The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-03
RECIPE sPICED ~ THE EAST BY
THE THEATRICAL SYNDICATE.
Signs of the Apparent Effort of the
sTrust" to Dominate the Receivers
of Stage Affairs.

the observation of plays and players. The
stage should hold the mirror up TO nature
1t is the critics task 10 say in what degree
this has been accomplished. Intelligence,
ciscernment. well-balanced Judgment a
knowledge Of the art OF playwriting and
play acting, some knowledge Oh the otheT
arts and ability to express one ideas In
writing are qualifications OF dramatic
critic"
II u. NJ" after having read this answer
TO his question, turned his eyes on other
columns Of the copy of the Mirror he held
he must have come TO the conclusion that
he had not been fully informed-that there
are other. and more vital. qualifications nee
esary to the makeup Of dramatic critic
Harrison Grey Fiske. editor of the Mirror.
and arch-enemy OF the theatrical syndi-
cate, would have numberless y. NJ. s. be-
neve that If dramatic critic have not the
Gibraltar-like backing of his employer he
must know how TO bow serviely TO the
wishes of the trust or he will starve job
less The Mirror chronicles the progress of
what it says is the crusade of the theatre
cal syndicate toward its domination of the
dramatic columns Of newspapers.
week ago the fifteen theaters controlled
by or IN league with the trust took their
Advertisements out Of the New York Com
merciaI Advertiser because the dramatic
criticisms of Norman HapgOod in that pa
per had displeased certain managers. II
was understood that the trust demanded
that Mr.. HapgOod be dismissed before Il
would reinsert its advertising. The matter
has been patched up and the advertise
ments again appear in the Commercial Ad-
vertiser and Mr.. HapgOod continues as Its
untrammeled dramatic critic. This is
distinct victory for theatrical independ-
ence, the Mirror says The Dramatic
News. the organ OF the trust" which the
Mirror calls "a weekly circular" in COM
menting on this matter, spoke bit too
quickly when IL said:
\ ''It has been demonstrated in Boston,
Providence, Washington and Detroit that
4 Is an unwise policy to patronize news
PAPER which constantly antagOnizes the
best theaters. And now that a start has
been made with the Commercial Adver-
User. 1t behooves the other daily papers to
advertising in the Commercial Advertiser
is an object lesson"
VIII A. Page, dramatic critic for the
Philadelphia North American, found an
other way out of his controversy with the
theatrical syndicate. 1t withdrew its ad-
vertisements from the North American be-
cause ii did not like that which Mr. Page
wrote. The advertisements are again in
the North American, but Mr.. Page is no
longer dramatic critic for that paper This
is his explanation:
II handed in my resignation, not in any
sense because of any trouble with the the
aters or the North American as to the pol
icy TO be pursued, but mainly because |
felt that l was being so restricted that l
could do no work in which l could take
any personal pride. An experience of near
ly five years in writing criticisms and the
atrical news, eliminating in this latest
incident has impressed upon me rather
forcibly the fact that the real way to get
rich is TO either own a newspaper or
theater- find that trying to be dramatic
critic is all a mistake. You do nothing but
act as kind of buffer for the business
office. So I have decided to enter the
enemy'S camp. have availed myself of
long standing offer TO become the manager
OF the Percy Haswell Stock Company in
critic outside of New York is entirely sub
servient to the business office and the the
atrical advertising. and for the sake of
independence, If nothing else L am going
to quit being a dramatic critic"
Another and no less interesting phase of
the relation between the theaters and the
newspapers in the East concerns Oscar
Hammerstein, the lightning theater builder
of New York. Mr.. Hammerstein is an inde-
pendent manager. and he has written the
following letter TO the New York Herald
which is enthusiastically pro-syndicate
and which long has said that it has no
dramatic critic:
Dear Sfr-Your representative called on
me day before yesterday for confirmation
OF a story regarding the change of policy
etc, OF the Victoria / declined to give him
any Information whatever.
And / tell you why-and | tell you so as
plain as my knowledge of the English per
mitS me. You did not send me a critic to
review my Sweet Marie you sent me
the prize ignOramus of your staff: you
sent me a man TO sit in judgment over
$4,000 metropolitan music hall production,
not Shakspearean play or a Gilbert-Sulli-
van opera or a Weber-Fields hodge podge
who evidently either forgot where he was
labOred under the influence of Svndica .
drops ops von ,,row wb.. vo,, ora so,nr -.
sending such llght-headed men TO review a
production?
us il not clear to you that you are in
variably driving the independent theatrical
manager out of the business and leaving
the whole theatrical field 10 the syndicate.
They prescribed TO the - news
paper whom TO employ as critic they will
prescribe TO the Herald-mark what | tell
you
II was forced to make a production this
season. The syndicate issued the order TO
me-either put your theaters under our con-
troll or We'll crush you; attraction will
be allowed TO play in your house! l offered
an enormously costly production in Sweet
Marie Ii was slow, cumbersome. the first
night; but il was a great, glorious. intelli-
gent entertainments music hall entertain
ment-employing nearly one hundred peo-
pie. Those who paid their money were
amply reimbursed IL was clean. worthy of
my own intelligence and experience.
THE performance might have pleased
more had I been able TO try II on the road
for a week; / could not-I don't belong TO
the syndicate: there is no time open for
me-
In conclusion IL may be profitable 10 show
conflict between the Theater and Daniel
Frohman, who is a brother of the great
Charles. The Theater is a new, interesting
and beautifully illustrated monthly mag
azine. few days ago it received from
Daniel Frohman the following letter:
MY Dear Mr.. Hornblow-You requested
Miss Bertha Galland TO write a poem for
the Theater. which she did, and which you
printed You have also requested her 10
write an article for your Christmas number.
yet you unnecessarily go out of the way in
your last issue 10 abuse her because she
Is put forward as star, and go 20 some
lengths in saying unpleasant things about
Miss Galland in that connection well as
the play. / do not object 10 criticism, but
the Theater's treatment OF Miss Galland Is
so contemplate that / propose to have
nothing more 10 do with that concern in
any way. shape or form. nor will let those
connected with me recognize the paper"
To this Mr.. HornblOw. the editor of the
Theater. answered:
Dear Sir-Your astonishing letter re-
ceived. I am amazed that a manager OF
your experience should take a stand that
10 be frank. IS little short of ridiculous
The Theater is independent and il intends
10 remain independent. Miss Galland should
know by this time that we are entirely
friendly 10 her. 1 think showed that by