The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-07

few years ago, and one that surprised
me. I was in rather wild and woolIy>'
Western city, and that evening, at the
suggestion of an acquaintance, we drift
ed into a cheap vaudeville theater. AND
it was cheap-from the vulgar Htho-
graphs in the lobby, portraying lewd-
faced actresses, almost nude, to the
crowd Of men who filed the seats. They
were a scurvy lot wearing their hats and
smoking a combination OF stale pipes and
Pride Of the Sewer cigars that was
nauseating. The first act consisted of
female balladist whose song and it's rem
dering were worse than vulgar. and the
next skit between a to-be-supposed
half-jagged man and woman, the dia-
logue of which would be classed as ''un-
fit for publication" by any reputable
newspaper. Both acts received hearty ap-
plause, however, and the cloud Of smoke
that dimmed the lights grew denser L
had begun to think I had received en-
tertainment enough OF that sort to last
several years, and was about to suggest
to my friend that we depart when
little timid, sweet-faced girl of not over
sixteen tripped onto the stage and down
to the footlights, where without once
looking at the audience but keeping her
eyes above them. she sang song, the
burden of which was Down Where the
Water Lilies Grow" It was simple. It
was sweet; 1t was pure and wholesome
and its entire tenor and impress was
like that Of q bunch of blue water flag
bending over to kiss the current OF a
meadow brook. 1t made one think OF
green fields white with daisies. of grow
Ing grain bowling and bdllowing beneath
the summer breezes, of placid mill ponds
Undiscovered with lily pads and dotted
with fragrant blossoms. In short her
simple, timid childish MARBLE lifted me
out of that beastly crowd-any one OF
whom I would never care to meet In q
dark ailey-and set me down where ma
ture in all her beauty Is and man is NOT
The two preceding acts, both vile in all
respects, had drawn long and loud ap-
plause, as might be expected. but what
was my surprise when this timid little
girl concluded her song to hear burst
of it that fairly shook the house End
more than that, they kept it up and
would not desist until that frightened
child came back and sang her little song
to a spellbound audience once more
And when she again tripped off the
stage, and while the crowd of contra
dictorS were once more wildly applaud
ing, my friend and myself withdrew
We felt 1t wise to do so while we had
good taste in our mouths;'' but the
incident and its paradoxical effect furn-
ished food for thought for many day
after, and even now I see that simple
little girl, too scared to look at the sea
of faces In front of her, and hear her
childish MARBLE, so feeble as to hardly
reach the rear seats, and yet powerful
enough to win wave of applause that
must have made the rafters of that den
of vulgarity fairly CULVER
And why this seeming contradiction?
Why will the same dear public that
rushes to see "Sappho" peruse and
praise David Harurn'' with the same
avidityf That is a hard question to
answer, and I will leave It to others
who think they can explain. One thing
do believe and that 10, much OF this
so-called vitiation of taste can be and
should be charged to writer's who seek to
pander It. If all who can and do write
would believe 1t were wisest and best
to weave wholesome tales and present
only pure and honest people in their