The times., 1899-08-20

lar. Ability so marked and diversified
amounts to genius.
And with all this Lizzie Macnichol is
dead. Her family is the poorer for a de-
voted sister and daughter: Washington for
a clever and accomplished inhabitant; the
Castle Square Opera Company for it's best
loved member; the world for an artist
whose present accomplishment was only
surpassed By her promise for the future
1t is often true that those who talk most
do least and a Times man. having been
told about changes to be made in the three
local vaudeville houses, without receiving
any information about the four others.
made a point of personally conducted"
tour last week. the sightseeing in which
convinced him that the Grand, Kernan's.
and the Bijou are not the only Washing
ton theatres on which money has been ex-
pended. All over the RiaIto-=which has
become very distinct In this city-is noted
general activity. and several of the cider
places of amusement are undergoing yerit-
able transformations. Amusement lovers
will be astonished at what awaits them
when the season is weA open.
At the Columbia the cleaners are busiest.
Every seat in the auditorium is being dust
ed and sswept; every inch of floor and
woodwork washed. Paint brushes will
soon be accomplishing marvels in the lob
by, too, and a force OF mechanics is al
ready laboring On the stage. with view
to providing more room for attractions
heavily equipped The greater portion OF
the money spent on the Lafayette will go
behind the proscenium arch. where new
dressing rooms are to be built and other
alterations made in the exceedingly mod
ern arrangements OF that theatre. Deco
rators and renoyators have possession OF
the Academy and will probably get it Ia
excellent form before September 4. the day
marked for its opening.
But most surprising OF all is the atten
tion being paid TO the National. During
its period OF darkness Manager Rapley
has had every chair in that popular house
reupho.stered and repaired, a new set OF
electric-lighting fixtures hung, and other
like improvements made. A local Arm OF
furnishers has contract for laying Brus-.
sells carpets in the aisles, tacldng brocade
draperies to the boxes, and rearranging
the waiting-rooms. Bright colors will be
used in redecorating the interior OF the
building the scheme involved being at
once unique and beautiful. When to this
account is added the information that sew
eral thousand dollars is 10 be expended
on the stage of the theatre 1t will r. seen
that the National will not be the least
tHdI VI w uut =
ing the coming season. And this is a
compliment of magnitude. Local manag-
ers have been very generous during the
hot weather and the middle of September
will find the city possessed OF seven such
| places of amusement as a larger town
might be well proud OF.
| Speaking of vaudeville, by the way.
Manager John Grieves is planning for a
1 stock fIf hc
coming season at the Bijou. He has al
ready announced the engagement of sew
eral really prominent buriesquers, among
| them Ida Mule and Edna Aug Miss Mule
was at one time the bsst known woman in
her line OF business, her work having con-
| tributed much 10 the popularity OF such
| productions as "Orpheus and Eurydice, :"
The Mikado," "a Milk White Flag" and
The Brownies Miss Aug has been sim
] ilarly Identified with "A Dangerous Maid"
and Hotel Topsy Turvy." It is to be fear
| ed. however, that in naming the latter in
/ dividual as being among his people Man.
! ager Grieyes has either made a sad mis-
| take or is endeavoring to trifie with the
/ trusts and hopes of his patrons. Edna
Aug's cognomen appeared yesterday in the
passenger list issued by a syndicate the
| steamers of which ply between here and
London. The Telegraph too. states that
[ the Singer udS SOue dDIOdQ VIII lCuul
| Marks, who has secured her an engage
ment with George Edwardes- Since both
of these sources of information cannot be
wrong one is forced to the woeful conclu-
sion that the clientele of the BijOu will
probably have to do without Miss Aug this
/ year Manager Grieves, who may have
! been the tricked instead of the trickster,
will be obliged TO look for someone else
to fill her place in what promises to be an
interesting organization.
Excepting only the Mirror" the New
York dramatic papers have removed their
gloves in treating the verses Of William
Winter which were copied. last Sunday
in The Times. None of Gotham's scribes
seemed to see anything clevS or artistic
! in the critics morbid wall and most spoke
/ of it with degree of brutality which COM
| pletely overshadows the frankness with
which this paper mentioned the subject.
The Telegraph" in particular, takes ex-
| ception 70 the sentiment OF the lines and
under the head of Woe of Weary Willie
| Winter remarks with some unkindness
and irrelevance: 1T is a matter OF con-
graduation to the venerable Willie that he
is apparently cogniZant at least of the
| fact that he is old and sick at heart but
| his senile pen wrongs itself when il calls
him grim Mr.. Winter isn't grim He
| IS only unWaSned ana 1unny-
| Such an attack at this is not entirely
commendable. Mr.. Winter is a scholarly
old gentleman whose past work should
have won him respect. But the provoea-
! tion of the verses to which allusion has
| been made was certainly great. They were
even worse than the NdTivel that has pre-
ceded them recently, because less worthy
/ in argument. Unless he is careful Mr..
| Winter may make himself as unpopular in
and with much less of right on his side.
Harry Corson Clarke recently of the
| Frawley company, has been amusing New
| York by offering a reward OF 81 600 10 any
| individual who could cure him of dyspep-
| sia A pretty fair press agent is Mr.
| Clarke.
| Hotel Topsy Turvy" is to be on the road
again next season and with it will be seen
| Josie De Witt, the local girl whose violin
playing has created such a sensation in
New York Gotham's critics have fire.
| uuently limited that Miss De Wits success
there was the result more of form than of
fiddle but be that as 1t may, the little
woman knows how to handle her bow and
should add greatly to the chances for profit
Dunno G. Ryley may have with the ''Ho-
tel"
Col William E. Sim, the Brooklyn di-
rector who died ten days ago. may be prop
erIy considered native of this city. hav-
ing been born some time in the twenties
at Georgetown. Several of the oldest in
habitants'' of that burg may still remem-
ber Colonel Sim, who was long familiar
figure in the District.
So successful has William Walmsley
been in his local crusade against the bill