New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-13
EX-ATTACHE-

class belong solely tic this amusement industry,
quite separate from the industry of keeping
New-York fed; to be sure. they call on the feed
(and drink industry for material assistance
and thinly yelled excuse; but the glittering
restaurant really exists to cater not to the de-
sire for food. but to the love of excitement, of
amusement. not to the hungry but to the bored
Primarily, it has little to do with feeding
people as the theatres with educating them
hungry has as little place one Of these
cafes as intelligent at the Rogers
Brothers. poor man. of course. has even less;
a few persons have been known who once Sc
cured seats to the Rogers Brothers at the box
office. Broadway, then. upper Broadway. from
the gusty FIatiron to the thirsty Circle. blazing
with lights like no other place on earth, and
comparable only to Hades or Fairyland; alive
with cabs and actors and women with dia-
monds and dirty nails; lined with restaurants
and theatres shouts with it's myriad voices the
mighty desire to be amused, the mighty effort
to satisfy this desire The roll Of carriages the
popping of cOrks. the crash Of ragtlme' the
flash of a stocking, the OutpOuring of War
merriam music down the bare backs Of an au-
dience. the assimilation of lobster, the plays of
Shakespeare and Clyde Fitch. the old drama
Of the moth and the flame, when the moth is
most often young and a man and the hame
brilliant with a peroxide radiance-all this is
d
problem, How to be happy though in New
York
OF course 7 need hardly say 1t is not my
answer But as my Individual approach to the
problem and my personal solution are quite
otherwise, and are, moreover, all That greatly
interest me, you need have no fear OF my gong
into a moral tluster or picking up my intel
Iectual skirts with the mental daintinesS OF
a Harvard English professor at mention of these
other thousands who approach the problem
through the Great White Way. The goodly pro-
portion Of them who are not compelled by cir
cumstances to tie found in New-York of an
evening. but who remain here Of their own VoI-
ton, deserve no better fate: it were time worse
than wasted to flash ideals before their eyes.
And on the remainder l look with certain
comfortable pity comfortable because it does
not urge me on to remedial action; pity, in
deed, such as one feels for the suffering in
play. Are they not compelled, like me, to pass
their lives in New-YOrk, poor things? COnse-
quently they have no homes "a home is impos-
sibe south of Yonkers), no neighJors, no ties Of
locality and communal spirit, in short, they have
nothing to do. Nothing to do! That is the trou-
BILE with stage to-day, with our sredt city
where the destiny of stage is shaped, with
our civilization When people have nothing 10
do they Will do anythng-they will even so to
a Lederer musical comedy. Mr.. Bluebeard,'
''Vivian's Papas' or the Rogers Brothers! They
must kill time at any price. Thus bad art
fourishes the price lax standards prevail,
and glarng mediocrity marks our stage and
visible civilization. Art, indeed, varies di
rectly in quality with the number of other inter
ests in life, and civilization with he proportion
of neighborliness. Because l. too, am cOOped up
without neighborly interests and a home i'm this
city of skyscrapers. subways and ennu and
know the nothing-to-do unrest which gets into
the blood like sunfOwer sap, facing a man
squarely to a blazing amusement sign, / pity
these patrons of the Rialto. But il is a COM
Portable pity for the very simple reason that
am philosopher in my way. What can l do
about it?
That isn't the whole reason, either: no philo-
sOphical reason ever is. 1 know il isn't, because
my pity is stirred by another feature Of life in
this city which am quite as powerIess TO RENE
dy; but God knows this pity is not comforta bIer
Perhaps you too. have been moved To the same
emotion by the same cause: but L doubt il The
Rialto and its peculiar life and atmosphere are
known to every ore; some even call it New-York
II is very far from that. Go with me to the
Bowery any night at o'clock and stand on n
corner near Springst. for fifteen minutes. and I
will prove to you there is city within the oitv
rather, perhaps. city without the citv-sucb
you never dreamed Of. The rush at RrooLI,,
Bridge. the stream of humanity uptown at night
Seeing New-YOrk" coaches ever make it a