The Washington times., 1904-01-01
FREE-HAND COMMENT
ON MEN AND MANI ELS
The Awful Mistake Of Having Fl.
lection Devices That VIII Not
Exemplifed in Chicago.


Good morrow. Master New Y
How can you be so brighte
Why. you're little orphan
Whose father died last nigh.
As yet you're quite a strane
You're such tiny laddie:
And yet we feel we know yo
You look 50 like your daddy
1t is time now for somebody t. nsere
an asbestos theater curtain tn u
come down always and immedia
should not be an impossible thin
Every contingency by which
might arise should be studied
vided against All the accounts ~
horror at Chicago agree as TO t'sgs-fs. u J,
efforts to get the asbestos Gun l-e -.
Even after the ropes were cut.
not drop Some say that II was
ed out by the draft that II
fall. But OF what use is this a. icF
Il fails 20 work at the very time wien
IL is needed2 OF course, there wouid be
"A draft, and If 1t cannot be rot down
In draft. then it is a good ting only
in theory. indeed. there is no doubt the
asbestos eurtEin was the chief source
Of danger at Chicago. as it formed a
vent between itself and the stage.
through which the flames poured out ia
a sheet into the face OF the audience.
In fact. it formed a giant blowpipe.
The attempt to throw the blame on
the audience in such a case as this falls.
II is useless to tell the world Had they
sat stli there would have been no loss
Of
number Of victims We're traIcpled to
death or smOthered in the crus-- Of the
panic But can you ask human beings
TO sit still when sheet Of flame IS pour
ing into their faces2 There is every
reason to believe the audience acted as
well as could be expected. Many. were
found sitting in their seats. actually
roasted. with their faces turned toward
the stage. II would appear from this
that a portion Of the audience did at
tempt 10 remain in their places. as they
had been so often instructed in the press
and elsewhere TO do in case a FIRE
alarm. But panic. under the rcum-
stances. was inevitable. We 81 0uld not
forget that the audience was largely
OF women and children 1t
would not be safe to aIlege however,
that panic would not have taken place
had it been made up entirely OF men.
Men have been thrown into the widest
panic in the face of less appalling dan
ger than that which threatened and was
actually attacking those people at Chi
cagO. The practical feature OF the case.
as applies TO the future. is. it is going
to take the people long time 10 forget
this Chicago catastrophe and the DAN
ger OF panic among theater audiences is
like to be increased by the recollection
OF Il.
Theatergoers. many of them. at least.
had become educated up to the belief
that If they sat sun in their seats,
they would be in no danger from a fire
on the stage The Chicago catastrophe
has taught them differently We can
not conceal or deny that fact Their
can only be restored by the
most extraordinary zigilance on the
part Of managers. with reference TO pre-
cautions against fire At Chicago the
liquid in the Killfyre tubes was wrong.
the asbestos curtain would
not come down; the ladders had not
been put UP to the FIRE escapes. What
more would you have2 There is evil
dence of a little squirt of vigilance on
the part of the Washington authorities.
as result of the Chicago affair. But
this is not a matter for spasmodie ex-
hibitiOns Of virtue. Safety alone lies N
persistent watching and the application
of the laws without fear or favor
Today there viii be no reason for any
poor person 10 go hungry. as ample pro-
vision has been made for feeding the
needy by various religious and charit-
able institutions. The poor. BY the way.
are pretty sure of three good feeds
year in this counJry-on Thanksgiving,
Christ mas. and New Year days.
whether these filling ard often dainty
dinners help them To endure their pow
erty better fer the rest Of the year
depends largely upon the disposition in
each individual case. Your 0ptimist.
though in rags viii taste good dinner
for a twelvemonth. will rejoice in the
recollection Of IT. and will look forward
with cheerful and thankful anticipation
to the next one ne is sure OF. twelve
month ahead There are others. how
ever. who would not be grateful il YOU
were 10 give them a dinner a month
But what il the yearly dinner. like the
yearly bath. is not efhcacious in a prac-
teal way? 1t should not be discour-
AGED for il tends TO bring the poor and
the urore fortunate into contact. and the
all. is that which is worked in the heart
of the giver
A petition has been placed il the hands
OF the President. asking that soldiers
who have become blind in the service
of their country. be out on the pension
list at SEQ month. Surely no one viii
object 10 that. or see in il any danger
of swelling the pension expenditures to
alarming proportions. There cannot be
so maay of these unfortunate soldiers.
and they are certainly rendered inca
pable. in most cases. of supporting therc-
selves. The petition cites that those
who have lost both aEms or both legs
are getting $l00 n month. The loss "
both eyes should. without question. be
put on a par with that OF both arms or
both legs. There can be little doubt that
the President viii tTrn a favorable ear
60 this petition. and will use his infiu-
ence in seeing it become a law
With what a thrill of regret We all
hear that Mary Anderson has appeared
again before the footlights. and we are
not there to hear and see her, For the