BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-01-09

other words. % England and America are
to, though in . less degree. Al
humorous publication which runs to certain
type or kind Of humor for experiment may
find its sales falling off In some cities which
apparently do not care for that humor.
Comedies or light operas, after long run
and the greatest popularity in one city,
sometimes fail miserably in another. To
take the Same thing on smaller scale, .
comedian is often surprised s0n the roadn to
find that lines 'sfall fap which he considered
smong his best, and that others which had
passed in silence when he played in New
York cause much merrimeut.
The West Ten Years Behind.
Those who write humor, whether for the
stage or for publication, have not quite the
same chance to watch the effect Of joke
to ssfeel on an audience, or to observe indi.
vidual or local peculiarities of appreciation
80 have those who speak it. An editor Of
. leading comic paper, said that to day the
far West and the country towns are de.
mauding type of humor which the reading
public of the great citiee, beth East and
West, practically gave up ten years ago.
"The comic publications that have large
circulation obtain it by mating mp each 10.
sue 90 a. to appeal to both classes. Part
Of number is just what all Of It would
have been in 1870, rather board kumor, and
extrevagaut picsures the rest 10 ot the kind
that readers have been educated up to In
the past few years. Year by year there ID
less Of the old grotesque type, but if it ID
dropped entirely, subscribers somewhere will
complain.
Yet, even in the mort grotesaus pictures,
there is less exsggeration than there used to
be. Racial traits, in particular, are not 90
strongly emphasized. A certain fidelity to
nature, however whimsical the means may
he, has come to bs the prevailing metive,
Only in tho colored comic supplements Of the
Sunday papers does there seem to be no
tendency towards the newer and more deli
cate kumor.n
The theatrical Death Watch"
Talking of the spprsciauveness of typical
Nss York audiences; variations fromAY2e|
Reuld be- stbe. Dal winian way Of putting
|decikssz Harry B SIiss... .as ~ !.
There ID one New York audience that il
absolutely tho worst in the world. It ID
known to actors and managers a. the death
watch. This sort Of sudIeuce originated
about ten years ago at the New York Oa-
siLo. II 10 composed Of the most blas6
men-sb0ut-t0wn with their feminine proto-
types. II 10 wat may be called tender
loin' audience; 'spsrts,' yosng and old, with
their ladifriends., These people assemble
not to be entertained, but to see play fall
You know Sardou's character, Baron Scar
pia, the embodiment OF that sensuality which
70 akin to cruelty. Tais is the sentiment of
the death wstch.'
"This audience has . perverted sense of
humor. They enjoy no humor but that Of
siggestiveness and vulgarity. THIS is the
audience that nearly killed 'Floredorx on
,ts first night. They resent refinement and
dslicacy In any form. Wit 10 lost upon
them; double entendre 10 TIE only thing
that arsuses them nom apathy. The Lib
srty Bellies, for example, 10 = piece design :.
ed to appeal to very different Kind Of play.
goer, ths class who 70 to see Maud Adams
or Annie Russell. Oa the opening nigh Of
that little play knew thas il our 6rss.n .ght
audience included the 'sdsatA watch We
would fail; 20 Ne took means to exclude
them
"fersonaiIy, % not think that the sense
OF humor differs mstsrially In the large
cities. A representative audience IN New
Yosk, Bcstoa, Philadelphia, or Chicago
laughs nsary equally % the same linss and
sisuAtionsL Ia The forty ons musical pieces
'aas i hsvs written during tAs Lass twelve /
'arss I eaanot recall one line thas wss not |
most - well appreciated In one large oity
IN another. The differences, uhsrs tksrs
70 ben any, have bssn asfributsbls % |
NJ grsather % lsss Popularity ol ths sssor
'psaking TIE lines. do noe think tns sus |
- Of pises IN sumo tewns and ~ iaslurs 1
= oshess . b - sscribsd 10 dlfsrsass IN
- local ssnse Il hnnor. In Ter, eonis
'i.Il sntsrtainmsnts dsGgnsd onIy 70
'mnss. rsrsIY meet with shrss v.risusns ofI
sxsr. 1hs kessn Brsshsnf snisrtslansaL
y cxsnpla = ndss,sssd psinsrilf - sessI
y heH Ho<ksr1, c1t d go Earsuxs al
ass1J = anpAsa1|y md b AaEasd ssf