Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-16
A Wealth of Pleasure and ALI for a
Dime.
MEMORIES OF BoYHooD DAYS
Freaks That Charmed and Actors
That Could Really Act.
NOTHING LIKE IT NOW
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

NEW YORK March A. 1901.
A Washington man, who came over here
recently for a day and night of quiet and
recreation, took a firm stand when the
question came up of the nights theatrical
entertainment.
mo Mrs. Danes Defense or Lovers
Lane or any other problem or society
play for me-" said he. Comic opera?
Nope. Extravaganza? Nm, no. Bur-
lesque? Not any. Vaudeville? Unequivo-
cally, not! Melodrama? Not this evening.
Tragedy? Well, not if l.
Take breath before you exhaust all
the possibilities-the entire repertoire of
varieties of theatrical entertainment" sug-
gested the entertainer of the Washington
man. Leave something, you know"
We'll there is something left said
the Washington man, dreamiIy. Il want
to go an old-fashioned dime museum. Have
you got such a thing over here?'
1t looked like an affectation of catholici-
ty of taste. However, the Washington
man was conducted to the one remaining
old-fashioned dime museum in New York.
1t is on 18th street. 1t is the real old
thing, from the same Dog-faced Jo-Jo of
our youth to the same wild Wild Papuan in
chains las usual, the Papuan is a Hiber-
man out of working hours, the same old
everything; including that same queer aro-
ma as of many taXidermists' plants COM
pressed within small space. The WASH
lnston man went through the experience
IKE man in an ecStatic trance. Not a
word could be squeezed from him. But
when it all over, and the rathskeilar
rejection had been obliterated. and the
cigars had been glowing for a while, he
elucidated
Indu1EinG Sentiment.
Il suppose you imagine. said he, that
my desire to go to an old-fashioned dime
museum denoted one of several things
freahshness, whimsically, a pose, or an
assumption of the extreme blase, Ell? Well,
it did nothing of the sort. 1t was, how
ever, more or less the indulgence of a SEN
timent. My earliest theatrical pap was
dime museum fare, served down in Wash
1nSton. L do not think l go beyond the
mark when L say that l have never en-
Joyed anything since as l enjoyed those
youthful visits to what we called the Old
Dime in Washington. Those Saturday af-
ternoons at the Old Dime in Washington,
with wit, my slightly younger brother tightly
clutched by one hand, while with the other
L broke the shells of peanuts in the pocket
OF my jacket"
We'll, l suppose there are thousands OF
well-placed men and women in Washing
ton today-W1th children of their own-who
often smile when they think of their
trancing visits to that old Dime The
structure has been effaced. 1t was an old,
ramShackle building in the middle of a
imposing but-er-ramshackle post Office Of
Washington now looms. 1t was called, l
think Barton & Logan's Dime Museum.
but none OF us ever had any other name
for 1t but the Old Dime nor have we
any place for it in our memories except
under that title. On a little balcony pro-
Jecting from the windows of the second
floor band used to perform before the
show every afternoon and evening. The
band. If remember correctly, consisted of
all OF four pieces. not Including the snare
drum, but there never was nor ever will
be, to my mind, such glorious music as
that band used to play. On such days as
we were not due, for financial reasons, to
attend the show we'd stand outside and
listen to the fine, blaring pieces executed
by that band and dream of the wonders
which the music was designed to call at
tention. And how we'd envy the perky
youngsters on these occasions who, direct
ing naughty glances at as pitiable in
solvents, would march in with their dimes
tightly clutched in their little paws.
Awaited With Anxiety.
However, we waited for our day at the
old Dime and the Joys of anticipation
were acute, for a fact And, by the way
the realization never fell short of the an
ticipation in those days, as it got into the
dreary habit Of doing later on. Saturday,
the school holiday, was the glad day set
apart for the visit Of my brother and me
the hours seemed to travel with almost
unsupportable slowness. I remember that
we always went to bed unusually early,
voluntarily and without the customary pro-
test. on Friday nights in order that by
lapsing into Inconsistencies we might
erase at least a little period of the wait
1.-The doors of the old Dime opened at 1
o'clock for the afternoon performance but
on Saturday afternoons the crowd of young
ones, white and black would begin to as
semble In front of the dingy entrance long
before noon. Now, there was no reason in
life why we should have fought and strug-
gled to get up In front of the line SO early
in the day. for the rush for seats was not
immediate after the doors were opened; the
museum curiosities had to be looked at all
over again, no matter how often they had
giving admission to the performance did not
open until after the lecturer had made his
explanatory tour of the freaks; but the
ground was haunted for us. and we wanted
that marvelously melodious band began to
play on the balcony early as haIf-past
II on Saturdays.
Outside the Door,
"Such a Juggling and a pushing and a
between black boys and white bows
and white girls and black girls, and such
violent outbursts of mutual race animosity
as there were before the doors would omen!
The larger boys and girls who were charged
with the duty of holding on to the hands of
their brothers or sisters had SandoW work
cut out for them, and the smaller ones were
invariably pulled to a FRAGILE; but thew
never minded it little Bit but always
up from being trampled upon
with smiling, If smuoged, faces
"Thered be lull in the band music and
slow, deliberate footsteps would be heard
on the other side of those charmed doors
Here comes the man! would be the
cry, and then thee closing up to the door
would be so sudden that you could almost
hear the crunching Of young and tender
bones.
The man. getting behind protecting
railing so that he wouldn't be Knocked
down and trampled to pulp, suddenly shot
the bolt, and there wasia charge of a light
and dark-brigade for you!
Those Delightful Freaks,
"Well after being hurtled through the
room containing the monkey and snake
and rabbit and bird cages, we'd find our
selves in the awe-inspiring presence of Big
Winnie, the mammoth fat lady, and the
same identical hafr-decked Jo-Jo that we
saw tonight, and the gloomy looking skele-
ton 1--WE called him a skelington), who was
otrolfpu hjS anaoiato1 ro,,.+,.r,.