The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-12-14
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Tho Old Rialto and the New Where
Vaudevillians Congrcgate-A Club
Movement For BOYS.
Especial Correspondence.1

There are always to be found in this
city great many persons who never
tire OF recountiug the changes which
have taken place within the past decade
or two and OF deploring the departure
OF the good old" this, that or the 9TH
en-. The deterioration" of the Bowery
INTO condition of semirespectability
has been alluded TO frequently, and
there is no doubt that the change has
been marked, but there arc sections of
Broadway, the main thoroughfare Of
the city, which have undergone greater
transformation.
A few years ago, for instance, Union
square was the headquarters for mem
bers of the theatrical profession, and
one could not pass that point at any
time between the hours of a. III. and
midnight without rubbing elbows with
some of tho best known figures of the
stage. 1t was then quite the thing for
an actress who was DESTROYS of getting
little free advertising through tho
medium OF being pointed out by those
in the know" to promenade around
the four sides of the square. Most of tho
theatrical agencies and some of tho
dramatic newspapers were i'll the imme-
diate vicinity, and all that helped to
give the place particularly theatrical
atmosphere which has never since been
possessed by any section of this or any
other city i'll America
Stamping Ground of Vaudevillians.
A little later the up town march of
everything was felt by the Rialtoites,
and those worthless, never to DO left be-
hind, quietly folded their tents and stole
away i'll tho rear of the new movement.
Ono section alone remained The vaude-
vile people staid there because Tony
PASTORS theatcr, then the acme of posi-
b1l1ty III tho way of u variety house,
was i'll Fourteenth street. Gradually,
however, even they began to leave, until
Keith, tho continuous performance in
ventor, bought tho old Union Square
theatcr That effectually checked tho up
town movement SO far as the vaudeville
people wcro concerned, and now tho
square is tho stamping ground of the
fellows who do turns and of very few
people besides. 1t is no longer one of
the great Kaleidoscope sights of tho city
which every visitor felt III duty bound
to sec at tho first opportunity.
The Present Rialto.
When tho Rialto proper left Union
square, it moved up only short dis
lance, being thereafter located along
broadway from Twenty fourth to Tween
ty-eighth street. Within those limits
were located the offices of most of tho
prominent theatrical purveyors, and
where they arc there, of course, arc
also tho actors. Then Harrigan's, now
the Garrick, was built; the Metropolitan
was already at Thirty ninth street; Alb
bey's now tho Knickerbocller, went IN
at Thirty eighth street, just across the
way from tho Casino; the Broadway
was doing nicely at Forty-first street;
Charles Frohman and his friends put uD
the Empire ut Fortieth; the old New
Park theater was refurbishcd and re-
christened the Herald Square, and Oscar
HammersteiE built his stupendous
Olympia at Fortyfourth street, while
Roster 81 Balls big music hall was Oh
Thirty fourth, near Broadway. This
made another move on the part of tho
histrions necessary before they had got
fairly used to their latest quarters, but
they took it, and now if you ask we'll
posted resident to direct you to the Ri
alto he will tell you that it extends
along Broadway from the Manhattan,
formerly the Standard, thcater, lust be-
low Thirty-third street, as far as Forty
fifth street. And while we arc apt to
smile ut the suggestion that the actors
haunts have anything to do with MAX
ing the popularity of portion of n fash
lonable street, it is II fact that the popu-
lar promenade OH Broadway has ALWAYS
been where tho Rialto happened to be.
A Club Movement For Boys.
The club movement i'll New York has
been very successful i'll the boys world,
according to the well known authority,
MarSherita Arlina Hamm, who further
declares that it is loved by nearly all
healthy boys, and so far as it has been
studied does world of good. 1t tends
to make young America thoughtful and
to teach the largeness of the world
about him. a small boy who was dill
lSent reader and was we'll known at tho
east side branch CT the Aguilar library
was asked by Il librarian who his favor
lite female characters were. He thought
for "a second, and then, with proud
smile, responded, "NIe muther, John
of tho Ark and Lucretia Borgia.''
1t was another young man of the
same style of thought who stoutly main
tanned that General Butler was tho
greatest general of modern times be-
cause after he licked the enemy he let
his soldiers take all tho plumber each
man could carry and only took the
spoons for himself''
Another small boy belonging to the
club i'll st. Marks place was asked by
one of the committee what he thought