heard SO much of Mr.
Webster that when read his book confess
was disappointed 1t Is cold methOdical and
dispassionate in the extreme.
As said however, it is good book to pick
up for the purpose Of Willing away an idle mo-
ment. and no one should start out on long
Journey without Mr. Websters tale in his pocket
1t has broken the monOtony Of many a tedious
trip for me.
Mr.. Websters "Speller" was work of less
pretensions. perhaps, and vet it had an immense
sale. Eight years ago this book had reached a
sale OF 40. 900 000 and yet it had the same grave
defect. 1t was disconnected, cold. prosy and
dull. read it for years. and at last became a
close student Of Mr.. Websters style; yet never
found but one thing in this book, for which
there seems to have been such a perfect STAN
pede, that vas even ordinarily interesting; and
that was little gem. 1t was so thrilling in its
details. and so Numerically different from Mr..
Websters style, that have often wondered who
he got to write it for him. 1t related to the dis
covery of boy by an elderly gentleman in the
SAOeS' Va oil ouCCStidl npplt tIte. anu the leei-
ing OF bitterness and anm0sity that sprang up
at that time between the boy and the elderly
gentleman.
Though / have been close student of Mr..
webster for years. am tree to say, and do not
wish TO do an injustice to great man in doing
so, that his ideas OF literature and my own are
entirely dissmilar. Possibly his book has a
larger sale than mine, but that makes no differ
ence. When write book it must engage the
interest Of the readers and show some plot to il.
1t must not be jerky in its style and scattering
In its statements.
know it is great temptation to write book
that VIII sell, but we should have higher OBJ
ject than that.
do not wish to do an injustice to man who
mas done so much for the world and one who
could spell the longest word without hesitation;
but speak of these things Just as would ex-
pect people to criticise my work If we aspire
to monkey with the literati of our day we must
expect to be criticised. That's the way look
at it. RuL Nyr
p ST. might also state that Noah Webster
was member Of the legislature of Massachu-
setts at one time, and, though ought not to
throw 1t up to him at this date / think it moth
ing more than right that the public should know
the truth.
He Had Made the Round Trip.
From the Detroit (Aiich) Free Press
II have taken my last order. l am going
Home" he said as the clock struck the midnight
hour.
The nurse looked at the doctor with a signif1-
cant glance and whispered:
10 ind