New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-25
EyTHrsIASM AT THE THEATRES.
AUDIENCES ''WHOOP 1T UP" WHEN THEY
SEE THE FLAG OR HEAR
PATRIOTIC SONG

Tho temper OF the people OF Network IS indi-
Gated 10 some extent by the manner in which they
have been receiving the patriotic appeals made on
| tn. stages 81 the various theatres within the last
week The subject has already been referred 10
| NOR. than once in these columns. In the theatres
~ the east and side OF the town. whore II is
the custom for the upper part OF the house to
ring with applause AZ noble sentiments Il Is al
ways expected that line put into the play 10 catch
the patriotic taste o, the gallery will meet with
prompt recognition and It always does. But X the
patriotism OF Third-ave. and Eighth-ave. Is more
vociferous than that Of Broadway on ordinary oc-
casions It Is deep. and now the spirit has
captured Broadway. and Il has done It, too as
easily guns and torpedoes and mines 81 Sandy
Hook would sink Spanish nee:. ~ need were.
There Is no other place where II Is easy 10 get
the people Of New-York together as in theatre,
except perhaps. In City Hall Park when the prom
Use OF some news is held out. So II Is naturally 10
the theatres that one turns ~ fnd public sent-
m.nt expressed As far as there Is any record II
was Days Theatre that began It. About the sec
ond night after the Maine sunk the orchestra
at Days played The Star-Spangled Banner and
Yankee Doodle" between the acts and the au-
dience showed its approval Of the tunes in no un-
certain
The next night half the theatres In town were
doing things of the same sort were announcing
what they going 10 do as soon as they could
make the necessary elaborate preparations And
they all did q. The determination seems TO nave
been to stir the audience with the sight OF flag
or the sound Of tune at every possible OF I'M
possible opportunity. Impossible. we'll as posi-
BILE be r. said because the flag and the songs are
introduced in times and places where they could
never he II the consistency Of the play were con
sidered But consistency is not considered when
tho manager thinks that his audience wants TO
show a blt NJ PATRIOTISM The dim streets Of Paris
by night In THE Two Orphans" ring with the
strains Of The Star-Spangled Banner. and n
newer song about the American nag aTakers me
detective seeks his outlaw prey. And no place
seems more appropriate for tho Red. White and
Blue and song about mem T than spanish S'fo"s-
Indeed. it just there that one OF the most
opening night OF "El Captain" at the Fifth Avenue
Theatre. The finale OF the second act OF that nat
audiences because Of the stirring music and The
sS msTSa of Of me span flags n the
called forth absolutely no demonstration from me
a singer was Kissed in Madrid the other day for
being an American. What would happen IN "a
carry an American flag on the stage? The subject
is TOO dreadful TO think Of ,-,.. 49,. c,o,,sh
far vas borne upon the stage. though the bearers
Of did not wave It with ao gue nm thei1 Moment 1a emf
later when the American flags appeared. some
thing done Ts qd had q 10
Of small flags and these were waved franticaIy al,
over Ie tho band psyed and the people on the
stage sang To the members Of the company them.
BEEN ben marching and singing all the season but the
7th Regiment Band was on the stage now sweiiing
before and they had not had the American fags
before The emotion was so cohtasl0us tt IA, d
down As il was she stood and waved her flag,
with tears that she had no extra hands 70 wipe
claims made by the manufacturers Of the makeup
preparations that their wares would stand any
tain was down some OF the girls with less poetic
natures laughed at her for crying -, ,.... ,.,,
We'll. don't care" she soooed' / couldn't heip
Down in Fourteenth-st. there was differen,.
scene and the audience was not so self-contained
IN regard 10 the colors OF Spain. A trained dog
was Exhibited at Tony Pastors Theatre. and one
Of his tricks was pick out from number or
hags the one of the nation called 20 for by MS
house The poor dog was astonished he had al
ways been applauded before for guessing his flag
right and he knew Of no reason for Misses unless
he had guessed wrong and he was in.
greeted him when he was told 70 pick out the flag
American i.n Then he realized that something more
was inspiring the audience than his own skill in
n0 Sd Eo atogeher what 0k
over a, the Grand Opera House. where Prim-
rose oSg United TneIs Sam Tell e. WIZ yong Yos
Are Waiting? and the audience seems TO feel that
theatres the audiences have stood up and sung
The sar-spenslsd b Banner S or Yankee Doodle
So many persons fee keenly that il mas the same
offence to Great Britain. savors too much OF royalty
for the present purpose \ new song about the
flag Is to go into Robin Hood al the broadway
Theatre tomorrow night, and one has already gone
into "A Normandy Wedding" at the Herald Square
Everywhere It Is the same. and the enthusiasm
does not seem TO nag from night TO night. while
the manager. are rivalling one another 10 mako
their appeals to the loyalty Of their audiences In
tho most effective manner