The times., 1899-03-19

Il 10, 1899.
persuaders is more than likely to eat his |
royal breakfast off the royal mantlepiece |
for many weeks after.
Once encased in a pair of riding boots |
and complete set of bicycle show medals |
a King with any conscience must feel like |
a living lie. Having lost faith in self 1t |
should be very easy for him to lose faith |
in everyone else-to fear turning around |
lest an official salute should become less |
respectful one; to believe that his guard |
strides up and down the floor not SO much |
for military effect as to keep the twins
awake and ones mind from state affairs
and to fear that the spread of Anglo mania
might lead the court to pronounce the word
majesty" with broad "a" Days spen;
in reading Don't and nights devoted to
acquiring "a small, ferret-like eye shaded
by bushy brows'' should render royal life
burden.
In Rupert of Hentzau' the king always
has added troubles. Notwithstanding the
dieting mentioned, both he and the queen
have dreams all the time and tell each
other about them. His Majesty also has
reason to believe that the Flavia who had
been so upright and honorable in "Zenda'
before her marriage has been carrying on
a love affair with another man afterward;
that she has lost her high principle and is
quite ready for that man to do the very
things which she had forbidden him to do
three years before. II these feet OF clay
hurt the king half as much as they shock
idealizing audiences, all His Majestys hap
piness vanished with the newly acquired
knowledge. Nor can 1t be pleasant to find
ones self strung out for four acts after one
has retired from public notice to the music
of a requiem mass. Altogether, the ruler
in Rupert of Hentzau' probably had no
real enjoyment before death or after. and
the matinee girls who spent their moments
last week in chewing bonbons and wishing
to be James K. Hackett had best recon-
slider their desires and take new bicycles
instead. A good, modern S0gear bicycle
in the hand is worth full house OF kings
in the BUSH
The business done in Washington by
Richard Mansfield last week did not come
up to expectations. This was not because
the Columbia was not well filled at every
performance or that the usual ovation was
not bestowed, but that houses were smaller
| than had been anticipated. The receipts
| for the engagement will, therefore, prob
ably be under $4,000 instead of reaching
| the $17 GOO which some wiseacres prophe-
| sled would be taken in during the booking.
| This sum still enables Managers Luckett
& Dwyer to truthfully claim the greatest
| week ever played at similar prices in a
local theatre-Leander Richardson's fig
ures for the Maude Adams date here hav-
ing been simply absurd.
| The drop in profits may be laid to many
| causes. Undoubtedly the first of these is
in the fact that most people were disap-
pointed in the production as The Times
said they would be. Those who had read
| "Cyrano de Bergerac" looked for great
things, and those who had kept up with
the foolish gush that was printed about
| the presentation all over the country be-
lieved they were to have greater ones. Mr..
Mansfields work in the title role of Ed
mond Rostand's drama was only exceeding
| ly good, the company supporting him was
| hardly up to the mark either in numbers
or in ability, the piece was not staged as
| 1t had been advertised to be and the de-
| tail that goes far to make such work en-
joyable was totally lacking. Only the play
| itself was surprising and one could get
that for half dollar. Unheralded by
priase that led theatregoers to look for
the impossible, Mr.. Mansfeld's rendering
of "Cyrano' would have been considered
the treat of the season. Preceded by un-
limited and unreasonably favorable report
1t created considerable disappointment. Not
that the amusement-seek found the Of
! fering less, but that they had looked for
more.
This feeling soon became widespread and
kept down the business to a marvellous ex-
tent. Perhaps the second strongest factor
| was in the general revolt against the
profits of ticket spectators. The Times
protested against the public patronizing
| these men a week before Mr. Mansfield
opened here, and sentiment ran even high
er in that direction than had been ex-
pected. Many indignant letters were re-
ceived at this office, among which the fol-
lowing may be selected to give the gen.
eral tenor observed:
That "de public is tam FOOLS" and that nc
nation is ionder of being heeced than America
| is sentiment that endorsed by less
keen thinker and homely philosopher than Abra
ham Lincoln. Many the cases in point. but
the one that most affects local amusement lovers
| Is that of the recent disgTaceful action the
part OF the theatrical caterers who have Just tax
en- in Washington TO the tune of three and 5
half per head.
| was the thirty-sixth person in line last Mon
day morning at the box Office of the house ir
which .'Cyrano" was played, yet when reached
the window the smiling clerk told me that the
entire gallery was sold out for every performance
This struck being very strange. but
had no time to waste in argument, and wa!
very desirous of seeing Mr.. Mansfeld's wonderful
| production, | had TO take seat downstairs a
| an inflated price. This nothing to thi
|
had heretofore failed to find a local market il
| their nefarous line, have openly robbed Mr.
Mansfield and the local public of an immens
sum. Furthermore, neither has any redress
The brokers' business is legal. They have a
| much right. when supported by house managers
| to trade in theatre seats any merchant ha
| to make a profit from his wares. But whel
they force an artist of the ealibre OF Mr.. Mans
field TO divide with them the margins his b.
right OF labor and desert; when they mulct tn
| public further for their own trouble in prepar
| ing to swindle, morality and reason revolt.
| 1t is strange that Washington should so sud
| denly be violated by these hghwaymen. In tn
| past many opportunities have been offered 70
their operations, yet our managers have pro
| tected u.s. as they promised to do this time, bu
have failed Why? Was the demand to Nj
Mansfield so great? II so, why not book him 70
two or three or even four weeks, instead 9
leaving us open to the inroads OF grasping brok
| ers on a rush engagement? 1t is evidently TO tn
advantage of Messrs., the managers of the houst
or the present conditions would not exist.
there no remedy? BRUCE BLAIR.
Reasonable as is Mr.. Blair's complaint il
many things 1t is manifestly unjust an
unsound in others. In the first place. 1t !
not probable that the writer is correct il
his idea that the sum he names was aske
for seats to "Cyrano," and IL it was thi
, ,, rate was speedily halved. The speculator
suffered last week and some c
!, | the minor ones were often only to
, glad to be rid of their tickets at any prics
|, Mr.. Blair acknowledges that the broker
, had "as much right to trade in theatr
. seats as any merchant has to make prof
| from his wares" and in this statement
I is perfectly correct Frequently persons G
f<.rt I,ni