The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-16
CORINTHIAN HALL.

Corinthian hall is tumble-down place
Which some finicsl folks have pronounced Q dis
grace;
But once was time when Corinthian hall
Excited the rapture and plau0its OF all
With its carpeted stairs
And It's new yellow chairs,
And its stunning ensemble of Gifted airs;
Why, the Atchison Champion said twas the
OF Thespisn temples extant in the West
Before opry had spoiled the legitimate show;
1t was new and was ours! We could toss back
the jeers
Our rivals had launched at our city for years;
Corinthian hall!
Why, il discounted all
Other halls in the Valley; and well recall
Inc night OF the openingrtrom near aud afar
De Bar.
Oh, those days they were palmy. and never again
Shall earth see such genius as gladdened rs
For actors were actors, and each one knew how
To whoop up his art in the sweat OF his brow;
He'd tragedy air and wore copious hair,
And, when he ate victuals, he ordered 'em rarei
Dame Fortune ne'er feared him, in fact, never
could,
When liquor was handy and walking was good.
And the shows of those days-ah, how well 1
recall
The shows that I saw in Corinthian hall
Maggie Mitchell AID Lofty were then in their
And a: ioT Jane coomD.. she wa. simply sub
And I'm ready to swear there is none could COM
pare
While in passionate roles ii was patent to us
That the great John A. Stevens was ultra
plus
And were there demand for the tribute of tears,
We had sweet Charlotte Thompson those halcyon
years,
u
That the like of Kate Fisher amt visible now;
What artist today have we equal to Rae
Or to sturdy Jack Langrishe-God rest 'em,
And when died Buchanan the St. Joe Gazette
Opined that the sun of our drama had set.
Corinthian hall was devoted to song
When the Barnabee concert troupe happened
Or o.sian I. Dodge, or the comical Brown,
Or the Holmsns, with William Fl. Crane, struck
our town.
But the one special card
That hit US all hard
Was Caroline Rlchings and Pierre Bernard;
And the bells OF the Bergers still ring in my
And, OH how laughed at Sol Russell those
The Hayerly minstrels were boss in those days,
And our critics accorded them columns of praise;
They'd handsome mustaehes and big cluster
rings,
And their shirt-fronts were blazing with dia-
monds and things;
They gave parade and sweet music they made
Every evening III front of the house where they
played:
'Twixt posters and handbiIis the town was seog
For Primrose and West In their great statue clogI
Many years intervene, yet I'm free to maintain
That dotted on Chaufrau, AcWade and Frank
Frayne;
Tom stivers, the local, declared for a truth
That Mayo as Hamlet was better than Booth.
While IN roles that were thrillin', involving
Jim Wallick doomed up our ideal of villain;
Mrs Bowers, Alvin Joslin, Frank Aiken-they ALI
Earned their titles to fame in Corinthian hall.
But Time tas begrudging the glory that fell
On the spot revere and remembe so welN
spent ms spite on the timoers, the plaster and
And breathed on them all his morbiferou. faint.
so the trappings OF gold and the gear manifold
Got gangrened with dust and rheumatic with
mold,
And we saw dank decay and oblivion fall
Like Vapors OF night round Corinthian hall
When the gas is ablazs in the -rpry at night.
And the music goes floating on pillows Of liSht-
WY, often regret that TN grown to a man.
And pine TO Dc back where my mission began.
And Il fain 10 recall
"Reminiscences ali
That come with the thought of Corfnthfan hall.
To hear and 10 see hat delight me then
And to revei in rsptures of boyhood again.
Though Corinthian hall is q tumble down pI.ca
Which some hnieai folks have pronounced a
disgrace;
There is one young old boy quite as worthy a,
W no, aweary OF art as expounded today
Would surrender what gold
He massed to behold
A 1.-THE OF the wonderful doings of old
glimpse OF the glories that used TO enthr.u
Our creme de 10 creme in COrintnian hall
Eugene Field