The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-02-19
SACRAMENTO DAILY RECoRDUNIoN. SATURDAY. FEBRUA

cry is decidedly not of it, that it is a
family resort with more than a pre-
tense to the name, and just such a one
as is found in every large town in the
| Fatherland. Also, that it is a very
profitable investment for the proprie-
| tors.
Speaking of vaudeville, what a me-
| teor in the dramatic world it has be-
come in the past few years. How the
eyes of an old timer would open with
establishment were he to make a casual
visit to Keith's or Pastors of an even
ing nowadays and see the crowds that
are turned away because Of lack Of ca
pacity, seating or standing. The vau-
deville patron is often thankful If he
can secure the latter, and especially for
tunate If seat is obtained after a
wait of several hours in & crowd be-
hind the last row.
The causes of this success are at
tributable to one circumstance. The
work done by the average wage Garner
in a large city to-day is decidedly not
of a character to fit him for enjoying
anything which savors at all of the in
tellectual in the way of amusement in
the evening. The times demand some
thing in a lighter vein, something
which the fatigued mind need not
dwell upon and which refreshes rather
than educates and it is because of this
that the variety man looks prosperous,
While his playhouse is packed every
evening with people who depend not
upon .'deadheads," and who represent
all walks in life from the bank Presi-
dent to his Office boy.
AT almost regular periods some vau-
deyille genius puts a new attraction
before the public that meets with in
slant and widespread success, the idea
| is copied in a form more or less mod
flied by the other variety managers and
it fingers generally till superseded in
the popular favor. Now that the peo-
pie have grown tired of the animated
pictures, made by the various scopes
and graphs, they are no longer found
| in up-to-date vaudeville and instead
we now have the living song sheet"
AS this simple novelty seems to have
taken quite a strong hold here and
because it threatens to overSpread the
country, a few remarks relative there
to may be in order.
The principal element which enters
into the composition of this latest dra-
matte, or more properly speaking. his
trionic hit, is very large piece of
framed, white canvas embellished
through the efforts of sign-artist and
a pot Of black paint. When complete
as its name implies, It consists of the
words and music of a popular song, or
rather, the chorus of it, painted in he
roic proportions. The body Of each
note is simply an aperture through
which can be thrust head, generally
belonging to one of our colored breth-
rem, and which does not show any 9TH
er part of the person
When the curtain ascends each note
has it's respective head, whose owner
is mounted upon ladder, or some
thing similar, on the other side of the
canvas. A graceful soubrette then trips
upon the stage and proceeds to sing.
AS the chorus is reached the song sheet
makes known the reason for its pres
ence with a volume of sound more or
less harmonious and it is to be adj
mitted that it is generally less, and
whose best feature is it's strength. The
awkward position in which the human
notes are placed causes the dusky
physiognomy to assume all sorts of
peculiar, chameleonic expressions
which seem to strike the audience as
inexpressibly ludicrous and in this cir
cumstance. principally, seems to lie the
cause Of the success of this latest nov
city
A great fire in the city is not an un-
common event, but nevertheless is an
interesting, and, generally, inspiring
sight to the beholders thereof While
this is due in part to the natural feel
ing of awe which great conflagration
creates in the average mind, il is also
because of a realization of the great
danger which must attend such a blaze
in the city, both to the lives of the res
idents of the unfortunate building as
We'll as to the safety of the heroes that
fight it.
When the department is generally
called out to a fire it can entertain
reasonable prospects of having to cope
with it aided by appliances of improved
and wonderful effectiveness; sometimes,
however, these conditions do hot exist
and then there is trouble for the man
of the rubber coat and helmet as we'll
as additional excitement for the onlook-
ers. But, generally, the New York fire
laddie comes out on top any way.
On Friday evening at the same tins
that the remarkable confiagration was
in progress down town near the Post
office, another important event of
similar nature demanded attention way
up at the other end of the city. This
was at the northern terminus of the
Sixth-avenue elevated road and direct
ly beneath that marvellous structure
known as the Harlem viaduct 1t ia
here that are located the two arenas
where are held all the great baseball
and football contests that take place
on Manhattan Island. About them and
the elevated station, are huddled a
group of frame structures, saloons
casinos, etc, large and small. The To-
cality being sparsely settled the city
has never devoted much attention to
supplying fire hydrants to the neigh
boring streets.
While considerable loss was suffered
in the way of club houses, grandstands
and railroad property it is probable that
the destruction of the other buildings
was more Of a benefit than otherwise. as
their reputation of late years has been
anything but the best. 1t was in one
OF them last fall that the murdered
treasurer of the Colorado Democratic
organization was last seen alive, by
the way.
The fire, which had good material as
basis, soon became a great sea of
flames that afforded a magnificent spec
tacle. The brilliancy of the illumfna-
ton seemed to have attracted all of
Harlem and the viaduct and Dead