The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-07-15

theatrical ventures precisely as they
would buy pool on horse race. These
fellows secure farce comedy or a bur
lesque, find confding citizen with 6
few hundred dollars, engage a number
of credulous actors and chorus girls
and are ready for business If the pub
lie takes kindly to the venture, wei
and good. If not, the poor devils of the
company may shift for themselves We
had a striking example of this recently
in the production of the piece known
as king Kaliko-''
There was neither money nor brains
behind this venture, and yet lot OF
worthy professional people were in.
duced to give five weeks of their time
to rehearsals without pay They
| played one week without salary, when
the dismal enterprise came to an end
Thus it may be said that for six weeks
these dramatic Spectators had the serv-
ices of nearly one hundred people for
nothing. Thrown out of employment
! at a time when no professional work
could be found, the wrong to these art
lists may be well imagined Sooner OF
later a number OF them viii find their
way TO Mr.. Palmer's actors fund for re
/ lief. 1t occurs to me that If some meas
ures could be taken to prevent these
bald-faced swindles and protect
professional dupes Mr.. Palmer would
thereby protect the fund which
/ is placed in the hands of his organic
/ ton for the relief of INDECENT and dis
tressed members of the dramatic pro-
! fession- Not a season passes that does
not witness the starting from this point
| of at least fifteen or twenty companies
of entertainers which have behind them
nothing but sheer speculation and
chance. Nine out of ten of them meet
with disaster and the local managers
throughout the country are taxed to
help the poor, stranded performers back
to their homes. OF course, so long as
professional people are necessitous and
pinchbeck managers are willing to
take chances, so long this abuse will
continue in a degree. But a little
organization among the reputable man
ayers of the country might have the
effect of reducing the abuse to mini
mum, and the field is one which, am
sure, invites the talents and the benev-
olence of Mr.. Palmer.
JOHN BRIsBEN WALKER AND Els MAGA-
ZINE.
Mr.. John Brisben Walker, publisher
of the Cosmopolitan Magazine, is a
splendid representation of the success
which may come to man when he once
finds his true field of usefulness. Mr..
Walker has, in a very few years, built
the Cosmopolitan up to splendid finan-
cial success. and that, too, in the face of
most gigantic opposition. His maya
zine seems to have struck the popular
medium between the daily newspaper
and the high-caste monthly periodical
1t is one of the handscmest publications
in New York city, and if Mr.. Walker is
not persuaded TO give his magazine toe
much of literary tone, he has before
him great future. Mr.. Walker has
had a rather diversified career. After
graduating at West Point he was taken
out to China by Minister Burlingalne to
teach the Monaghan how to shoot That
is to say, he was one of the first of the
Americans to help place the Chinese
army on semi-civilized basis That
experience ended, he married here
the daughter of Gen. Strother, of Vir-
ginia, a well-known artist who illus
trated Harper's Magazine years ago
over the signature Porte Crayon'
When l first met Mr.. Walker, back in
the seventies, he had invested largely
in Kenawah ccal lands and was pray
ing for flush times and more money. /
He was an ardent greenbacker. In /
furtherance Of his plans he started
here in New York a weekly greenback .
advocate. He was too near to Wall /
street for that sort of thing and the 1
paper was not success. Afterward he /
fitted out little printing esta blishment /
in Washington city and resumed the
publication of the greenback organ. In
1877, when Stilson Hutchins and myself /
launched the Daily Post in Washington,
we found ourselves in a fair way to
postpone the day set for the publication
OF the initial number in consequence of
the appearance of eight feet of water in
our pressroom. Mr.. Walkers green
back organ had just expired and we
borrowed his one-cylinder Hoe press,
which we found in an obscure shed in
the upper part Of the city. We carted
it hastily down to the old Chronicle
building, and, finding dry floor for it,
put IL in operation, and for at least
month the Post was printed on Mr..
Walkers press, which had been clamor-
ng SO loudly for more greenbacls.
After his Washington experience Mr.
Walker went to Denver, Col, and start
ID weekly periodical which he called,
think, the Interocean. He was still
ldhering to the theory that the country
needed larger circulating medium. By
rood fortune he landed on 4 good real
state speculation, and in due time for
une was buckled upon his back, as
would say. 1t was then
nat he came to New York, gathered up
he remains of the Cosmopolitan. reviv-
fed 1t and started on the road to sue
eSS- Mr.. Walker is a man of about
orty-seven years. with an appearance
which enables him to rate below forty.
lie Is q clear-cut, nervous, aggressive
nan, full of ideas and noble aspirations.
lie has strong humane side to him and
oay be well classed among the pro-
ressive thinkers of the age. His expe-
fences have toned him down somewhat,
think, and it will be very strange in
eed if he does not take his place among
he most successful publishers of the i
6
YACHTS AND YACHTsMEy.
Coming, the other day, through the !
Get Of yachts lying in that unique
arhnr of Rnr HiHrn inst \ i,nr-a ia