The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-13
%he Nan Afoot
Does Some Talking.

G-4~~~--~~-~-~-~-
walker" said friend to me the
other evening, ''there are few things
about this Sanity City that require
pruning down. I have recently read in
local publication an article about the
rights of men, Well, it seems to me
there are some rights which are observ-
ed more in the disregarding than other
wise by our friends, the public
The remark led to think of several
matters which have recently come sharp
~ to my notice, and which will here re-
ceive slight dissertation. 1t seems
that as a people, we Of st. Paul require
little better code of ethics in our public
dealings and appearances, at any rate.
We shine particularly in the manner
in which we disregard the rights Of the
other people.
It matters little how late a performs
ance opened, there is always the dis
agreeable contingent of st. Paulites that
comes still later It's a sort of hobby
to disturb other people in the enjoyment
Of concert or other performance py
the polite CD habit of coming late. Take
the concert of the Chicago Symphony
orchestra at the Peoples church Satur-
day night as an Illustration. Mr.. Ro-
Sendecker the conductor, considerably
waited until $3.50 before he tapped to
order for the opening number. But that
did not disturb the very late contingent
AS late as $3.50 people came foundering
down the aisles, slamming down seats
and otherwise managing to disturb the
enjoyment of those splendidly rendered
Slavic dances. 1t did not matter bit
that hundreds Of others had paid their
good money for a quiet enjoyment of
that splendid intellectual feast. Their
rio 4ro ---s4l.
ruthless disregard.
Then there are the ushers themselves.
They managed to keep up a continuous
disturbance through nearly the entire
first half of the programme. 1t were
high time that some radical change be
made in this direction Let US ask for
the adoption Of the system in vogue in all
first places of Europe and the East
where the doors are barred during the
rendition of the opening numbers, and
no one is permitted to walk down the
alsles during the rendition of any num-
Der.
If we have our contingent of late COM
ers, so we have also our corps of early
departures. I will take the same event
for illustration. The last number on
the programme was reached before II
o'clock. 1t was that magnificent "Over-
ture 1872" being one of the best and
most graphic musical descriptions of the
spirit of unrest that was sweeping Eu-
rope in that eventful epoch. Few over
lures have been written that portray
the life, the determination, the under
current of the people. No sooner was
this number reached than an exodus be-
gan which became a source of the great
est annoyance to conductor and per-
formers alike, to say nothing of those
in the audience who remained to enjoy
this musical number. Again my friend
remarked: Walker, this is an outrage
on everybody"
But what is one mans business is ev-
erybody's business. What may we ex-
pect from the people as long as the
managers Of our best playhouses set the
example? would like to ask whoever
impressed the managers of our opera
houses with the idea that it was essen
tial to the enjoyment of their numerous
first-class entertainments to turn the
opera houses down to the level of
cheap, canvas-covered show? Did the
public ask for the installation of that
obnoxious staff of vendors who float
royalty through the buildings peddling
their wares with an utter disregard to
surrounding conditions? What matters
it to them whether anyone in the au-
dience would like to listen to the fine
overtures? What do they care whether
the audience, who have just listened to a
very good performance, would desire to
enjoy the entr' acte In contemplation? On
they come these hucksters, and With
voices fit for fish alley peddlars they cry
their wares, much to the disgust of
the audience If candy and other truck
must be sold in the opera houses as an
essential to the enjoyment of a perform
ance, let them be kept in the foyer.
where they belong. The managers will
confer a great favor on a long-suffering
public by disseminating the nuisance at
once.
There are a few Incidents however,
also, where the Saint slips up outdoors.
Did you ever walk down town On a
brisk, breezy winter morning? Did you
ever walk behind a cloud Of dust raised
by a rumbIing ash cart that is driven
at a mad galfop down the principal
streets Of the city, without cover, the
wagon loosely and disjointedly put to-
gether, making as much noise as a bat
terry Of artillery coming along the road?
The driver sits upon his perch and nom
chalantly puffs away at his old cob
pipe. The wind does not blow the dust
and cinders in his direction, therefore
he rather enjoys the spectacle Of seeing
pedestrians buried In cloud Of dust