Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-10-26
coRINTHIAk 1AlL


With Its carpeted stairs
AND It's new yellow chairs
And It's stunning ensemble of citined air..
Why, the Atchison Champion said twas thu
best SAs
OF The plan temples extant in the west
It was = ew and was ours, that was ages apo
Before opry had spoiled the Legitimate SHOW.
II was ew and was oursi We could toss back
our rivals had launched at our city for years;
Corinthian HALL
Why, 1t discounted ali
other n ais in the valley, and we'll recall
Inc mig IL OF the opening; from near and afar
oaihe n ,i'e crowd 10 see Toodles performed By
Oh those days they were palmy, and never
Shall earth see such genius ma ,,adda,,, -.
For actors were actors, and each one knew
how "
10 10 whoop up his art in the sweat of his brow:
nee tragedy air and wore copious hair
And when he ate victuals he ordered ,ero =, ~,
Dame Fortune ne'er feazed HMM fact 80"
could 'e'
When liquor was handy and walking was GOOD
And the shows in those DAYS, All hour r.o,,
The shows tl~> saw in Corinthian Hall.
Maggie Mitchell and Lolita were then In their
prime,
And as for Jane Coombs. she was simply sub
limel P'' '"o
Ana I'm ready to swear there is none couId
compare
WI, With Breslau in Borgia, supported by Fair;
w nile In passionate roles 1t was patent to ma
That the great John A. Stevens was ne mira
plus.
Ana was there demand for the tribute of tears
we mao sweet Charlotte Thompson those hal
cyon years,
And wee Katie Putnam; the savants allow
In, nat the IKE OF Kate Fisher amt visible now.
w hat artist today have we equal to Rae
Or to sturdy Jack Langrishe? God rest ,em. l
sayl
ana 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 troon ha nna,ad
along,
Or ossian E. Dodge. or the Comicai Brown
UT the Holmans. with William FL. Crane
struck our town;
But the one special card
That hit us all hard
vas caroline Richings and Peter Bernard:
And the bells Of the Bergers still ring in rnv
ears,
And, OH how laughed at Sol Russell tbos.
yesrsl
The Haverly MINISTRIES were boss In those DAVIS
And our critics accorded them coInmns ~
praise;
They'd handsome mustaches and big cluster
rings,
And their shirt fronts were blazing with dia-
moads and things;
ihey gave parade, and sweet music they
made
Every evening in front of the house where thew
pla red:
'Twixt fosters and hand bills the tow,
For Primrose and West in their great statue
Clog
Many years interviewed, yet I'm free to main
That dotted on Chanfrau. Mcwade and Frank
Frsyne;
Tom Stivers, the local. declared for truth
That Mayo as Hamlet was better than Booth.
" ME II roles that were thrillin, involving
Jim Wallick doomed up our ideal OF a villain:
Mrs Bowers, Alvin Joslin, Frank Aiken, they
all
Earned their titles to fame in Corinthian HALL |
But Time, as begrudging the glory that fell
On the SPOT ] revere and remember so we'll |
spent his spite Oh the timbers, the plaster and |
paint
And breathed on them all his morbitsrou.
faint:
So the trappings Of gold and the GEAR mani
fold
Got gangrened with rust and rheumatic with !
mold.
And we saw dank decay and oblivion fall
Like vapors Of night, on Corinthian Hall.
When the gas Is ablaze IN the opry at night |
And the music goes floating on pillows of Light |
why, often regret that I'm grown to q man,
ana piIie to be back where my mission began |
And I'm fain to recall
"reminiscences all |
That com with the thought NJ Corin,hian Hall. |
TO hear and to see what delighted me then.
And to revel In raptures OF boyhood again
Though Corinthian Hall is tumble down place |
w hich some finical folks have pronounced n |
disg race, |
There Is one young old boy. quite as worthy as |
they.
W no, aw eary OF art as expounded today.
Would surrender what gold
He's amassed to behold
1.-THE o. the wonderful dongs Of old
glimpse Of the glories that used to enthrau
Dur creme de La creme in Corinthian Hall!
Eugene Field.