The St. Louis Republic., 1902-02-09

An interesting fact in connection with the
opera season soon to open at the Century
Theater is that seats for the entire period
of the opera-sevep weeks or more-will be
placed OF sale at the opening OF the season.
Mr.. Short says that it IS the intention of
the management TO make public announce
ment OF the entire programme, and that so
far as It is possible for him and Mr.. Saw
age to control owners Of throats and op-
cratic dispositions. to do so there will be
no deviation from the first announcement
This means that II some one thinks he
wants to hear Joe Sheehan sing Manrico
the evening of Wednesday, April 2. that
some one may buy seats one and two right
D whenever he has the price. and that the
sale will carry with 1t some assurance that
the goods will be delivered as promised.
This is good deal for even such astute
gentlemen as Messrs. Short and Savage TO
do. but they are going to make the effort
right heartily. =
Over on the other side Of town this same
Mr.. Short Is to gayly continue this wonder
full season of his. He is soon to let US have
Mr.. Mansfield In Monsieur Beaucaire."
Mrs. Pat Campbell in variety of things.
Mr.. Goodwin in p play that has been seen
here before. Mr.. Drew in his this years
success, THE Second in Command: Miss
Adams in Quality Street, TO say nothing
OF Mr.. Hackett in Winston Churchills own
dramatization Of '"The Crisis" SO, you see.
the season promises to end quite as spirited
" and In as interesting a manner it be-
gan.
The well-known Mr.. Mantz. who has
served as treasurer at the Olympic for the
last twelve years. will have benefit to-
morrow night. He will offer Marguerite
Sylvia and the Nixon and Zimmerman COM
pany in Miss Bob White
There many persons of wealth and
social position that enter with commendable
earnestness in charitable work: yet there
are many others to which such work IS
perfunctory or in the nature OF Il fad. An
entertaining satire on the charitable fad is
illustrated in Mrs. Burton Harrtson's play,
The Ulwecome Mrs. Hatch" in which Mrs.
F1ske will be seen here. The second act OF ,
this play is laid in Central Park. where !s
seen a society of well-to-do young persons
called 'The Little Wings" perfunctorily
busy entertaining number OF poor children
Of the New York East Side at a May Day
froiic. For a stage picture this scene IS
unusually true to nature. Mrs. Harrison's
knowledge and intuition have devised Ge-
ries Of incidents that are by turns comic 1
and pathetic and always true to life. |
The social young persons DO their |
very best to entertain the children, |
but. as It would be If the incidents |
were actual. the note of sympathy IS. on |
the whole, lacking, although, as it also |
would happen In life itself. there are MEM |
bers OF THE Little Wings" that seem really |
in earnest in the matter. AS for the chill |
dren. they naturally are far more ingenu- (
GUS than their entertainers and enter into /
the scene as though they enjoy 1t. The au--f
thor's ideas. supplemented and developed :
by good stage management and clever act
ing, make the act unusually interesting.
The incidental scenes in which the children
appear form picturesque background ior
the incidents of the drama itself that here
develop. and they also relate closely to
the story.
Sheridan Shook. the veteran manager,
tells story OH Nat Goodwin that has new
er been seen In print. II was during Good
wins engagement in Hobbies wnen he
was the life of the entertainment that the
incident happened. Shook A. NJ Palmer, E
L. Rice and other managers were sitting
near the curb in front of the Union Square !
Theater one afternoon. talking shop. when
Goodwin, who had been to the funeral of
fellow Thespian, Joined the party. He .
was sad and mad and, upon being asked |
the reason why he stated that the clergy
mans eulogy had made an impression upon
him. and that one OF the actors who was
at the funeral had persisted In talking shop
during the solemn ceremonies. and the more !
GOODWIN talked about ii the more disgusted
ne became with pIayerfoik I'm general, and
expressed a wish to leave the profession
Why, you couldn't do anything else but
act said Shook
Couldn't IT,
No. retorted Shook; "you couldn't earn
your salt In any other way"
After more talk OF a similar nature Shook
Wagered Goodwin a weeks salary that 1t
was impossible for the actor to make a like
amount In the same length of time by any
other manner than that of appearing night
iy behind the footlights. Goodwin accepted
n AH hn ala
wager was to be decided the following week.
and that he was not to leave the stage
while so doing. Taxing his Yankee ingenu-
ity little. Goodwin hit upon a most novel
idea; he placed an ad in a New York paper.
which read as follows:
wanted. a companion TO accompany n
gentleman to Europe. Salary no object.
GOOD Fellowship the only requisite. Send
stamp for reply
Ere the week was over Mr. Goodwin had