The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-11-24
News Of The Green
Room and Foyer
Some of the More Important DOingS
of These, Our Actors.
SOME HORSE SHOW CRITICISM
One Woman Who Thinks That the Social
Magnates of Gotham Ought TO Indulge
in More Select Kind of
Amusement.

The event of the month, in show
circles, was not any intellectual feat
of sentient beings, but the phenomenal
success of Gotham's horse show
Apropos of that now happily ended |
function, an indignant woman of the
metropolis writes the following tren-
chant letter to the Evening Post-a let
terinteresting even in provincial Scran-
ton. where we do not have horse shows:
Formerly garish colors and staring
styles of dress were affected in public
places only by the unfortunate members |
of our sex. but now 1t would seem to
be admissible for the fortunate to
fiaunt flamningo plumage at horse show. |
to the disturbance and bewllderment of
the eyes and minds of serious spectators |
who would gladly confine their observa-
tion to the undeniable good breeding in
side the ring. Two women, one English |
and the other American sat and looked
long at the crowd in Madison Square gar
den the other day, in their seats observant
but unobserved. At length the Ameri-
can, conscious of disloyalty and yet un-
able to repress her feelings longer, ex-
claimed: "Am 1 imagining it, or is al
this unutterably vulgar" "Oh, my dear!"
iSphcu iiti NOIlpdillOH' HON BIdtSlui i
am to you for saying that! have been
wondering how you regarded it, but would
not otherwise have dreamed Of eX-
pressing an opinion. 1t Is unutterably
vulgar. The people in the boxes are vul-
gar to endure the steady stare of this
promiscuous crowd, whose one idea ap-
pears to be money and gowns" And to
continue the good lady's train of thought,
II all seems too vulgar even to contem-
plate 1t Is not undemocratic to avoid
unnecessary publicity. Good society In
republican Paris escapes II easily. and SO
does all really good society elsewhere in
Europe. Let the horse show abolish the
promenade, and turn its space into seats,
or If there must be promenade still,
abolish the boxes and adopt a quiet style
of dress. In either case 1t will then become
truly interesting and CONNIE IL faut. II
this be not done, would respectfully sug
gest that the names of the owners Of the
boxes be given in catalogue, together
with the amount of their fortunes. l am
sure there is often a great deal of time
wasted by people not ''in society" looking
at women with only half million when
close by these were women with five or
even ten millions.
The advance agent of Sadie Martinot
contributes the startling information,
says the Buffalo Express, that Miss
Martinot's company is the only abso-
lutely blonde organization in the coun-
try. Miss Martinot has extremely gol-
den hair and Mr.. Figmans locks may
be called auburn. j. F. Bryan has sill
very hair and light complexion; Julie
Ring, the ingenue of the company, has
flaXen curls and all the others, big and
little, are distinctly the reverse Of bru-
nette. This is highly important infor-
nation from a dramatic point of view.
1t Is quite difficult to conceive how the
effect on the drama Of this organization
could be more marked, unless, indeed,
all it's members were bald.
There are several hundred people in
the United States who write plays.
Just pause a moment and think how
many of these you recall-five it Is, or
six, perhaps? Double this number and
you will include all of those who de-
pend upon their plays for support, ac-
cording to recent article in Mupsey's
Twenty-Five years ago an American
thing never herd of. We went to Eng
land, to France, to Germany, and even
to Italy for our new dramas. But new
dramas were few 1t is Just twenty
years this present season since Bronson
Howard, the old veteran, wakened the
American public by a production Of his
own comedy, Saratoga" Howard was
then journalist, struggling and poor.
Today his income from plays amounts
to something like $4,000 q year. And
there's abundant room at the top for
almost any number of Bronson How
ards.
We trust we are not uncharitable
toward Mrs. Kendall. But we might as
well confess at once that we are liter
ally the prey of an unconquerable re-
pugnance to this obese woman who as
sumes to tell Americans what to do and
what to think, as If her common place
inanity, lifted upon an irrational wave
of temporary American popularity,
gave her any right to dictate and scold.
We, therefore, notice with pleasure the
continued drubbing she is everywhere
receiving-a drubbing well typified in
this comment Of Hillary Bell:
Mrs. Kendall has a remarkable quality
of local patience. When the English crit
les sneer at her. when the English audi
ences refuse to attend her performances
when her cook goes wrong or the house
maid cuts up high jinks, Mrs. Kendall saws
nothing, but treasures up fresh grieye
ances against us. She regards America
as the cause of all her troubles of life
We had given her unexpected riches and
made handsome provision for her chill
dren, but she is like saucy servant who
is spollt by kindness. Since the famous
speech in which she declared that she
was the only virtuous woman on the
English stage, her country folks have re.
garded her with amused contempt Here
she is honored, petted, made much of,
and here also she exhibits Vicious tenn
per that she would not dare display at
| home. Mrs. Kendall Is very funny wo-
man. and the funniest part of her Is the
| fact that she does not know she Is funny
She takes herself seriously while we look
upon her only as an irritable and some
what irrational hummer. She always
wants to quarrel with somebody, and we
are the only folks who pay any attention
to her vagaries. Mr.. Kendall honest,
worthy man, mas long ceased to take in
terest in her continual rows. He never
says word"
The actor who can make an appropri-
ate speech when suddenly called upon
to do so Is scarce commodity In the
theatrical market. There are a few Of
him, but his tribe is not numerous.
Richard Mansfield is one Of them. He
is always ready to make speech, and
he does 50 without notes, easily and
forcibly. Mr.. Mansheld's speeches are
not often, however, the stereotyped
phrases of gratitude to which most ac-
tors confine themselves. When becomes
before the curtain he has something to
say besides I thank you," and he says
1t without fear or favor. His delivery
is little hating, but he Is always self
possessed and the peculiarity of his