The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-19

Everything He Touches Turns TO Gold or
Its Equivalent.

ItS E4ulNdhSiits
Hillary Bell, the entertaining reviewer
OF the New York Press, has this to say
about a successful New York theatrical
manager:
GAS IL Is always interesting to know
something about the history OF distin-
guished citizens we have no hesitation In
stating that Oscar Hammerstein was
evolved from a cigar cutter. lie was. so
to speak, Graded In tobacco, ana pro-
ceeded, like the geni of the Arabian
Nights, from smoke. Before his cigar
cutter period the world knew not Ham
merstein, but since that time his deeds
have filed the nostrils OF fame. by APP
plying his youthful mind hard to the
problem he invented the machine that
now makes almost all the cigars that are
smoked. His royalties from his inven-
tion are prodigious, and although he Is
still a comparatively young man, Mr..
Bammerstein Is worth several millions,
every dollar of which fortune has been
honestly earned.
man of genius Is not to be confined
to cigar cutters. Oscar Hammerstein
bought half OF Harlem as an investment
for the future, and thea sighed Tor new
worlds to conquer. He entered the the
atrlcal field. built the handsome Harlem
Opera House and rebuilt the Columbia,
on whose stage Loie Fuller first intro
duced her now famous DANCE. In addi-
tion to his other good gifts, Hammer
stein IL a lineal descendant OF Midas
Everything he touches turns to gold, and
his various properties up town prospered
exceedingly. Harlem was too small Tor
his ambitious fancy and presently he
came down 10 see us with his head full OF
ideas and his pockets plethoric with
money. Our folk bad scorD for the Har-
lem man who dug a hole in Thirty
fourth street and poured his wealth into
1t, and even when the splendid Manhat-
tan Opera House was dedicated It's owner
and manager found SO few friends that
his venture arrived at disaster The
house was hoodooed by Mrs. Bernard
Beere and the subsequent English opera
engagement was unlucky. But Oscar Is
a man OF resources as well as brains, and
presently he plDcked safety out OF danger
by forming a partnership with Roster IL
Bial, thus esta blisbing a vaudeville
house that Is without rival In the worid
today. By this venture Mr.. Hammer
stein cleared an income OF about $50, 600 q
year on his investment. But being OF a
choleric temper, he quarreled with MS
partners over the employment OF a singer
who rad nothing except diamonds and
beauty TO recommend her. Oscar Kissed
III Dio one night, and on that sibilant
expression OF artistic disfavor Olympia
was built We owe this wonderful tenn
pie of amusement TO Di Dio. Roster d
L
performer in his own theater. Hammer
stein said he was right and he spent ex-
actly 100000 TO prove his Judgment
Fortune favors Hammersteip. On the
opening night OF Olympia he took in 5000.
Since that time his box office receipts
for the three theaters in one have aver
aged nearly 5000 night. After paying
interest on the money invested in the
buildings and all expenses, salaries and
advertisements, Oscar Hammerstein has
already earned 5000 profits on his ven-
ture. IL must be remembered that Olym-
pia has a vaudeville theater, a concert
hsll and comic opera theater under its
widespreading roof. The latter is pro-
vided with an ingenious amusing
entertainment by that rival genius, Il.
T.. Rice. The concert hall supplies good
music for the mind and refreshments of
various sorts for the body. The vaude-
Vile theater, although opened some time
previously, was formally dedicated by
Ivstte Guilbert. The engagement Of that
singer marked new record III salaries.
Every body doubted the managers sense
when he paid $1,000 a week for the French
woman's services, and even this journal,
which has believed in Hammerstein from
the first, apprehended his speedy disaster.
The Casino people would not go higher
than $500 week for Guilbert, and Ca
nary az Lederer could not be tempted be-
yond an offer of $1,000. But Hammerstein
10 DIS anu ulhut IL
proposal ID the French woman that aston
ished the world. III he had lost m oney on
her contract 1t would still have been a
valuable advertisement for Olympia. But
he cleared over 5000 on the engagement.
Furthermore, he is the only one who
could have made money out OF this ex-
pensive singer. Mr.. Grau lost on the sub
sequent contract with her, and Yvette left
America with humility that was in
strange contrast TO her triumphant arri-
val in il. Probably we shall never see
Guilbert again. She has earned all the
money we intend to give for her songs.
Monsieu Tadee Mark means TO marry her
and spend his declining years walking
down the Bois de Boulogne, singing a
gladstone song to the effect that he is the
man that broke the bank at Monte Carlo.
Truly Oscar Hammerstein Is a versatile
genius. 1hink of man who can invent
universal cigar cutter, earn several
millions, build three of the finest theaters
of modern times, make money out of Gull
bert, manage five houses at once, compose
an opera, which from a popular point of
view is more successful than many of the
works of the greatest musicians, and in
vent ballet that is wholly original,
beautiful and artistic Very good music,
too-some Of 1t itborrowed from old German
folk songs. some of 1t French in theme,
all of il spirited, pleasing and tuneful. A
new and abundant genius came into the
entertainment world in the original, am
L. s.z.a a..I xwffs saI IIot aNtt,sar cfgfU