The times., 1901-05-19

| the conversation
We were married in 1886" he said, but
| met in 1878. and although neither of us
( spoke word of the others language we
| managed to fall in love. 1t takes no
| words for that. you know. | Joined my
| wifes company in 1881 and four years
/ later we were married" With the excep=
| tion of her younger sister the late Min
I ME Warren, who was even smaller than
| Mrs Tom Thumb, the latters family are
all large people, her brothers being six
| feet tall.
Baron f. Magri the third member of
the company, is married to an ordinarily
tail woman, who is now at their home In
Italy. The baron is grandfather.
During the week theatrical circles were
somewhat stirred by a rumor coming from
David Henderson at Buffalo to the effect
that the theatrical syndicate would next
year be opposed by another managerial
combination that would be in a position
to give the Frohman- Klaw & Erlanger-
Nixon & zimmerman organization vigor-
Gus battle. Mr.. Henderson is about to give
a spectacular entertainment, such as he
used to provide for the amusement-loving
people of Chicago, at the Pan american
Exposition, and has secured the Teck
Theatre for the purpose In his state
ment, Mr.. Henderson asserted that in
eluded in the new syndicate would be Har-
rison Grey Fiske. the editor of the ORA
matte Mirror" who has recently secured
control of the Manhattan Theatre New
York, and the bitterest foe of the present
syndicate; James Hutton, who, il is I'M
derstood, has options on the Studebaker
Theatre and the Grand Opera House, Chit
cago; Oscar Hammerstein of New York,
who owns the Republic and the Victoria
Theatres; ]. p. Howe, who has chain of
playhouses in the Northwest, Nixon q
Zimmerman, members of the original com
bine, but who are said to be dissatisfied
with the bookings they have been given
for their Philadelphia houses, and Kirk
La Shelle. who proposes to erect a new
theatre in Longacre Square, New YORK, for
the especial accommodation Of his compa-
MES, which include the Frank Daniels
Opera Company, The Princess Chic,
Arizona" and Beside the Bonnie Brier
Bush"
Each manager whose name was used by
Mr.. Henderson has made a statement to
the effect that he has no knowledge of
any new syndicate. Mr.. Fiske I'm particu-
lar, Dronounces the proposition as being
unknown to him and further says ne has
made no agreement with anyone to fight
the syndicate.
There is not the slightest foundation
for the report. so far as / am concerned,
declared La Shelle, when asked about the
new syndicate story. Il have never COM
municated with Henderson, directly or in
directly, upon such a subject This is the
third time this spring it has been said
! am in anti-syndicate movements. The
others were in stories from San Fran
cisco and Syracuse. All are false Ny
relations with the syndicate are most
pleasant and | have no intention of an
tagoniZing it
Nixon q Zimmerman. who have long
been pillars of the syndicate. declared the
story, so far as it concerned them, en-
tirely without basis.
I'VE are with the syndicate heart and
soul and expect to be for at least five
years" their denial runs. THE crgani-
zation enters its second five years on
July ], according to III agreement signed
by all of us twelve months ago. Our in
ternal relations are harmonious and there
are not even small clouds on the horizon
y 4N~f.a
writers is the dissolution of the syndi-
cate or the establishment of a new COM
bination of managers to wage a warfare
gainst the older and stronger entrench-
ed purveyors of amusement. 1t is now
almost five years since the original agree
ments by which it was possible to reduce |
the theatrical business of the principal |
theatres to a substantial basis were made |
and during this time much has been writ !
ten in support of and against the idea of |
one set of managers directing the desti- |
MES of all the leading playhOuses of the |
country. This period has seen most of |
the well-known stars under the control of |
the syndicate promoters, while produc-
tions have been made on a scale of elab- |
any other time.
The syndicate has the reputation of /
its business affairs most cred |
itably. it has never left a cOmDaUv of ac-
tors stranded in a far off city; it has met |
all its obligations as business men are in I
the habit of doing. and it has made some /
very notable productions. On the other t
hand 1t has been opposed and decried by |
players who have not developed sufficient |
drawing powers to be taken up by the /
syndicate. 1t is a well-knOwn fact that /
there are but two stars in the entire
country who are loud in their declarations
gainst MesSrs. Frohman, Klaw. Erlan- !
ger ct al. but who would gladly accept I
engagements at any of the regular syn /
iicate theatres instead of being compelled
10 travel about the country, appearing in !
night stands in inferior theatres in the
larger cities to generally poor business
and undergoing the manifold hardShiDs |
been known to refuse time to any actor |
who is able to draw paying audiences, for
he men who are at the head of the COM
Dlne are decidedly more anxious to get
such attractions for their theatres than I
even are the players themselves for the |
Engagements
During the past season the supply of
suitable attsactions has been found to be
TOO small to fill the demand and as re-
suit some of the principal theatres in the
argest cities have been compelled to cut
heir seasons short several weeks.
After a five years trial the syndicate |
has proved to be a blessing to native
heatricalS. notwithstanding all the cry
bout commerciaIism dispIacing art. AS
! matter of fact the theatregoers of the
country have never before been offered
iuch expensive entertainments as have
zen provided by the syndicate. and the
i'm of the associated managers seems to |
,e TO furnish their patrons with nothing
,ut the best. This purpose has been so
teadfastly adhered to that the fact that
IN attraction is under the control of the |
indicate is usually a sufficient guarantee
f its worth.
An interesting annual feature of Paris
an life is the fete Of the Mi-Careme. or
he FCte of the WasherwOman. which oc- |
urs in Mid-Lent- This festival has been
hosen by the authors of The Circus
Iirl' as the occasion of the opening
Of the DlaV III tho cha cf in |
dental to the carnival are present in
luding the maskers, the dancers, and the
retJy washerwomen.
1t is said that of late years many of the
pronounced features of the ancient feS- |
ival which used TO preceded ent have been
bolished, including the famous cavalcade
f the Boeuf Gras. or Fatted OK. 1t is
eculiar, then. that twenty days later In |
he middle of Lent when people are sup
osed TO give themselves up to abstinence
he public masquerade and festivities of |
he Mi-Careme have been preserved. 1t !
singular that the ladies of the washtub
hould have chosen this particular time ,
or the celebration of the anniversary of ,
heir order. One explanation that has !
cen given is. that the natural lightness
f the French mind could not bind itself
D a life of privation and asceticism. 1t.
therefore,, chose to take brief period of {
alief in the middle of its self-restraint. | I
anne from Italy where long ago after a
rievous plague. by permission of the | {
ling and Church, by permission of the 4
Iid-Lent for general rejoicing.
Whatever the explanation may be, ev- c
ry year in Paris for day. the streets
re througed with motley crowd and in I
brilliant equipage, surrounded ny ret '
lue of picturesque subjects, accompan- I
d by the king who has been selected for
err the beautiful washerwoman who has !
cen proclaimed queen of the day. rides
roudly forth. followed by train of tri-
mphaI giIded cars. and gives her graci- /
Us approval to the mad gayety of her