The San Francisco call., 1897-03-28

gray twilight, which gave place to night
again. In fact, the only possible e1plana-
ton for the rapid alterations of light
and darkness was that the electrician saw
fit to modulate the glow according to the
intensity OF the emotions expressed on the
stage-the darker the passions the more
funereal the gloom.
Having seen Foedor in LA Navarraiss"
l am now possessed of burning desire to
see what the beautiful Aimee Pascal would
do as Anita. The curiosity to hear Pascal
is quite widespread. Foedor says that
Pascal cannot sing. Pascal declares that
tie only hindrance to her singing is that
Foedor will not give her chance. ''The
best way to decide the question is TO let
US hear Pascal" said a French friend of
mine the other day, and he added: "El'e
aurait un grand success de curiosite'-
and you know a success OF curiosity fills
the management's Golfers as quickly as
any other sort of success.
NJ. Jean Jules Samuel Barnard has
achieved greatness and will 60 down to
posterity side by side with Napoleon,
Louis TX and Charlemagne. A month
ago Barnard was unknown to fame, to-day
his name is on every tongue in Paris.
This modern hero has not led crusade
against the Moslems or won another Aus
terlitz, but he has achieved greater vic
tory than Napoleon dreamed of-Jean
Jules Samuel Barnard has practically
routed the theater hat from French soil.
There has been a great anti theater hat
Iefo
papers have published columns of inter
views on the hat question. Male theater-
goers, walled in behind big chapeaur, have
m sde anti hat demonstrations; but all to
no avail, for the hats were always with
them in every part of the house, blotting
out the stage and turning the joy of
theater- going into q delusion and
mockery.
One evening, when the anti-hat wave
was at its height, Barnard bought an or
chestra ticket at the Athenee Comioue to
see Mime. Putiphar." No sooner had he
taken his seat than he realized that he
might as well have gone to the Bois de
Boulogne or any other semi-rural retreat,
for his view consisted solely of wilder
ness of flowers, foliage and birds that
DFlstioO III QlEcCllOn iIOm TWO
theater hats. Barnard did not call an
usher and make a scene, he uttered no
audible protest. He put on his own hat
and awaited developments.
He had not long to wait, for almost in
mediateIy there were protestations and
cries OF "chapeaul chapeau" from all
sides. An usher approached and politely
b
fused, alleging that imm ediately in front
If him were two ladies whose hats were
much higher than his, and that they COM
pletely hid the stage from his view. The
usher insisted and menaced Barnard with
a com missaire of police. When matters
became so strained that riot seemed i'm
minent Barnard withdrew to the box
office and asked the treasurer for his
money back. the treasurer refused and
after having the refusal witnessed to by
another employe of the theater Barnard
went away.
The epiIogue to these incidents was
that the director of the Athenee Comlque
received a citation to appear before a
Justice of the Peace, at the request of NJ
Jean jules Samuel Barnard. After
summing up the facts in the case. the
citation, robbed of its legal phraseoIogy.
read: something like this: There is no
ordinance in France compelling men 10
AXE off their hats in the theater.
Women's hats, by their ridiculously exag-
gerated dimensions, cause much more
annoyance than any mans hat could pos
sibly do, and yet they are tolerated in
every part of the theater. The difference
of sex does not suffice to explain this in
equality in tolerating an abuse. Men
have more excuse for keeping on their
hats than women, as they suffer more
from badness. In consequence NJ. Jean
Jules Samuel Barnard demands the resti-
tuition OF the francs he expended for his
seat, plus 213 francs damages for having
been deprived of the pleasure of seeing
the performance.
The French press considers it q fore.
gone conclusion that Barnard will win his
case. which means that he will esta blisn
the fact that the Code Napoleon contains
no article which prohibits the wearing of
hats in theaters by men. With the Bar
nard precedent to sustain him theater-
goer eclipsed behind big chdpeou has
simple remedy. He puts on his own hat
ana Immediately the performances is
stopped by cries of "Chapeau."
By claiming equal rights for both sexes
Barnard is considered to have solved
problem that statesmen. philosophers.
supervisors, poets and journalists have
grappled with for years in vain.
MARIE EVELYN.
Baldwin Theater.