New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-31


terests Of the play. He was still allowed 10
come 10 n window OF the room. in which the
action took place. and put his head in. Indeed
1t was almost indispensable to hrs significant
mart in the play that he should at least show
himself In this act But one night ne picked
up one Of the potted plants, which STOOD before
the window and waved it joyfuIly at the audi-
ence with the pot dangling at the ehd' anu
after that the plants had to be cut out OF the
scene
OBJECTIONS TO THE USE OF ANIMALS
There are two objections that actors have to
the use Of animals on the stage. One OF them
Is that the jealousy which sometimes marks
even the relations of actors with one another
extends TO the animals. Trained actors do not
actually perhaps fear that their own talents
will be compared unfavorably with those OF
horses and dogs, but when an actor is trying to
make an effective dramatic point, it hurts him
to know that the whole audience is attentive
solely to an animal which is likely TO do some
thing amusing at any moment.
And that is the other objection. You never
can be perfectly sure what an animal viii DO.
Training can lessen the danger to great ex-
tent but actors and stage-Eanagers never feel
trained animals in the dramatic profession was
the horse in Neil Burgess THE County FAR
named Cold Molasses on account of his sup
posed speed There was a scene in the play, in
which Mr. Burgess, as Abigail Prue, sat down in
the farmyard TO think over train Of sad mis-
fortunes and losses, and Cold Molasses stretched
his neck and kissed him on the cheek. The
horse was laugh; to dc this by long, careful
haa ling II.a W ms
again and again. Every time he did it right
he got a lump Of sugar Every time he did it
wrong he had to try it over The Jumps OF
sugar for doing it right were continued at the
performances. as well as at the rehearsals. The
play ran in Ncw-York for the greater part OF
three seasons, and in ali that time the horse
made only one mistake
In the last act Of the play Cold Molasscs had
to run "A race with other horses but this re-
CURED no special training TIE horses were
on an electric treadmill, and they could no more
help running than they could help breathing
This apparatus has often been described in the
papers and it forms no part of the present sub
ject but it may not he inappropriate. even at
this late date to nail press agents lie in re-
CARL to it. According to the plot Of the play.
Cold Molasses had to win the race. but the
clevorness more than for his veracity. procured
the insertion in certain papers Of story to the
effect that the horses became so much interested
in the race that at times heir jockeys could not
hold them back and the wrong horse now and
then won, in spite Of everything that could be
done.
The fact that ea,h Of horses was placed
on a separate. swiftly revolving treadmil. All
oil, hot ho ,,II
do was to keep running SO as not TO fall down
and that feat was enough to occupy his whole
attention. The treadmills themselves were
pushed forward bodily by the stage hands. and
the way-and the only way-that Cold Molasses
or any other horse could win was by the stage
hands pushing his readmill ahead of the
others Tho speed and determination Of the re-
spective horses had no more to do with their
relative times Of arrival than if they had been
crossing a river on different ferryboats.
ANIMALS WITH TALENT.
The two animals that seem TO have real APP
probation of the drama and of their parts in it
are the horse and the dog Monkeys have been
made to do amusing things on the stage, bat
they seem inclined to forget the drama in their
private quarrels. They sometimes all the
more dverting that account, and it may
be argued that this is also a point Of likeness
with prime dome; but is il art?'
And even the best Of animals cannot be de-
pended on with certainty, has been said.
How many hundred times Joseph Jefferson has
been asked why the audience was not allowed
to see the dog that is so much talked about in
RIP Van Winkle". That dog is constantly
heard or but rever He is called, but he
never responds. He is whsted to- but he never
comes The audience is always led to under
stand that he has just gone or is just coming,
and that it barely misses seeing him because