The age-herald., 1900-02-20
IN HOTEL LCBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

"The days of tragedy" said Herbert C.
 Duce, business manager for James Young,
 the distinguished romantic actor, "are
 numbered for this generation, at least. No one in the theatrical business doubts this
 Managers of theaters whose fingers are on
 the pulse of the public do not want it, and the travelling managers have learned by
 bitter experience the trend of public opin-
 ion. The decline of tragedy. I think. is due to two causes. No one goes to see the classic drama nowadays for the sake of the play itself. It is to the individual they turn, and there are few actors on the En- glish-speaking stage whose personality is commanding enough to ensure success in this particular line. Then the dramatiste of today, seeing that the popular taste Is what it is are too wise to waste their time writing tragedies. Personally, I, believe and my opinion Is based on twelve years experience as a dramatic critic and student of audiences. that the present fad for farce comedy and the extremely light class Of entertainments that are so much in vogue at present is having its day, but that day is waning. The romantic drama, and the drama of realism will then come into its own. This is age of pictures Every year advances one made in the direction of stage management Those plays will be the most successful that appeal to the heart as we'll as to the eye and ear. Today the pub lie is satisfied with that which appeals to the eye and the senses. Anything which appeals mainly to the latter must be fore doomed to failure Reason is bound to as- sert itself, and then the play of claD-trap and foregone utilities will give way to the play of common-sense realism and heart interest"
 Chicago is certainly a growing city," said Birmingham man who formerly lived
 at EIgin, III. "Twenty years ago Elgin was
 thirty-seven miles from Chicago. The oth-
 CT day when I took train for Elgin rode
 thbrty-seven miles. but I was in Chicago
 practically nearly all the way. Chicago's
 growth seemed marvellous"
 'I saw a barrel of Lynnhaven Bay oys-
 ters unloaded from an express wagon at a
 restaurant yesterday, which reminded me
 of home," said Harry Macdonald Kearns. of Norfolk. 'fFIhgh nvers regard the Lynn
 havens as the finest bivalves in the world Lynnhaven Bay is about twelve miles from Norfolk, and supplies New York, Philadel- Qn1a, bdlIlmOTe, WdSlIlllS lOlls itAOAAhoAAN
 and some of the western cities. The Gar risons of Lynnhaven Bay have been fam
 ous in Virginia for three generations, and Garrison farm has long been a resort for the bon vivants of Norfolk. The present representative of the family is Robert D. Garrison. Lynn'haven Bay has been known as the home of the canvas-back duck and the diamond back terrapin. But the cam vas-backs and the diamond-backs are very scarce now. It is almost impossible to find canvas-back duck anywhere. The fash donable restaurants that advertise this choice game deceive their patrons. Good ducks are served and the canvas-back price is charged, but no canvas-back has been in evidence"
 'In reading the watterson-Belmont cor | respondence in The Age-Herald talis morn- l ing was reminded that the great railroad corporations directed today, a rule, 1 by the chairman of the boards said a l Birmingham railroad man. 'In former l years the president was the actual head I of the road, but with the increasing inter | ests of the big lines the president has all | he can do to carry out the policy of the l owners of the property. The chairman is l over the president. John Skelton Williams, I president of the Seaboard Air Line and the | Georgia and Alabama, seems to be an ex- l ception to the modern rule. He runs the l properties with which he Is connected He | originates schemes, finances his schemes, 1 looks after all the politics affecting his l schemes, and looks after the traffic, trans- l portation and accounting officials under | him. He is leader and a master, but he | is not martinet. All the officials and l employees of the fines of which Williams is | the head are said to have great admiration l for him.
 "Every large city has it's freight bureau, | usually attached to its chamber of com- | merce or board of trade, and all of these
 bureaus seem to be doing effective york; 1 said Morris avenue merchant. "Our
 freight and transportation bureau under
 the auspices of the Birmingham Board of Trade and the Wholesale Grocery associa- | tion is coming to be a valued institution. | The wonder is how the merchants ever
 got along without 1t. It deals with all l sorts of freight rate questions and errors
 in classification. It certainly relieves ship
 pers of many little worries, to say nothing
 of the larger questions
 RECREATION OF THE BoERs