The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-07

got lump of sugar. Every time he did it
wrong he had to try il over. The Jumps
OF sugar for doing il right We're continued
at the performances, as Wen IS at the re-
hearsals. The play ran in New York for
the greater part Of three seasons, and in
ali that time the horse made only one mis-
take.
In the last act of the play Cold NIolasses
mad to run race. with other horses, but
this required no special training. The
horses We're on an electric treadmiu, and
they could no more help running than they
could hep breathing. This apparatus has
often been described in the papers, and 1t
forms no part of the present subject, bun
1t may not be Inappropriate even at this
late date, to nal a press agents lie in
regard 10 it. According to the plot of the
play, Cod Molasses had to win the race,
but the press agent who is to be COM
mended for his cieverness more than for
his veracity, procured the insertion in Ger
tain paper of story to the effect that the
horses became so much interested m the
race that at times their jockeys could not
mold them back and the wrong horse now
and then won, in spite of everything that
could be done.
The fact was that each Of horses was
placed on a separate, swiftly revolving
treadmill. All that the horse had to do,
and all that he could do, was TO keep run
mus 81 olS llQt 70 ldAl QONi ana IHdl
feat was enough 10 occupy his whole at
tention 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 treadmli
ahead OF the Others The speed and de.
termination of the respective horses had
no more to do with their relative times
of arrival than if they had been crossing
river on different fQrrVhOatS
The two animals thar seem to have
real appreciation of the drama and of their
parts in il are the horse and the dog. Mon
keys have been made to do amusing things
on the stage, but they seem inclined TO
10 forget the drama in their private quar-
rels They are sometimes ali the more dl-
Verting on that account, and il may be
argued that this is also a point of like
ness with prime dome; but is it art?'
And even the best of animals cannot be
depended on with certainty, as has been
said. How many hundred times Joseph
jefferson has been asked why the audi
ence was not allowed 70 see the dog that
is so much talked about in rip Van Win
klel" That dog is constantly heard of
but never seen. He called, but he never
responds. He is whistled for, but he never
responds. He Is whistled to, but he never
comes. The audience is always led TO un-
derstand that he has just gone or is just
coming, and that 1t barely misses seeing
him because of the too early fan or the
too late rise of the curtain, or the sudden
departure of Rip or the interference of
Gretchen. 1t is Schneider who would GER
tainly know Rip if he should see him. but
ne never does see him. and the audience
never sees Schneider. 1t is always
grief. But Mr.. jefferson never dared to
let Schneider appear. He always feared
that he would bark, or tip over a table,
or make some other error in his acting
at the time when 1t would cost most to the
effect OF the scene.
Yet dogs have been employed on the
stage with good effect. A woolly little
beast took the part Of Crab in Mr.. DAILY 5
production of 1.-TWO Gentlemen of Verona"
and played it well and to the delight of
the audiences. James Lewis spent no end
of time and patience in training him,
and seemed 10 care more for the success
of the dogs part in the play than for his
own. And everybody remembers the i'm
portance of the bloodhounds in Uncle
Toms Cabin" f. H. Sothern had a dog
which licked his hand az the proper place
in the play. To make sure of 1t, the hand
was rubbed with sausage.
The pig an untractable animal in gen
eral, can always be depneded on for two
things on the stage-to squeal violently
when he is pinched and drink milk out of a
bottle Both of these performances are
generally regarded as amusing. Plenty OF
other animals have been employed with
freoilency There were COWS and chickens
in 1.-THE County Fair" and oxen in THE
OLD Homestead" Reindeer have been In
troduced in Arctic plays; elephants and
camels have figured in Around the World
in Eighty Days and other plays; deer
have stalked about in LAS You Like IL,
at Days theater, and all the animals that
the managers could get hold of were
r,iaraded in THE Country Circus" Ed
ward Harrjgan used to fill his stage with
pigs and dogs and goats and chickens and
and ducks and geese, to add to the scene
of confusion of which he and his audience
were so fond, and nobly did they do TINS
duty. But no animals are really TO pc
trusted on the stage except horses and
dogs, and the only absolute safety Is TO
leave out even these.