The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-16
ENTHUSIASM AT THE THEATERs.
Audiences Cheer When They Sec the Flag
or Hear a Patriotic Song.


| From the N. Y. Tribune
The temper of the people of New
| York is indicated to some extent by the
manner in which they have been
receiving the patriotic appeals made on
the stages of the various theaters with
In the last week. The subject has
already been referred to more than once
in these columns. In the theaters of
the east and west side of the town,
where 1t is the custom for the upper
part of the house to ring with applause
at noble sentiments, ii is always ex-
pected that line put into the play to
catch the patriotic taste of the gallery
will meet with prompt recognition, and
it always does. But If the patriotism
OF Third avenue and Eighth avenue is
more vociferous than that of Broadway
on ordinary occasions il is not more Deep
and now the spirit has captured Broad
way, and 1t has done 1t, too, as easily
as the guns and torpedoes and mines of
Sandy Hook would sink Spanish fleet,
if need We're.
There is no other place where it is so
easy to get the people of New York
| together as in a theater, except, per-
haps, in City Hall park, when the prom
Use OF some news is held out, so 1t is
naturally to the theaters that one turns
to find public sentiment expressed. As
far as there is any record it was Days
theater that began it. About the second
night after the Maine was sunk the
orchestra at Days played 1.-THE Star
Spangled Banner" and Yankee Doo-
die" between the acts and the audience
showed its approval of the tunes in no
uncertain manner.
The next night half the theaters
in town were doing Things of the same
sort or were announcing what they
were going to do as soon as they could
make the necessary elaborate prepara-
tons. And they all did IT. The determi-
nation seems to have been to stir the
audience with the sight of flag or the
sound of tune at every possible or
impossible opportunity. Impossible, rs
well as possible, be it said, because the
flag and the songs are introduced in
times and places where they could
never be if the consistency of the play
We're considered. But consistency is
not considered when the manager
thinks that his audience wants to show
bit of patriotism The dim streets of
Paris by night, in THE Two Orphans"
ring with the strains of THE Star
Spangled Banner" and newer song
about the American flag awakens the
echoes of the English forest where the
Bow street detective seeks his outlaw
prey. And no place seems more appro-
pirate for the Red, White and Blue and
a song about them than a Spanish
stronghold in Peru in 1900 and odd.
Indeed, it was just there that one of
the most remarkable instances oc-
lei Captain" at the Fifth Avenue thea
ter. The finale of the second act of that
operetta has always been a favorite
with the audiences because of the STIR
ring music and the gay march of the
company. When it came the appear
ance of the Spanish flag in the process
sion called forth absolutely no demon
stration from the audience That is a
point worth considering, too. A singer
was Kissed in Madrid the other day for
being an American. What would hap
pen in q theater in that city if anybody
should dare to carry an American flag
on the stage? The subject is too dread
full to think of.
At the Fifth Avenue theater the
Spanish flag was borne upon the stage,
though the bearers did not wave it with
quite their old enthusiasm, and nothing
was done. But a moment later when
the American flags appeared, something
was done. The managers had provided
quantity Of small flags, and these
were waved frantically all over the
house, while everybody applauded and
eheered, the band played and the people
on the stage sang. To the members of
the company themselves 1t was some
thing of a surprise. They had been
marching and singing all the season,
but the Seventh Regiment band was on
the stage now, swelling the volume of
sound. They had not had that before
and they had not had the American
flags before. The emotion was so con-
tagious that a girl who had to carry
one of the flags all but broke down.
As it was, she stood and waved the flag
with tears that she had no extra hands
to wipe away streaming down her
cheeks and testing the claims made by
the manufacturers of the makeup
preparations that their wares would
stand anything that could happen to
them. When the curtain was down
some of the girls with less poetic ma
lures laughed at her for crying.
We'll. L don't care" she sobbed. Il
couldn't help ii. It was too beautiful"
Down in Fourteenth street there was
different scene, and the audience was
not so self-contained in regard to the
colors of Spain. A trained dog was
exhibited at Tony Pastors theater, and
one of his tricks was to pick out from
a number of flags the one of the nation
called for by his master. When he was
told TO get the flag of Spain and did so,
there We're loud Misses all over the
house. The poor dog was astonished.
He had always been applauded before
for guessing his flag right, and he knew
of no reason for Kisses unless he had
guessed wrong, and he was intelligent
enough to know that he had done that.
But his feelings were soothed by the
applause that greeted him when he was
told to pick out the flag that he loved
best and Loyalty picked out the Ameri-
can. Then he realized that something
more was inspiring the audience than
his own skill in choosing colors. though,
not being a dog of war, he did not alto
gether understand what it was.
over at the Grand opera house. where
Primrose & Vests MINISTRIES are at
present, they sang a song entitled,
Uncle Sam, Tell Us Why You Are
Waiting?" and the audience seems to
feel that it is really entitled TO know.
At several of the theaters the audiences
have stood up and sung THE Star
| Spangled Banner or Yankee Doodle
when the orchestra started the tune.
America" has been sung. too. but that
Is less popular, because so many per-
sons feel keenly that 1t has the same
tune as God Save the Queen" and
that, with no offense to Great Britain.
savors of too much royalty for the
present purpose. A new song about the