Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-12-11
THE MEDDLER.
~ HE coat ms PM 10 on y

Rev. II. X. Marvin of the Universalist
church struck a popular chord week
ago Sunday when he argued In his
sermon for n public playground fof
Brattleboro. There is nothing of which
the youth of this town are in greater
need than good place for games and
OUT door sports of all kinds. 1t seems
hardly probable that the town itself
will provide such a place but there is
another method by which 1t might be
obtained. Taken as a whole, baseball,
football and basketball have been de-
cidedly successful in a financial way
the past two seasons. and If the pro-
ceeds from these sports had been con-
tributed toward a fund for the pur-
chase of an athletic field a good start
toward that object would already have
been made. II is not too late to make
such start now by defeating the
proceeds of the coming basketball sea-
son to such a fund. and the town au-
thorities could help the cause greatly
by making a more reasonable price of
rental on Festival hall 1t does not
seem reasonable to charge retail price
when the hall is hired in wholesale
amounts for the sport.
The people who are inclined to find
fault with the quality of the attrac-
lions which have appeared at the audi
forum this season do not in all prob
ability realize the difficulties which
Manager Fox has to meet in his efforts
to book strictly first class attractions
for this town. Never before was it so
hard to secure good attractions. Yer
mont proved to be a theatrical grave
yard" last season, and many good com
panies nearly went bankrupt as the re-
suit Of their trips through the green
mountain state. Consequently man
ayers look askance at offers from Yer
mont lighthouses this year and do not
accept them unless a liberal guarantee
is a part of the contract. Brattle-
boro itself is particularly poorly situat-
ed as a show town on account of it's
railroad facilities. Companies that
carry special cars are obliged to pay
double rates from the south because of
the little strip Of Central Vermont rail-
road between here and South Vernon.
That is another reason for fighting
shy of Brattleboro
But the Brattleboro people are them
selves partly to blame for not having a
better line Of theatrical attractions (
When a really high class company IS I
booked here they are prone TO ind fault
with the prices that are charged, and I
when moderate company is booked at |
moderate prices they are over particu- I
lar about the quality of the show. T
There are lots of people who will go to I
Springfield or Boston and spend $40 or I
si5 to see a performance, but these very +
same persons would Shy violently If +
hey saw tickets to something in the /
marked at 81 or So. Oc- 4
,asionally Manager Fox has the OPP 4
1ortunity to get something of the very 4
highest class in Brattleboro, but his
has been that these attrac-
ions do not prove successes financial 4
Y because the people who are best able
o patronize them are not willing to
Jay the price which IL is absolutely
necessary to charge The Meddler is
lot attempting to apologize for any OF
he shows that have appeared here for
ome Of them have been mighty poor;
lie simply wishes TO remind people that
,ood things come high in the theatre
al market the same as anywhere else.