The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-02

Female DevOtees OF Thespia NO"
at Home in the Upper Balcony
PHILADELPHIA Times.

Philadelphia Times. =
Years ago, when it was the Ias slaIS,as in in
Olvmpian deities to disport themselves ~ III
| fresco upon the ceilings or playhoIsSs, -
highest tier of the theater won lis l41 60
iInity of The heavenly company to It's
benches. The eognomen mas GUNS 49, " 10
upper balcony ever since ana tnS aspact
| of this tier of the theater Is sun >, IP-o,9
| fully DESIGNATED as "a gallery god FROM
! time immemorial Zeus and Phoebus Apollo
| have been represented in the critical put
| a1nrecia tive throng above stairs, while
! Hera and Daphne have been depdIIeu ~
accident of sex from sharing sucn od fn,
| icaI histrionic enjoyment. 1t renamed IoI
! the girl Of the period to storm TINS sclIauel,
carry it VIGOROUSLY and force sluuStIS
gods@the gallery girl. Any Saturday after
! noon a casual observer on Broad street. pc
! tween Walnut and Spruce, may see an -
| hibition of prowesS which resembles IioIl-
| ing so much as a bargain counter rush OF
/ an ameteur football game. An array OF
| orderly men stand, one behind the otheT,
! Sometimes doubling the length of their long
! line while to the right crowd or eager
women, probably dominated by the MAXIM
| the first shall be last, contend with each
| other and with the gods Tor the most az
vantageous position. In each teVered right
hand quarter is grasped tightly, ana every
| eye is riveted on the doors, Whlch; FeSdIu-
/ less of inclement weather, remain close
| shut until the clock strikes two. Then, ike
| the window of the imprisoned sage IN the
! fairy tale they open outward, but they
| do not open wide" and a good demonstra-
| ton of two bodies trying to occupy the
L
! interested onlookers. ChiValry is forgotten
the fittest survives. Up the winding stairs
| Thespia breathless, disheveled but tri-
umphant. Once seated, hat and gloves dis
| carded. the gallery girl has time to take
note of her surroundings and study the
| types of nature around her. Almost all
| species of human kind are represented,
| from the college student to the ragged, roll
| licking boy who has saved % cents by
| dint of hard labor" Morning paper, Times,
sir?"-to see the play. The girl who
| sinks behind her muff to prevent a male
| acquaintance on the back row from becom-
| ing cognizant of the awful truth that she
| has expended but the fourth OF dollar
| on the afternoon enjoyment, Is IN ShrInk-
| ing evidence The happy, careless gallery
| god looks down upon the array of fashion
| below and sends Well-directed fragments of
| his programme, whirling, to disturb the
dignity of elderly matron or the absorb
| ing dialogue of a youth and maid. Above
| the pleasant hum of conversation the voice
| or the ticket agent from ms box at the
| head of the stairs rises dryly, HAS any one
| seen, Bertha? Here's ticket left for
Bertha" and the gallery laughs infectiously,
for good humor prevails to a marvellous eX-
tent in the upper tier. Hats off, cries
stern god from his high and mighty perch
| in the topmost bench Immediately below the
roof. Several rows in front sits q young
woman, whose hat of alarming dimensions
remains steadfastIy welded to the curly
head. "A well-directed nut lodges upon the
crown another besieges the rolling brim
while sepulchral cries of Take i OFF, IT'S
not becoming!" Hats off, and a chorus
of Kisses bring an angry flush TO the face
and THANK you, so much" greets this tardy
obedience to the unwrtten laws of the
higher balcony. The Vender of rock and rye
cough drops elbows through each row, re-
CARELESS of the disturbance his passage Gre
ates, and when demonstrated with replies
truthfully, when we're crowded, lady. is
the best time to make money" Half buried
beneath the waves OF a New York Journal,
| a breezy-looking individual reads aloud to
TWO attentive companions extracts from the
pen OF Cholly KnickerbOcker and the sport
ing news OF Greater New York, while over
his shoulder the girl, who never buys pa
per that she may with a clearer conscience
read those of her neighbors, devours the adj
mlrabIe drawings and satires perpetrated by
Miss Jessie Wood. An unusual guest among
the gods is a short, sodden man with wayer-
ing uncertain hands and labOred speech
signs Of the times he has celebrated the
treaty Of the peace commission during the
forenoon With sickly pleasantly this Bac-
chanalian god invests in a package of cough
drops and presents them to the discounted
Pifl beside MIN, after which gallant action
MS mead SINKS on his breast and natures
sweet restorer balmy Sleep claims him as
leglumate prey. Upon the steps a bow of
TENDER We lrs lounges, a cigarette between
ms teetn Lelsurely extracting a match from
ms pocket, ne strikes a light and applies it
70 MS weed. "A precise dame near by saws
GHIqlngly: You must not smoke up here,
niue boy Precosity bites off the end Of
ms clgdITo ana laughs prOVOkingly. while
MS mentor silently mathematics the ruses
OF conIectlonerS. But one element is lack
ing 70 make the gallery of the gods a radiant
example Of agreeable economies '@That
most excellent canopy. the air . is excluded
from It's precincts, and before the afternoon
10 VHe. q peStIenual congregation of va
P1rs is inhaled in lieu of healthy oxygen.
however the plays the thing and the
| philosophical gods are content if actors and
Drama adequately hold as it were the mir
ssoa UP 10 nature, showing virtue her own
s @'uIeS ScoIh 9er own image. and the very
sure - anu =