The Jersey City news., 1892-01-09
CRONHEIM'S CANTATA
What Constitutes Sacred
Music Over in He
boken.
LIKE A GoRILLA'S DREAM
Frequent Rests TO Enable the Audi
ence to Sample Beer at Its
Leisure-Angels Who
Help.

Electric lights make an oasis of bright
ness in great desert of darkness over on
Hudson street, near First, in Hoboken.
Every night as the shadows close about
the city the lights twinkle into glare
and shine out on a long two-storied
wooden building. the front Of which is
studded with billboards on which are
iaring pictures and printing about the
fummery within. This place is Cror-
helms "Theatren() where the proprietor
mocks at the laws and gives Sunday per-
formances in spite of all law in
the land. Here, under these
electric lights each night spreads
and grows, like some great mass
of vermin, u crowd of swearing, splitting,
snarling humanity. Raggedly dressed
and vile smelling, their presence is an-
nounced by vile talk aud eternal expec-
torations.
Sundays, when the traffic Of the city is
not. and all hustle and noise OF the streets
has ceased, then in the full light of after
noon this same rabble defies decency aud
makes the place impassable. Entrance
to the frame building is through
swinging doors. These open into a
barroom, In which are many
round tables. and from this room is the
main entrance to the theatre. This is a
low-roofed, narrow. box-like structure,
around the sides of which run shallow
balcony. Chairs fill up the main floor,
to the rear Of which are about six rows OF
settees. A small curtain. painted in glar-
ing reds and muddy yellows, on which is
the usual river and boats. hides small
stage, on each side of which are two
boxes.
WHAT THE AUDIENCE LOOKED LIKE.
The audience, when / saw it, was dis
reputable assemblage. On the settees sat
"cully" and his pals, and they looked it.
They were boys ranging from twelve
years to twenty, and some few more MA
ture specimens. They were of most pc
cuiiar odor. Nearly all were smoking
the cheaper sort of cigarettes, which
emitted an indescripable, sickening
smell and all had that greasy, hungry,
element. Their clothes. were of
many kinds and colors. and
they We're thoroughly at home
In the seats nearer the front
were men who seemed as those who
have worked hard for their money, and
are ridding themselves of it by allowing
their sporting blood to come to the sur
face. All smoked cigars OF the "Rose de
Sewer" kind. which they gripped desper-
auely between their Teeth as though some
one was about to shoot the ash from the
end Some were accompanied by birds of
prey, who may at sometime have been
women.
These wore that inane look and leeripg
smile which denominates them, and they
cuddled against their temporary gallants
in most innocent fashion. Walters, in
not over clean aprons, scudded up and
down with hawkshaw manner, and that
desperately earnest look of those who are
working on percentage.
In one of the boxes rouge flarged out
like danger signal, and when looked
more iul entity l discovered that the rouge
proclaim ed the quicksands of Cyprus.
There was In interminable wait" be-
fore the raising of the curtain. The
smoke rose in great columns and the
beer broke in waves. but the curtain
tapped back and forth dreafly.
THE DREARY SHOW BEGINS
Soon tae orchestra, comprised of four
automatic player wrestled with violin,
piano. cornet and French horn, and
something that was meant to be melody.
but was not, rose with a wall of agony
and died away behind the Pickering foot
lights, which fiickersd IN the currents of
air that passed The women leered, the
men beamed and beered and smoked. the
walters cursed, the boys swore and the
footlights now and again rose and fell,
but still the curtain tapped and rose not.
At last the crowd grew tired and
shrieked. whistled and stamped. The
policeman raped with his stick. the
automatcns played quicker. the footlights
fared up into blaze and the river and
its boats rose OUT of sight.
CHESTNUTS IN LINE OF MARCH.
Then began lhe dreariest, stupidest,
most bewilderingly dull procession of
hoary jokes and SILLY songs that could be
masseu anywhere in this world, even with
on q pfb fha nrnv{lad
for such things.
A man with blackened face and wear
ing white overalis, came on the stage,
and rather buxo'n young woman with
retiring skirts, red stockings. and waist
that bad been cut by some one with
large ideas came with him. He then
turned mis- mouth Gu the defenceless
woman and made her a target for some
venerable jokes which would make the
birds cut in "Cleopatra's Needle" sing
for their youth rediscovered. She smiled
as if she really thought they were hum
orous, ami the audience stamped and
yelled.
A fierce looking man and weary, sad
eyed woman who was outlined in red
tights, next came out. They bound in u
stiff and tired way and smiled in set
theatrical manner. Then they began to
twfrl large felt hats about their sticks.
The woman faced the audience and slow
the footligh,s until she seized hat at her
heels with her teeth. The male part of
the audience devoured her with staring
eyes, their bodies bent forward and their
teeth set. Tuen the man lay upon the
floor and twirled hat. meanwhile in
dulging in motions which the audience
Interpreted as obscene and applaudeo.
Next came a negro comedian who gave
a burlesque sermon. which the audience
applauded wildly The actor-heaven
save the mark-gave burlesque announce
ments and parodied the actions of a min
lister until the audience became tired.
Then he sang a ballad on the Chicago
Fair, which Is worthy to be- presented as
an exhibit at that show to prove how stu
pid song may be without meaning any
thing
Thus the performance went on. indec.
cency alternating with dullness, and the
whole puuctuated by tights and stock
ings. The more ribald the jest the louder
and the more prolonged the applause. AT
the close OF four selections the curtain
was dropped to enable the walters to
make living, and then the rouged and
whited human sepUlchres multiplied anu
intensified their cnresse5land the "para-
gon of animals" went down in his pocket.
Toward the middle of the night the last
tired performer bowed his weary adieu,