Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-06-02
INAUGURATED MANY IDEAS
Now Common to Every Travelling
Theatre Company and Circus.
OF OTHER wELL-KNowN AGENTS
who Have Won Distinction in the
Same Fieid-A Position Rcauir-
Ing Great Ability.

One OF the most important metnoers
Of theatrical or circus organization
OF today is the press agent. He is not
known to the public. His name does
not appear upon the posters that gar
nlsh the dead walls, bill boards and
country fences. 1t IL his mission to
boom the show: to advertise II In every
possible way. II is ho who writes the
bills and gets up fake diamond rob
berries to advertise his star. His line
Is peculiar one. In the first place he
must be literary man and man OF
Ideas. He must be resourceful, active
and OF engaging presence, to be sue
cessful. Men with all these qualities
are hard TO procure. Hence, most OF
the prominent agents were originally
newspaper men, either editors or re-
porters. Many a star has owed her
success to an active, brilliant and re-
sourceful press agent. who has inter-
ested the public In her performance
and who has surrounded her with n
halo OF interest and mystery. He
writes essays on all manner of subjects
FOR her. which he gets published in the
newspapers over her signature. and
with her portrait. He writes inter-
Views with her or gets her interviewed
In about every town that she visits,
An nt ONO, tho at,r bi,,sso,,, o,,t into
, ,,,,..,. So, -.
ioi'i'neHt puTAohhEe' an 'hrous"
me eHorts OF the active agent
In the old times there was no such
person as the prass nrent IA he is
known today.
In the spring Of 1871 Dan Rice was In
chicago with his Paris Pavilion Circus
and wanted press agent. He didn't
know lust ,ybnt IL ,voa lint he wanted
an, ~, t.,,i, a., -, ~, M,
-, ~ 'V"N "l' DoNlu H. h"'laS On
trlal anu AT the END OF the week prompt
~ discharged him. Some Of Thomas
friends went TO MIR. Rice and reminded
him that fbt,,,.s. ,,.,,, 49,, ~ h,i
! to,,, a., -.
Wv" ''' new pcEIhh'r 10 WORK the
| press ana suggested that he try him In
! some other city. Detroit was the next
| stand and Mr. Thonns' rrsea zvnrl, In
that citv rIc,s,i ,I,,, -, .,,.,,,,.,,,,,,
| 49, '''r '''Vl az '.''N MAJ"
''''uo, N''N'I'hu' ERIE butlalo' hoch-
ester. syracuse and Utica were worked
/ up to a Ike Juror. nnd n visit to the
| Paris Pavilion Cir,ra ,,,,, ,,,t, ,s
| e,ghto,,,tt, ,.' ... -,
.o'i'.uu'p'' aus an evening NJ the opera
| Mr Tholnas took representative news
| paper mon and thcr families In car
| rlages to the pireua TTarn hr ,,t,rcd
| them In "preqs ss1ts T" r.nfr,iiy i,-
Gated. gave hiq persopol nttentiGn ia
| their comfort and at the close Of tho
| performance saw them safely home.
The Paris Pavilion Circus was bookcd
| for Albany for Monday and Tues,lnv
| the same two DAYS tho Rnrnum shnyy
| was to be there. Mr. Rio, was n trine
nervous and he directed Thomas in ca
| on to Albany day In adynnco lie
| did 30 and reached Albany carly snt-
HHF.lH 10
| every bill poster In the city for thnt
| night, 1t rs safe to say that Albany
never presented such "a paIa nnnrnr-
| auce as It did the next morning sun
| day. The city was decorated from
| truck to tnnrall. All billboards were
| covered, OF course but tho workmen
| did not stop when the biIboards gave
| out. Curbstones We're covered Door
| steps decorated, barrels, pushcarts
| piles OF lumber, the docks, the bridges
| freight cars, coal carts, bulletin boardg
| ferry boats, lamp posts, all were cm-
bcllished with pictorial works OF art
aud gushing literature, eulogistic OF mo
! virtues OF Dan Rice and HIS Paris Pa
| vlllun Circus. The twelve Inch stone
! curb that surrounds the capitol
| grounds-about half mile In length.
| was temptation too strong to resist.
| To MIR, Thomas II looked as II made To
| NJ the long, narrow gutter snip" then
| so popular for advertising purposes.
The men tackled 1t about . AM. and
| by sunrise the curb had been trans
| formed into an art gallery. For the
/ entire distance around the Capltol
grounds one might roam and rnge
upon artistlcnlly arrayad yellow "rrt-
| ter ships" which told Of ''Dnn mo "
"Buly O'Brian," lizzie Mnroellne ;,
"Fxcclslor," Paris Pavilion Cirrns 4"
Nelson Family" etc. etc, OF courso
| the Capltol officials had n corne ~
! scrub yyomon nj work na so,,, ~ 80, va
/ aible. II was noon. boweysr nof,r,
| tho stone curb hnd resumed us ,',','
mnl appcnrnnce. and in Tho roor,i,,,,
] thousands az Albany cburcb. sna.s III IN
/ bcnefitnd nv Tho free cxbihi,iet, pl lah
] shows ana n ersnt busin,ss - az "a
| mon record that nan pico l., ~ az ~
and orl,, ma, who e,,a,, M ~ llst
in N circ,,s hottIe Win Nc go i,,s own
10 ,r,,ssdov e,,s,,irc t ~. I Jun
40 No, 49, NJ. t5a u,se' we pat-
- ". Ma' - n'' nun uhu nus
n ,,,, ~, w, u Up avvliuehtally 81
| NJ n' i. =" M. Nutiluut OF the
pCivNIh liouse. ile congregation was
nr.el. put ~ Tvs viosy Mr, IhoInas had
| eeG,etu 70 Julh t"o L"Ilunh snow the
loiloWlhs Spring. or as soon as his
| eukNbVlneht WIN Mr' itlee should
close lie dld inns IN inc spring of
| a. ana win the exception or two or
shree years absence IN Europe was
1 "A IA Nt.. "A.