St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-12-12
The Down Grade of ADJUSTMENTS in the
Bowery Region Descanted
Upon.
Some of the Eccentric1t1es or sin III
the Vicinity of Mao1-
son square.
What is Presented for the Entertain
rnent of Gothamites and
Their Visitors,
,necial Correspondence of the Globe.

grow up to be adult sluggardS that we may
note the exceptions to the rule with much
interest. The child actress is in danger of
Incoming blase before she is out of her
s.teens" The applause of the unthought-
fnI multitude heaped upon her on account
of the wonder and admiration attached to
the performance of any baby turns her
head and makes her think she knows every
thing when she ought TO be thinking
seriously of beginning her professional edu-
cation. It isn't hard for the hoy preacher
TO grow up into a tOlerable type OF the itin-
Grant evangelist. for pious people accept a
mighty sight of poor preaching in spirit
of Christian resignation, but the chlld ac-
tress can not palm off the frivOlities of her
fender wears on an exacting public when
she gets to be large enough to put on long
skirts. and when the lines from her nose 10
the corner of her mouth begin to show
under the unmerciful power OF an opera
glass. She must know something and
must do something worthy Of her years. or
Quit. Probably nime-tenths of the young
wonders of the stage disappear from public
view before the seal of two decades have
been placed upon them.
-
There are a few exceptions to the awful
y
business. The regular theater patrons of
dozen years ago must remember Little
Nell. the California Diamond" mina-
ture Young lady in short skirts who
roamed the country with an impossible
piece with a fire engine in it, and in which
She made the shrine at which the fire
laddies" worshiped-a kind of Goddess of
Liberty on a small scale. She sang
frivolous music toleraby well. and danced
with some skill and grace. She played
few easy tunes on the wOOd-aDd-Straw in
strument. which was a theatrical novelty
in her time. and thumped the banjo enough
to make on-professonal marines think
she was quite proficient in Instrumentation.
Her chief charm was in her klttenlsh
mannerisms. She showed only tilmsy
talent and the people applauded and
laughed at her performances because her
youth gave her license to do things that
would not have been allowed in woman.
This evanescent little pet in petticoats bid
fair to be a most disastrous failure as
woman. But she has struggled through
the transitive period between girlhoOd and
womanhood. and is now recognized sue
cess. though not vOciferOuS triumph on
the stage. Little Nell, the California
Diamond" is no other than Miss Helen
Douvray. who has been for many months
a standard attraction in the metropolis in
the pIay entitled ''One of Our Girls" and
who mas inst returned from successful
tour of the country. She resumes in New
York. and will no doubt coin money and
redouble her fame. She deserves great
credit Anybody who can arise to her
position in the drama from the awful stua-
ton of an infant prodigy should have
medals as well as applause.
-
Another spoiled child, upon whose little
head the bordeT-lights used to glare, was
BABY Benson" She was put on the
variety stage before she could fairly make
herself understood, and having a little ma
tive talent for singing, and much more for
those charming little impertinences which
we tolerate and even admire in children,
she was quite the rage for several years
amung those who affected the lighter the
atric entertainments. Rejecting people
pitied her and freely condemned her parents
for jostling an innocent child against the
dangerous associations of the lower order
of show circles. Some dreadful predictions
about her future were made. Baby Ben
SOM passed from view in time, but she has
lust reappeaied as Marguerite Fish in
comic opera at the ThalIa theater, and has
been set down as an artist of no mean ac-
cOmpliShmentS.
The Thalia theater. by the way. is the
old BOwery theater of histriOnic fame. 1t
is now devoted TO drama and comic opera,
but used TO echo to the tread of the famous
tag edians AS the Legitimate" gradually
took It's walk up Broadway the Bowery
theater became the home of the ranting
TRACED ans. who split the ears of the
groumdings.' 1t is almost at the lower
end al the BOwery, where it runs into
Chatham square, and though frSt-claSS
German theater, is in the midst of a colony
0f second-class histrionic establishments
and dime museums.
-
The BOwery is one of the most interest
ing though by no means one of the most
admirable thOrOughfares OF the metropolis.
Business establishments of all kinds are
open there till nearly midnight, saloons and
places of amusement taking the lead.
There are two other theaterS besides the
BoWery which assume to be trSt-class. and
in fact they do pleSent the attractions
which are noted as first class in most of the
towns and cities of the country. They are
the metropolitan homes of such ''chestnuts''
as Clara Morris and Effie Ellsee, and of
such ambitious candidates for Mccullough
mantles as Fred Warde, Ed Collier, Louis
James, etc. After these comes one or two
variety theaterS Of fair standing. Then the
descent is to concert saloons, where the au-
ditor pays no adm lssiOn fee, but buys the
beer and listens to the eXecrable vocalism
of some obese warbler who might have
seen better days and who might have hoped
one time to be prima donna in Italian
opera, but who is now fat and 40 and is
trying to look frisky in vile atmosphere
of tobacco smoke, TO the awful rattle of
why piano. Next downward in the scale
is the cheap museum, with their inevita-
bic fat women. living skeletons, dwarts,
snakes. etc. Then there are the anatoihi-
cal museums, to look at which must make
the patron sorry he had the money to pay
the admission price. Worst of all, per-
hapS, are the basement establishments
where tasty girls wait on customers at the
bar and charge prices that make the coun-
trymar's eyes open wider even than
his pocket book. The Bowery abOunds in
entertainments, and its lewdnesS is by no
means confined TO the low places Of amuse-
ment. The innocent wayfarer is confronted
by wickedness on the street. and wink or
a nod sometimes leads him to discoveries in
depravity OF which he never dreamed.
*z~
The center of nocturnal activity uptown
Madison square. Here Broadway and
fifth avenue intersect at Obtuse angles.
and within ten minutes moderate walk
there is nearly a score of leading hotels and
many of the leading theaters Elaborate
bar-rOOms also abound. When the weather
Will at all admit the sidewalks in front of
the hotels have full complement of genteel
lDafers. Weli-dressed men-most of them
guests of the hOtels-step out to watch
humanity as it passes. Enough well dressed
people go to the theater on foot to make