The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1903-12-24

The New Orleans Times-Demo-
crat of the I4th inst. contained the
following letter from Port Gibson
relative to the opera house:
Port Gibson, Dec. 10, 1908.
To the Editor of the Times-Demo-
crat
/ have recently read in the Time
Democrat editorials on the subject
of negro theatrical companies per-
forming before white audiences at
white folks theatres, and I agreed
with what the Times Democrat said
on the subject.
/ write this to inform you that
two negro troupes, "Black Patti"
and the rabbit Foot" company,
are booked to appear at the Port
Gibson opera house during the
present month.
The opera house here is white
folks house, but as our citizens do
not patronize good plays when they
come to the extent they should AMI
could, nor to the satisfaction of the
house manager and lessee, nor the
visiting company, it follows that
the house manager is compelled to
cater to the negroes here and such
whites as as will go.
The house manager is compelled
to make his money out of some
body in order to pay his rent for
the opera house, and if the white
people won't put it up. the coons
will, when their style of show
comes.
The down stairs of the opera
house here is for the exclusive use
of white people, but half of the gal
lery, divided off, is set apart for
negroes only. The house manager
has learned from experience that
he is largely indebted to the negro
patronage. Some time ago l de-
cided to cut out" negro troupes
and do not expect to attend BLACK
Patti" nor rabbit Foot" The
former is booked here for Dec. IS.
and the latter Dec. *.
l would respectf1llyrequest that
if the Times-Democrat publishes
any more editorials on the subject
of white people not patronizing ne
gro troupes that it would try to say
something that would have the ef-
feet of causing white people to in
crease their patronage of good
white troupes presenting good at
fractions.
Whether your city people need
stirring up on this subject I don't
know. But I do know that Port
Gibson does not do her duty in this
regard, and / am credibly informed
other towns and cities in Mississip-
pi likewise fail in their duty. The
consequence is, good actors, who
have visited this place once. never
return. We have a nice little op-
era house here, with modern i'm
provements, lit up with electricity,
ETC., but the white people don't ap-
preciate it as they should.
l assure you, / do not write this
letter from a personal or selfish mo-
tive. I have not a dollars worth
Of interest in our Port Gibson opera
house, nor in any theatrical COM
pany. I am fond of attending the
opera house and prefer to witness
good plays by good players. If the
people would be more liberal in
their patronage we coulc get better
plays and more of them than we
do. /. Fl.
Commenting on the above edi-
torially, the Times Democrat says /:
+. Our Port Gibson cor
respondent intimates that these ne
gro troupes are given dates there
because the theatre is largely sup
ported by negro patronage, and
that the management must, for f.
nancial reasons, cater to this Gus
tom. The matter would thus ap-
pear to be one for the settlement of
the whites of the community sole
ly. 1t is asserted that the people
OF Port Gibson will not support
good troupe, and that the manage
ment must, therefore, cater to the
groundlings. This is unfortunate
.-xA1 -