Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-12-09
Support Of the Opera House.


takes our people 10 task for not pat
rouizlng the theater more literally.
Now it is said there are two sides to
every question, and it would be indeed
strange il there were not the same
number to this. The obligation OF
support we consider a mutual one;
the citizen to extend reasonable pat
ronage, and the management" to
afford reasonable number OF good
plays 10y capable performers. The
business is not one that can be forced
beyond certain limits; for nothing
drains community Of its spare
change more thoroughly and effective.
ly than give place to an undue num-
Der OF strolling companies. We have
all felt, in our small community, tho
effect OF the big circus, which Occa-
sionally takes out of circulation, at
one full swoop, from one to two thous-
and dollars, and noted that butchers
and drygoods, and wash and wood
bills, have to ago over" another
month, to afford an indulgence of the
poor man and his family at the SAVE
dust ring. How much more effective
(through unnoticed, from its involving
smaller loss. and continuity affording
no fat kline among the lean for COM
parisOn) is the entertainment that
comes weekly (and sometimes, under
Encouragement daily and takes from
two to five hundred dollars weekly
from our circulating medium This
would amount to from 10000 to $685..
600 a year, and when we consider that
each dollar that stays in the commu-
nifty and is "kept in circulation will
pay from five to ten dollars of indebted
ness each month, it is an easy task to
compute this loss in the hundreds OF
thousands per annum.
1t does not follow that we should
have no dramatic performances. The
adage "All work and no play, makes
Jack dull boy" is simply intended
to carry the admonition that a fair
division OF labor and recreation is the
part of wisdom. The manager" who
considers everything fish that comes
to his net, has mistaken his vocation.
The obligation implied is not what to
accept but how many to reject, not
alone on dement,, but for the reason
that it would be too much of a drain
upon the public. The theater-goer
has a right to expect that an equiva.
lent will be rendered for his money,
and is displeased when there is not.
He stays away when he feels that he
cannot stand the drain upon his peck.
ct, which it is bis right to do, without
mourning censure from anybody. Nor
has the theater management any right
to grumble becaure purse.strings are
pulled tight when three or four at.
fractions are foisted upon the com.
munity in single week, Is has fire..
quently happened OF late.
Then the morning critic complains
because the merchants do not yield up
their show windows for display of dra-
matte Autographs. 1t should not
be expected. Unless .some restriction
is imposed, the windows would al
ways be full OF that form OF advertis.
ing, from the theater, the church
social, the annual fair and carnival,
base ball and foot ball games, and
many other public amusements, to tho
exclusion Of the merchants own bust.
ness. Some rule has to be adopted.
and to refuse all, as some do, or ask
remuneration, the more prohibitive
the better, in the way of passes, is by
no means improper or unfair.
AS to the "pass nuisance" there are
two sides to that, as we'll. It is safe
to say that no manager of experience
will give out passes without expecting
some return for them. They are sci.
dom given as a personal grasuity, but
to promote good will and increase
profit. or for some service of mutual
benefit to the performing company and
the house. So infexible was this rule
with the writer, who built, and man.
aged Olympia theater twelve years,
that he never gave personal passes, but
bought tickets. invariably, for such of
bis friends % he wanted to compli.
ment.
OREGON LAND FRAUDs-It seems
that the government is in earnest in
its prosecution Of land frauds, and an