The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-07

the formality nets neat profit for the re-
sourceful matchmaker. The stage we'd
ding trick has been accomplished quietly
for two or three years.
The trouble with legitimate advertising
however. consists in the fact that too often
il is applied to iliegitimate uses. At Low
vilie n. Y, a few weeks since. an enter
prising and unluclty individual, named Jo-
seph II. Slater. found that his exploitation
kidnapped in New York was not prov
ing magnetic of itself and placarded
public marriage. The victims, oddly
enough, were known as Charles Holds
worth and Lizzie Holdsworth, while the
knot-tier engaged was Squire W. II. Eglc-
ton The citizens of Lowville. ever on the
alert. attended the performance en- masse
and filled the Ruscoe Opera Rouse to suf-
location. The affair was a great hit and
enabled the kidnapped in New York peo-
pie TO gel out of town. Those who had
witnessed the wedding returned home. a
week passed
And with tho end of that week came a
horrible realization. Some tourist from the
neighboring one-night stand drifted in with
story that he had seen the Holdsworths
made man and wife there. Lowyille waxed
suspicious. Next. a report from another
town detailed still another ceremony, and
the Lowvilleites grew certain that they
had been submitted to an operation slang
lily called "buncoins.' From Schenectady
and Elmira and Yonkers were received fur
Their tales. II became evident that the
actor and actress were being Joined to-
Cether all through the State. Finally the
domestic of the Ruscoe Opera House came
across an old programme in which the duo
was billed as "Mr. and Mrs Holdsworth, .
while the stage director and door tender
discovered that the cake used at the for
mality was a pasteboard prop" that had
been left by the Black Patti "Trouba-
dours" Manager Slater had evidently been
too hort-sighted to lay in good supply
of manageable couples. and, coming to
need them sadly. had repeated his expert
ment on n solitary pair. There appears to
be no particular reason why crowd should
not gather as much enjoyment from seeing
a welded team rewedded as from observ-
ing the original cementing. but Lowville is
stubborn and refuses to take the matter in
that light. II Joseph Slater ever returns
to the burg its denizens probably will fea-
turc a lynching episode in his play and
there will be no trick about the affair,
either.
Speaking OF magazine articles. and apro-
pos OF last Sundays essay on managerial
control of newspaper criticism. one is re-
minded forcibly of a screed on The The
atricai Syndicate, written for the current
issue of the International Monthly" by
Norman Hapgood. the erudite reviewer of
the New York Commercial Advertiser"
Inasmuch as The Times has never had a
share in :he fight conducted by Harrison
Cray I'fcEa thpre fG mn nppp-gify for IT.
ing the arguments set forth or the history
related. Mr. Hspgood seems TO have treat
ed both sides fairly. beginning his narra-
tive with the Statement that 1.-THE tale viii
not contain as much evil as might be ex-
pected by enemies or as much good as is
thought by friends" But there are two par
agraphs that treat Interestingly of the at
tempt at dictatorship mentioned. The
Times has assumed battle for honesty,
and 1t repeats these lines.
The first Of the items is in the form OF
letter sent to the World in December.
1897, by Richard Mansfield. Amid sue
cession OF dismal forecastings OF what he
anticipated from the alleged trust. Mr..
Mansfield prophesied: THE dramatic crit
les occupation will be gone. This is not
fiction. It is truth" Reading those words
now. the observerir realizes that, despite the
injustice of others among Mr.. Mansiield's
claims, the STAR saw clearly when he made
this comment. In how far "the dramatic
critics occupation is gone was told last
Sunday. Lest this evil be attributed en-
tirely to the, syndicate. however, it we're
well to proceed to Mr.. Hapgoods own re-
marks On the question. They follow:
-In-tbeir desire TO rule the press the membe : Of
the syndicate are only like other managers. In
their ability to do it they are uuriValed. In New
York. at least It is not the obvious method, taken
by small managers, Of Withdrawing advertise
rnen;s It is much subtcr, in its essence like the
Difference which is always given to the very
powerful. Their influence on any New ork news
paper OF the first class. even the sun, IS proba-
bly, not greater than Mr.. Daily exercised on the
tribune" and the Times" The fact that they
have most of the news to distribute helps them
enormously with papers which exist primarily Tor
news. Their control Of mos OF the pays gNes
them exceptional opportunities to pay dramatic
critics TO write and rewrite certain acts N plays,
and to give opinions. \ few newspaper men can
be reached more directly, but not many. 1t de
lights some to see their remarks quoted IN the
many advertisements controlled by the syndicate.
But all these things are Incidental The iunda-
mental principle il that the king can do no
wrong. 1t is the vague but strong desire to be
.'in it''-the tendency to treat with respect and
caution any great power. This is psychological
nceesity. All the gossip. all the serious inter
ests, Of the world in which most dramatic critics
breathe. centre in the doings OF Mr.. Frohn7n.
NJ sso,,its I;tn tbs One in which Renubiiesn
ofioeholder criticises Mckinley; a Mugwump,
Cleveland; Liberal, Gladstone Take an illus
tFation. ''PhToso" was one of the poorest meIo-
dramas given IN Ne" hGfk ior long uinei me
qhqueiSt. ON ,ro,a ,i,S ''rhilJrsr ~
tho cIetto :, 4, very strong one The first two
were highly praised and constantly talked about
by the New York press; the last two we're inst
attacked and then neglected had ,Iaries ron ron
man pi3ducea tn9 h ne tMI' III. ia ;cbI.r
!, ~ nrS.i"ad The Last Two he. would have met
one Storm Of condemnation followed by silence.
This !. not mainly venality. IL is simply that
The point Of view Is s,F''' 'o"''" ''l''S' i''oI'