The times., 1899-10-15
THE PASSING SHOW.

Over In that infiHitesimai section of the
country which Hugh Morton has described
as "the gay Rialto in New York they
are trying TO decide whether man may
er may not express disapproval in a thea
tire without providing exercise for the
muscular corps Of the house. They. in
this case, refers principally to the amuse-
ment caterers of the burg, fer the aver
age individual rarely Kisses until driven
to such a point of desperation that be IS
reckless of consequences. But, seriously
| or facetiously, several of Gotham's news
papers have espoused the cause OF the
playgoer, and now every second person
concerned is involved in the discussion
Meanwhile gentlemen in various stages OF
sobriety or intoxication are doing as they
| did before the matter came to the notice
Of the public and the directors are doing
| likewise A month ago a tourist from
BrookIyn took occasion to state his opinion
Of the performance given by the manager
of metropolitan roof garden and
straightway was given to understand that
his room was more desirable than that man
ayers company; a fortnight since an un-
satisfied party, though somewhat unsteady
of gait, was enabled, with the assistance
of doorkeeper, to walk the entire DIS
lance between bex and the entrance OF
4 II
seconds: last week a wellto-do clubman
was equally facilitated IN taking his de-
parture. and four or five seat-arms from a
| fashionable Broadway place OF entertain
ment.
All of these incidents have served to
| make the controversy more acrimonious,
though decision as to the rights ana
| wrongs of the various affairs has not YET
been reached. The question seems to be
4 o4kas rrrfh Na a. T.
| ouette on the side Of the electors and the
ethics on that of the elected. 1t appears
certain, on the one hand, that no man oi
breeding will make himself conspicuous
because unsuited, and, on the other, that
the Iess-favored fellow should be at lib
erty to do just as be pleases AssuredIS
the price OF an orchestra chair should en-
title one to some enjoyment and, IL tht
purchaser cannot extract that enJoymen
from the show" it seems only fair tha
he should get it in another way. The
Brooklyn Eagle" which space ago, at.
tempted to cope with the subject edito-
rally, had TO say:
When performance is slow why should not the
audience liyen it upg They do that ON the othel
side. When Dreyfus' show became monotonou!
somebody went out and shot one OF the law
yers or sent bomb to somebody, or turned (
house into a fort and threw ham at the Hebrews
When an English comedian draws tears where
he had been expected TO draw smiles the people
| in the top rows gt2nch the brine with hanokef
chiefs and with their free hands bestow donation.
Of vegetables ard eggs upon the artists, who ar
sometimes grateful for them, inasinueh as sala
ries are uncertain. In this country they viii
| lynch a when he becomes obStreperousiy ad
dieted to the annexation Of other peoples prop
| critics. and the Populists even threaten to destroy
| him for anncxing his own 50 industriously, ye
we endure anything from man on the stage
| We sit in the reserved seats and do all we car
! to keep out the dreadful spectacle. We wea
smoked glasses, we fill our ears with cotton. w
! drink sedatiYes between the acts, carry book
60 read and do knitting IN order not to reallz'
how much we are suffering, and we write letter.
to friends warning them TO keep away from tbs
Guyetty Theatre that week, if the polic'
attempt to drag them there; but it once
occurs to Us to strike at the root of the ofencI
by striking the actor who is making it.
There are speciality people who come out il
full view Of the public and repeat the Joke
that have circulated through all the patent medi
cine almanacs since 1910, look around the hons
with snug self-eomplacency, and if the laughte
Is slow and feeble, as suits with any tribute t
frolics Of such age, they chide their listener
and tell them to hurry up and applaud becans
they want TO get back to supper. There are sing
ers-ohi there singers whose voices are a
the filing of and the setting of trolley brakes
and who sing Mothasa-a-r songs and things il
which assured that Thus 70 her he said. =
And there are acrobats VINO stand on the same olt
carpet and fling the old handsprings. Ant
there villains who burn the same old cigar
cites and scowI and say, Ana, my proud ant
naughty beauty, You mine for all my gold
, and time will come, aha, and il it does no
come seon you leave my house forever, aha
though you do not believe me the time viii
come when you shall bitterly rue this day, aha
And all through this Pathological Grafton ant
through these other various Affections the peo
pie sit, suffering bat mute, clasping their hand
and wriggling their toes and watching the clock
|. and that IS all that comes Of IT,
Hence, IL almost too bad that when
real estate dealer in Manhattan tried 10 intro
duce the English system in roof garden durin.
painful performance, he not allowed b.
the stage manager TO succeed The manager rs
sisted by walters and ushers and Others sprsn,
to the rescue Of the fame OF their performers ant
stuffed the disturber into the elevator and punch
ed him all the way 10 the ground. Before tbi
could be accomplished tables had been upset /
cent glasses Of 2 cent beer overturned and a Who'll
lot Of trouble had happened But the suppression
seemed 10 be effective and visitors have not beel
invited 10 express opinions any more. il they ar
bad opinions WE'LL il may be the best way il
the end We have acquired reputation 70
polteHess In places OF alleged anusemen
that IL will do no harm to maintain When
singer actor is too much for endurance W
can do what IL seldom occurs TO US to do; W
, can go home.
This seems to be the true spirit of th
affair. There is no reason why the ex
! preston of disapproval should not be al