Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-07
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
Lawrence Rarretrs Serious Illness win
Keep Him From Pittsburg-ProtecIing
the Poets-Tsnrun,n n Tnrdou

Lawrence Rarrett's Serious Illness win
Keep Him From Pittsburg PROTECTING
the Poets-Bnrnum 10 London.
| EVERYONE who loves the stage and wishes
to see it elevated ought to be sorry to hear of
| Lawrence Barrett's serious Illness illness so
serious that shall not be surprised if it
ends in Mr.. Barrett's retirement from the stage
1t is the old trouble, swelling of the glands Of
| the neck-a species of goitre imagine-and its
development has been SO great Of late that Mr
| Barrett has been obliged to wear mask in his
nightly performance of "Ganelon."
Mr.. Barrett was to have appeared at the
Grand Opera House on December lB and the
week following, but he has cancelled the date,
telegraphing Mr. Wilt that his doctors insist
upon his leaving the stage for month at least.
Mr.. Barrett adds that he hopes to be able to
play at the Opera House later in the season--
but do not think Pittsburg will see Mr.. Bar
rett on the stage for long while.
THERE is, Mr.. Wilt informs me . considerable
likelihood OF the Grand Opera House being
closed during the week of the 10Th, owing to
MI. Barretts inability to fill his date. Nat
urally Mr.. Wilt finds it difieult TO get any sort
Of attractions at such short notice. Beside the
fact is that the week before Christmas is noto-
riously the worst Of the yoar in the theatrical
business. There is clear hoodoo about it. SO
Mr.. Wilt will not be broken hearted IL he does
have to close his doors for that week, and 1
fancy there is not a company on the road
which will make even q pretense of wanting
the date.
SEVERAL months ago an attempt was made
to do justice to beautiful and generous un-
dertaking of some Chicago publishers to glorify
all the poets, poetasters, rhymesters and
would-be poets in a tremendous Biographical
Dictionary of the Living Local and National
Poets Of America" From correspondence
which reached THE DISPATCH after this at
tempt judge it was successful.
Now The Writer, a literary magazine of Bos-
ton has supplemented my modest efforts with
an exhaustive description of the dictionary
and an appendix thereto called ''Poetical
Gleanings" The article is from the pen of
William b. Hills, the editor OF The Writer
After perusing this delicately humorous tribute
to Chicago enterprise no poet to fame unknown
ought to hesitate q moment about subscribing
for the dictionary. That is to say, he will save
his money for something else.
RsE
THE immortal Barnum has sent q marked
copy of the London Evening Ne,0s. and Post
to THE DISPATCH, and it is easy to gather
from it that our inimitable Snowman has cap
tured the critics as well as the populace of
London. Here's q small section from q criti-
cism column long: We can give rough
recipe for making a Barnum's show as pre-
sented to the British public at Olympia. Take
five common or garden cireuses with bareback
riders, manege horses, performing ponies, aero
bats contortionis.s, trapeze gymnasts, and all
complete; throw IN a geological garden, q
music hall or two the choir of a Leeds festi-
val half dozen Alhambras and Empires, two
Tar nfou
view; flavor with race meeting, some Roman
history, an American trotting match and 20 or
80 Tottenham Court road penny shows; add
half a mile of scenery, the ''supers' of all the
London pantomimes, and sufficient lime light
to illuminate Oxford street from shaftesbury
avenue to the Marble Arch; mix well together,
multiply Augustus Harris by SIX and get him
to stage manage. When you have done all
this and supplemented it with any odds and
ends of spectacular effect that occur to you
you will have got pretty near :.'the greatest
show on airth."