The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-06
THE ADJUSTMENTS OF OLD.
HOW sAvANNAHIANs OF 100 YEARS
AGO WERE ENTERTAINED.


Otherwise, Took Place In the Ola
FfIature, on Reynolds square.
Mr. RnnnIe and His Magical Fish.
The Automaton Figure and Its or
Her Varied and Remarkable Ac-
complishmcntS - Few Real Drn-
matte Entertainments-Que An
nOuncements in old Newspapers.
In the early days OF the century that
died last month the amusements of the
people Of Savannah did not cover the wide
range that has become the fashion and
the custom of the present The good oti-
zens of that time were a simple people
and their customary amusements were of
a character that would suffice only for
the very youngest generation of to-day.
or course, this does not refer to the
/ routs and dances and stately functions
/ that then. as now, distinguished Society
/ from society. 1t is safe to say that these
were carried out on approximately the
/ same lines that were laid down when silks
and velvet and satin superseded steel AID
leather in the manufacture OF codrtly and
formal masculine attire Certainly the
subsequent adoption of broadcloth and
other .somber fabrics has effected no ma
I terial change.
The amusements referred TO as being
more simple than those of to-day are
those which were public presentations
1 plays, exhibitions of wax works and wild
animals and the like. From the number
of these given along about 1902 and 1893
it would seem they were vastly popular
and, from the prices charged. that che
people were willing to give up good money
TO see them.
Many of them were held in the old fila
ture-the establishment for the manu-
facture of silk that had been built under
the instructions of the original proprie.
tors Of the colony of Georgia. These good
gentlemen labored under the delusion that
the section of country around Savannah
was peculiarly and specially adapted to
! the manufacture of silk and it required
more than a third of a century to convince
them Of their error. One good result OF
it all remained to the use of the people
| Of Savannah. This was the filature, which
for a long period of years was used as
the principal place of amusement and as
sembly being devoted to such purposes
continuously and almost exclusively until
| the construction of the City Exchange,
end very often even after that time.
The flature stood on the west side OF
/ Reynolds Square, at the intersection of
Abercorn and ST. Julian streets. The first
building was erected in 1851. and destroyed
by fire six years later. Soon afterwards
ii was rebuilt and stood on the same spot
until 1899. when the new building fell a
victim to another disastrous conhagra-
zion, one of the many that visited Sa-
vannah in the first century of its history
A specimen advertisement, from the
Columbian Museum and Savannah Ad-
vertiser, of April s, 1903, will show what
amusements were offered the people of
( Savannah in those early days. The adver-
tisement bears the outward indications or
being the work ofan adsmith who knew
/ his business, and is headed Last night.
'.The Ladies and Gentlemen of Savan-
/ NAH" it proceeds, ARE respectfully in
/ formed that the house being so much
! crowded at Mr.. Rannie's last performance,
many respectable families were deprived
of admittauce. In order that all may have
an opportunity Of being gratifed, he pro-
/ poses performing one night more, and pos
/ itively no more.
"At the F1lature. this evening. April s.
/ will De introduced, for the first time in
! this city The Magical Fish. The per-
! formances of this fish cannot fail to eX-
/ cite the admiration of every beholder.
may draw Cards from the Pack; this
/ Fish will march round on the table and
will exactly point out every Genuemans
/ Card, one by one, without any person
being near the table. And, what is still
/ more astonishing. any Lady may think on
any particular Card and the Fish viii
run round and exactly name the Card
which the Lady thought Of
Mr.. r. assures the inhabitants of this
affx hat will All
lutely inform the company, by figures,
what Gold or Silver there is in any Gen.
tieman's pocket present"
Other wonders are promised, in the ad-
vertisement, those who will attend Mr..
Rannie's performance. The advertisement
concludes with the statement that the
performance will conclude by an imita-
ton of an Old man" and the information
that admittance VIII be one dollar.
The Museum and Advertiser evidently
did not deal in local notices of such en-
tertainments, for no description of the
futilment or forfeiture of Mr.. Rannie's
promises to the public appear in its next
issue.
Another of these advertisements, APP
pearing about the same time and in the
same newspaper, announces the perform
ance OF an "Automaton Figure, ito be
seen opposite the Presbyterian Church,
CongreSs-street."
She can answer any questions put to
her" says the advertisement, land hold
conversation the same as a human per-
son, even to a whisper. She represents
beautiful young lady and is allowed by
connoiseurs who have travelled the great
er part of Europe to equal anything they
ever saw, for proportion of stature, ele-
gance of form, beauty of complexion and
modest pleasantly of countenance. She
stands erect on a superbly carved and
gilt pedestal adorned with ornaments.
with an elegant Automaton Green Par
rot, which looks and speaks as natural
as life.
Abundance for grown persons fifty
! cents. Children twenty-five cents"
Here again history is silent and the
! varied attractions aud endowments of
| this most accomplished automaton a later
generation will have 20 take on the faith
/ of the advertisement and on trust.
/ There are other advertisements Of other
| attractions, including an approximation
/ of what would now be referred TO as THE
Missing Link and "a Roaring African
/ Lion" Few and far between were the
! occasions when a real dramatic produc-
! ton was attempted. Shortly afterwards.
/ however these were begun, and in 1878
/ the present Savannah Theater was built.
/ it has been several times rebuilt since
! that time. but It's foundations are more
! than three-quarters of century old
-s-e-s
OLD CANNON MOUNTED.