, 1901-10-16
SHOWS
OF THE FUTURE OF THE BETTER
CLASS WILL BE UNDER CAN
VAS, SAYS WAGNER.
Happy Cal" Believes Time Of the Hall
Shows Is Limited, and That the
furl Their Banners and Give the
People Better Than They Now Get.

Happy CAL Wagner. travelling pas
senger agent for the Chicago. Milwau-
kee-and st. Paul railway, was in the
city this morning, and of course was a
caller at this office. He is on his way
to Salt Lake and points west, but sci
dom gives Laramie the go-by in his
trips about the country.
Mr.. Wagner is perhaps the greatest
negro minstrel in the country, al
though he has given up the business
for the less ~eXhausting occupation of
travelling passenger agent for a great
railroad system. He made Jack
Haverly, whose death occurred but a
short time ago, and knows all the
leading actors and actresses in the
country.
The opera house of the future, Cal
said this morning. will be the show
under canvas-playing in the north
ern circuits in summer and going south
in the winter. The managers can take
the money they usually pay for opera
houses-and it is no small sum, let me
assure you-and add to the quality of
the performance. The time will come,
and o. very far in the future, when
the best minstrels. the best vaudeville,
the best concerts and some of the best
legitimate performances vii! be in
tents on street corners, where you
have pure air, safety from fires, free
dom from germs and comforts that
you cannot get in the stuffy halls.
'Of course" he added. with a retro
~spective glance. the theater will not
disappear, but it will be gone for the
better class of performances. 1t will
be a matter of economy for the man
ager as well as convenience for the
playgoer."
Mr.. Wagner is an entertaining talk
er. and tells of an experience he once
had when Jack" Haverly vas his
doorkeeper. They vent Que night to
Haverly's birthplace in a Pennsylvania
town. Mr.. Wagner was n of the
performers. Haverly was his door
keeper. While waiting for his turn in
the second part Mr.. Wagner called Mr..
Haverly to the stage and congratulate
ed him upon the way the people of his
home town had turned out to welcome
the show.
Yes. they have turned out WELL"
Haverly drawled. as he peeped
through the drop curtain and say that
every sea was occupied and every
foot of standing room had been taken.
How much money do you suppose the
box Office has taken, CALI" he asked.
Wagner said he estimated the prob
able value of the house in dollars and
cents and gave the ticket taker his
figures.
No; no that much"
Then | should say so much" cor.
rected Mr.. Wagner.
Too high. There is just $40 in the
strong box"
Haverly had passed all his relatives
and friends and the people who had
paid the p%ittance hat the box office
could show were strangers in the
town.
Not long after the show reached
Beaver Dam, Wis. where a brother
and uncle of Wagner lived. That night
Cal took the tickets himself, and when
he began to figure up the result he
found hat he had discounted Jacks"
figures by half and the house wouldn't
pay the cigar bill of the company. The
uncle and brother had made it warm
for their relative in a social way and
the house was crowded with their
friends. Unwittingly he had allowed
Haverly to even things up and they
both enjoyed a hearty laugh and an
oyster supper at the expense of the
genial Happy CAL"
Mr.. Wagner cannot forget the bust
ness. and says 1t is hard work to keep