The times., 1899-10-29

airy force and logic what has been and will
be complicated question, Mr.. Kent, who
evidently gives a great deal of his atten
uon TO things theatrical, is quite correct
in every one Of his statements, save only
for the inference that Manager Rapley
can be held accountable for last weeks
elevation IF the schedule at the National
Charles Frohman, who now presents"
Mrs. Carter to the public, is responsible
for the 81 rate, which has held in New
York and Baltimore and viii hold during
the entire tour. But the remainder of the
letter is marked by an accuracy of judg-
ment and knowledge rare in the laymen
of the amusement business.
Despite this and the fact that monetary
pyrotechnics' cannot but be CALLING under
the conditions mentioned, Ir. r.Frohman' 5 po-
sltlon Is not absolutely indefensible In
the sale Of the very necessaries of life
and the play is still counted a luxury
the amounts asked are almost invariably
regulated by the demand. II John Jones,
the green grocer, is quite sure that his
customers viii buy his cabbages al half
dollar head, no idea of sentiment or right
prevents his taking that sum for them
If the aforesaid cabbages are guaranteed
TO be exceptionally fine. he is likely to
feel his move we'll justified. The fact
that the same vegetable once sold at five
cents does not enter into his calculations.
He can get ten times that. So, without
the desire to compare Mrs. Carter with a
head of cabbage, it is not incomprehensi-
bic that Mr.. Frohman, with a New York
endorsement of his stars worth and the
knowledge that theatregosrs will pay
what he asks, revolutionizes things bit
on the road.
After ALL the sums that seats bring in
! Gotham are neither here nor there In
Paradise cost those who saw it on Broad
way just 81 each and Bert COote viii get
the self-same prices when he takes A
Battle Scared Hero" to the Rialto. The
condition is precisely that hinted at in
very old story which has been told on
everyone from Abe Lincoln to Sol Smith
Russell. In this tale the person exploited
is watching the sale of apples in a country
village, and, observing how little they
bring, remarks, Why, my man, if you had
that fruit in my town you could get rid
OF it at a nickel an apple" Yes returns
the rustic addressed and if I had ice
water in hell l could get rid of it at
50 glass" Local conditions govern the
scale demanded at places of amusement
and justly so. The prosperity or poverty
IN a city, the class Of labor most en-
plOyed there, the precedent of former
years all count Once more, the case is that
I of the green grocer who closes out his cab
bage al whatever they will bring. An
orchestra chair-stalls they call them there
is worth S2.62 in London, 50 in New
York, $50 in Washington, and 81 in San
Francisco.
The most impregnable position
! taken by Mr.. Kent is that from which he
queries: If managers of theatres are to
ask certain amount for every inch that
their offerings rate above the average
should they not deduct the same amount
when those offerings fall below par?"
This fact is so evident that the question
requires neither debate nor comment. In
less the proprietor Of place Of entertain
ment can induce the people playing with
him tC keep dcvn their demands when
their attractions are worthy, he should in
sist that those demands be still further
lowered when the aforesaid attractions are
not. If every star and piece is to be put
forth at his, her or its true value Wash
ingtonians may find the qualification OF
their desire for amusement expensive ON
two CT three occasions this winter but
more often they will be admitted to the
National, the Columbia, and the Lafayette
at popular prices
The entire matter is hardly one for the
consideration CT a newspaper. When a
combination is not up to the mark. a
cTitic-sOme critics-annOunce that the
standard isenot reached. He does not en-
ploy the police force in an effort to keep
people away from the show" The pub
lie is made aware Cf the state of affairs
and does what it pleases. When rates are
raised the raisees are not slow in giving
out that information. And the public may
do what it pleases. If Washington is tired
Of the proceeding" Washingt0nians have
the power 10 administer during a single
engagement lesson that will never be for
gotten. When Patti was hardly 80 she
sang for two nights in Prag, Austria, and
charged ten gulden apiece for seats She
was not heard by more than a hundred
persons. And the incident was so firmly
fixed in the mind OF the prima donna that
the offence has never been repeated Va
cant chairs were few last week at the Ma
tional. Mr. Frohman had not fallen short
in his judgment Of the Capital II filled
chairs had been as few We should have had
Mrs Carter at $1.50 next year With cab
bages and play, the policy is one Of stand
and deliver'-of might instead Of right
But letters and articles cannot help mat
ters
Washington must either take the medi-
cine or give it.
One or two local dailies suffered spasms
of understandable Indignation last TUESDAY
in contemplating In Paradise" just as
New York paper did a fortnight ago in re-
viewing "Zaza.' The aforesaid New York
paper drove to Brooklyn those Of its reader,
who had neglected to see Mrs Carter while
she was at the Garrick Friends of Seven
Days Ahead" Dunn can picture him adding
cigars to his expense account upon Observ-
ing the plight of the Washington journals.
Then we have Kate Masterdon. of the
Mirror" making remarks upon recent
frolicsome farces. while Ella Wheeler vii!
cox, now of Metropolitan evening edition.
adds TO her own reputation and the receipts
Of the plays attacked by roasting" every
thing in which there are not farmland
quartettes and old oaken buckets How
nice all these people are and what a pity
it is that they cannot be put in glass cases
for the Identification Of pious mantels!
The condemnation Of "Zaza" on the
ground of its immortality places the critic
on par with that shining example Of Lon
don censorship who kept Camille" out of
England for ten years. If the complainant
is to be consistent. 1t necessitates abiura-
tion of Shakespeare, the Old Testament
and other familiar works. Nothing artistic
can be peTnicious in its influence; the best
OF lessons are object lessons; strong
drama is strong regardless of its theme
Puritanism has no place on the stage for
great efforts cannot be written while it is
held in lew. One can hardly expect a light
without using fire. piece in which the
plot concerned a bad little girl who pre-
ferred a game of mumbletepeg TO a day at
school doubtless would be clean and ele-
waiting, but it would not be likely to in
terest Love stories are-Or are thought
90, h. 40