The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-10

Monday Night-'How Smith Met
Jones.
Wednesday Night-Herrmann, the
Magician.
his week. and the lovers of amusement
viii be given an opportunity to see farce
and an exhibition of magic.
How Smith Met Jones'" which Will
men the week Monday night, is adapted
rom the German of Won Moser. Ii was
ont on in New York last week with Jen-
ne Yeamans in the lead, and the critics
we're kind enough to say that it is good
'arce. It is said TO abound in good, whole
some humor. and depicts the efforts of a
Celtic gentleman to climb into society.
There are no stars in the company. but
,ho advance man claims to have a lot
If good people, and, in the language of
The Rialto he says, the play is sure TO
make good
Hermann. the prestidigitator, who
zones Wednesday night, is a son of Herr
mann the Great, and is the third of his
.amly who have been artists in the world
# sleight-of- hand The Young magician has
ever been seen in Savannah, though he
has been giving exhibitions ever since his
famous father died about three years ago.
His work has been Endorsed by critics
all over the North and West, and he is
sad to possess many of the talents which
his father had, though he is hardly the
magnetic entertainer that his sire was.
He is. however, probably the foremost
purveyor of magic, occult phenomena and
sensational illusions on the American
stage.
Novelties in magic are as essential to
success as in the field of the drama, and
1t is probably TO the fact that Hermann
always presents something new and start
ling, as well as to the marvellous dexter
l-y with which these feats are performed
that his success is due.
Most of the time for this month is filed
at the theater, but there will be no very
prominent attraction here before Oct. IL.
when Mr.. Charles COghlan will present
1.-THE Royal Box" Phil and Nellie Peters
will be here all of next week in a rep
artoire of funny pieces and a lot of deville
specialties. The following week will be
filed by the Peruchi-Beldini Company.
with the exception of Thursday night,
when the engagement will be broken into
by Mile. Fiji" Next month, besides Mr.
o
Remember the Maine" THE Mysterious
Mr. Bugle," Plaster of Paris" little Ma
bel Paige, "The Turtle" Because She
Loved Him So" Lewis Morrison, Wash
burne's Minstrels, and that excellent act
or Otis Skinner.
Every year some new scheme is formu-
lated for the promotion of so-caled Gin
dependent theater." Its purpose is usually
to bring about reforms in the existing or
der of the drama, more especially 10 eman-
clpdle il from the commercial slavery to
which il is necessarily held by existing
conditions. Theatrical managers naturally
look upon the business only as a means
Of livelihood just as other business men
deal in goods build houses or practice
medicine and it is not to be expected
they will give their time and capital to
exploiting plays of high literary or artistic
worth that do not appeal to the mass of
piaysoers.
Lamenting this condition of the theater
in America Mark Twain in a recent after
dinner speech urged the establishment in
this country of something akin to the
burg theater" in Germany and Austria.
Blanche Walsh was the one to grasp at
The cue, and by liberal use of the newspa-
per interview put herself forward as the
one who would bring salvation to the
drama in America, providing only the pub
lie subscribed literally to her endless
chain appeals, and sent her their money
Her plan was manifestly impracticable,
and she has probably discontinued it. At
any rate, having gotten from it the ad-
vertisng, that was all the reward she
could expect she ought to do So
A more practical plan is now being ad-
vanced in New York by John Blair,
young actor of serious purpose, who was
last season in Julia Marlowe's support
HIS scheme is to give during the season
there series of five performances of as
many dramatic masterpieces by foreign
dramatists, supporting them by subscrip-
tons of so for the five. He hopes to OBJ
tain 1000 subscribers among people who
will wish to attend for the sake Of see
ing plays that cannot otherwise be pre-
sented in America. Such are Echegaray's
Ri Gran Galeato," Gerhart Hauptmann's
'Einsame Menschen,' and works of Su-
dermann, Maeterlinok. Ibsen and George
Bernard Shaw. They comprise many
dramas representative of the best modern
thought and the highest development of
the dramatic form, but they appeal to
class Of people so few in numbers that
Is IS impossible to obtain a production ex-
ee2t under these circumstances.
MI Blair's plan is manifestly reason
able Unlike most of those who have
preceded him in the crusade for indie
pendence" in dramatic production, he
makes no pretense to reforming other peo-
pie Moreover, he avoids Miss Walsh's
error, FOR he starts with the understand
lns that a national theater is impos-
sibe. theatrical production belongs eX-
c.usively to the locality in which it IS
given and the people should pay for 1t
who enjoy it. Any plan that assumes to
ne otherwise is bound TO fail, just as Miss
"ash's has failed.
What was probably the largest royalty
ever paid playwright for the use of
orama was paid by The late Angus IN DAILY
TO Cecil Raleigh, the English writer of mel
olfdmas, for The Great Ruby"
1t has been learned from one who saw
'he contract that MIR. Raleigh's share OF
me gross receipts for this play during the
oos run last season at Days theater
was 10 per cent. OF the first $1,000, 20 per
cent. OF the next 81 900, 20 per cent. of the
next 5000, 30 per cent. of the next $1,000
ana IS per cent. of an over $4,000 each
week An additional specification in Mr.
Ldleigh's favor was that his ROYALTIES were