The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25

and she rendered it stirrinsiy. But Il was moss:
Salvador Won. Too familiar with It 70 hnd q |
single surprise, In its rousing description, the
and Riggies. Even the woman's unhandseme
Jockey costume was not Of s%uflcient inter
s Sssc 10 ho and att ,h n oa bat when Inc tape was
audience at once became noisily demonstrative
and the noise OF those who laughed was
Dor was another fragment Of ancient history,
Lucky Jim, How I Envy Hint which the
sptsss' stt ssSGsSa S tGewsba f 10 SSEdan the aSs sas "a t ano
n%ouncing the next speciality. 1t, too, was freely
Dyes, and with their Joke ended settled back to ;
view the next speciality. Not q hiss was heard
The show business drops to Its lowest depths
at Coney Island. Tho narrow street nicknnmed
the Dowery Is lined with places In which stage
performances arc given. A mild measure of
police supervision is enforced, and nothing indc-
cent is permitted. but vulgarity Is plenty and
merit 10 ecant. Half a dozen vaudeville theatres
arc open wide, without money and without
price, except that the visitor must buy drinks
at frequent intervals. The. performances In
those places last continuously from 2 o'clock in
the afternoon until midnight, and none OF the
performers is permitted to be of the stage much
during all that time. The programmes
are made up OF songs and dances,
with connecting spells of dialogue. The
actresses are Of two distinct types-those who
have good looks and no talent, and those who
have talent and no good looks. No woman In
WHOM, those two qualities were combined would
need to 60 on q Coney Island stage. The women
wear nondescript costumes from the fraycd
remnants Of many wardrobes. The exposure of
legs is no moro common than In the ordinary
burlesque or comic opera. though the display
seems more wanton, because it is not excused
by any assumption of mimicry. and the exhibits
stand idly in a semi,circle when not actively
s saipniysin,i some wsl, Of ana the . f women sSnw sing nnsS or dance as,'
inability are almost Invariably ugly. Young and
f ine else f ihan i EsS s @eii.. The PRs m 1nss arc qS p hGfni
specimens OF humanity. rudely made up in dis;
jay" comedians OF tho day. but, utterly unable
to provoke laughter. or to avoid causing dis
are a score OF beer gardens in which ~quartets
Of v~ocalists occupy, the stages, They sing the
pePr5a%5 5is sSess d 81 tne t asy'h hours ana es ost Of sve sns
twenty-four. These musical fours are negroes
Il many pnim eas reoui sGsans snd OF en HGlsq seems is 20 also SO
at Coney Island in several examples, some of
them fakes, others genuine. and one. a young
has been seen since the Chicago Midway times.
cent shows in which the whole performance
lasts about ten minutes. No nakedness is, per
HlUteu III lutIu Wy IHc pOllCCs duu lnO III IN
which they impart is one OF nausea. Mere catch
penny shows are numerous. They bear mystify-
expectation OF something vicious, but really con-
sistinE OF. women displayed In tableaus or
S Shnsfs to prevent As n%' thsse sH Wom ae1 P PUom being ehne beaa.
tiful or revelatory. the visitor doesn't get his
OF Coney Island. No admission fee is charged.
but tho visitor has to sit down at q table and
order q drink or get out. II he is at all fastidi-
Gus he will quit after one drink, because tho
stage performance is rough and tough. II
through curiosity or depraved taste he wishes
to stay longer than one glass Of beer lasts him,
he will have to buy more beverage. II he under
takes to prolong the time between drinks beyond
ten minutes, he will first be asked about 1t by
a waiter. and II he persists in a non.bibulous
course he will be told to go. 1t will be seen that
dramatic art and sordid IN are blended
In these temples Of the drama. But the
methods are diverse. Jollity is tho policy
in one establishment. while In another. across
the street, scowls prevail. In the first establish.
order-the bouncer"-is a big, broad young fell
low with a smiling face and an air OF uroanity.
Mssi eeh he seems ssm "e to Is de hs htsau wies the as shove IN.
s sSs a to be ssvi FSs as F ss a c nms as S sny 9nt tai II
and heavy enough to servo in a dime museum
at once as giant and fat man, This fellow
joins in the choruses as though he really
couldn't help II, drinks all the beer that visitors
will buy for him. and is a most successful jollier.
The stage performers are a jovial lot, putting
an astonishing amount OF jocular vim inlo their
work, and hardly ever showing dislike or IA
tigue. In the theatre across the WY there is a
contrast in. air and manner. Here the
"bouncer" is a low.browed and threaten
ing rufian. q proyoker Of scraps" with
even peaceably inclined visitors. The
walters are insolent. The men and women on
the stage are stolid, ~listless, and weary. Theat-
ricals are in the mire and muck at both. these
r0Snrfa hut laughter DrayailA in one and frOWnA
in the other. The effect of the different treat
ment upon the same stalwart man was observed.
He was first seen in the theatre of morose man
ners. He began by resenting the ..bouncer's"'
rough order TO take a seat. He refused
to buy a second glass OF beer. because
the waiter was gruff instead Of wheed-
ling. He Kissed at the performance. Finally,
he declined TO quit when told to, and dared them
to put him out. He was triumphant, too. as dis
order Is not desired by the keepers OF these re-
sorts. An hour later he was encountered In the
other theatre. He WAS talkatiye with the good.
humored a. bouncer," he was diverted by the fat
waiter. he sang in chorus with the actresses,
and he was getting drunk.