davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
HAS HAD
NINE THEATER FIRES
A Correspondent Gives Dates When Flames Swept
TheSpian 1emples-No Lives Were Lost.

In letter addressed to The Times A.
/. Mudd gives additional and interesting
data concerning fires in Washington
theaters. In a recent interview Fire
Chief Belt told of fires he had seen I'm
Washington playhouses and which, for
tunately, had not resulted in any loss
of life. Mr.. Mudd adds to Chief Belts
account of local theater fires and sup
plies dates. The letter is as follows:
Editor OF Washington Times:
In the statement by Chief Engineer
Belt printed in The Times. he says. i
remember very well the six theater
fires we have had in Washington.
There have been more than six theater
fires here.
The Washington Theater.' built al
the corner of Eleventh and c Streets
in 1903. the walls of which now consti-
tute Kernan's Lyceum, was burned
about o'clock on the morning of Apri
19. 1920.
The National Theater was burned
the first time on the night of March 5
1S45. and not in 1857. as stated by Mr.
| Belt The Inauguration ball of Presi
/ dent Polk was held at the Nationa
/ Theater on the night Of March 4. 1S45
/ The following night while the play o
I Beauty and the Beast was being per
/ formed with w. Z. Burton as Si1
| Oldgate Pump. Charley Burke as JOIN
! Quill. and Mrs. Burke as Selma. fir,
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03

broke out in the oil room in the back
Of the building and the theater was
soon destroyed. No lives were lost
The National was burned the second
time at 3 o'clock in the afternoon of
February 6. 1857; the third time at II
o'clock in the morning, January 2S,
1873. and the fourth time February q,
1885, about three hours after the close
OF the performance.
"Ford's New Theater. situated on
Tenth Street above E Street, was burn
ed about 5 O'Clock in the afternoon, De-
cember 81. 1862, less than two years
after its opening. 1t had previously
been Parson Browns Presbyterian
Church.
Walls Opera House (now the EN-
pire), was burned about l o'clock in the
morning, December g. 1871 This build
ing has had many names. II was the
oxford Music Hall in 1S64-lS65. and not
when II was burned.
"Hertzog's Ninth Street Opera House
where the Academy of Music now
stands, was also burned. think in 1889
but have no record of the exact date.
'"The second Washington Theater.
built in 1921 on Louisiana Avenue. neal
Sixth Street, and later known as The
American Theater. Washington Assem-
bly, Rooms, Wards New Olympic
Hail. was destroyed after the war. bu
not while being used as a place Of
amusement. A. l. MUDD."
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
A Pretty Courtesy

A bit Of courtesy was extended last
week from one prominent musical or
ganization of Washington to another In
a letter from William Bruce King. presi-
dent of the Choral Society to Richard
Heard, manager Of the Washington
Symphony Orchestra The letter ex-
plains itself and is as follows:
My Dear Mr.. Heard: The playing of
the Washington Symphony Orchestra
on Sunday evening with the Choral So
ciety was so effective and artistic that
The society feels IL due TO the members
of the orchestra to express to theim
their very hearty appreciation II is
rnost gratifying TO me 70 extend the
thanks of the Choral Society TO the
orchestra for their work and to express
the hope that this may be but the
beginning of artistic cooperation in the
production Of the works of the great
masters. requiring a combination of
vocal and instrumental forces.
Besides the very happy work of the
orchestra in the accompanying numbers,
their performance of the two purely in
strumental portions Of the Messiah"
the overture and the pastoral symphony,
have attracted much commentator. The
latter number. particularly, made a deep
been the subject Of much favorable com
ment on every side.
ut would not be proper to close this
letter of appreciation Of the work OF the
orchestra itself. without expressing the
measure OF Indebtedness which the So
ciety feels to one person, who took no
part in the concert, but to whose efforts
the orchestra owes its existence and
present high artistic standing, namely,
Mr. De koven.
The cause Of music I'm Washington
owes a great debt 20 him which can only
be repaid in appreciation of what he
has done.
with best wishes to the members OF
the orchestra individually for a happy
and prosperous New Year,. 1 am
Very truly yours,
WIN. BRUCE KING,
President"
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
ENORMOUS INCREASE
IN PARCELS BY MAIL
Facts Disclosed by Recent
Dead Letter Sale.
EIGHT THOUSAND PACKAGES
Within Five Years, From 1859 to 1864
About 1000 Pieces Accumulated
in Postofice.
EIGHT THOUSAND PACKAGES

Interesting Information concerning the
rapid growth a. tho mails as means
of exchon mgr LII parcels is fur
..l4.-. - a comparison OF the number
of packages sold at the dead letter
sale which began December "a. 1903. and
the number sold at the dead letter
sale held in 1884
In the December sale. conducted by
Wilson * Mayors. there were more than
5000 packages. The articles in these
packages were taken from Up. 600 par
GELS Of dead letter mail which aceumu-
lated in one year Besides the parcels
from which articles were taken for sale
there We're thousands OF others which
contained trinkets. cards. pictures, etc,
too cheap to be offered.
The sale In 1864 was conducted By WI
liam b. Lewis. and the catalogue shows
there were l.032 parcels. the accumuia-
ton Of five years from 1859. Accord
ing to the custom now in vogue IL il
usual to put a number OF articles Of a
similar nature or a similar price from
different parcels IN the same package.
which accounts for the fact that in the
last sale there were only 5000 pack
ages for 10. 600 parcels.
In 1864 II seems to have been the
custom. except in a comparatively few
instances. to sell each original parcel
separately as II arrived in the mail.
and the L032 packages disposed OF In
that sale is taken as close apDrOxirna-
/ ton OF the number OF salable parcels
which went astray in the five years.
As an explanation OF the remarkable
Increase in merchandise found in dead
letter mail Ii has been Suggested that
not only has the postal business in
creased man. times in the thirty-nine
years between 1864 and 1903. but the pres
ent low rates OF postage ha e caused
an enormous Increase Of the Practice OF
mailing merchandise. In the early DAYS
the high rates discouraged the mall
ing OF trinkets and articles OF apparel
/ but now millions of parcels OF that ma
, ture are handled every year and the
rapid spread of free delivery is con-
stantly adding to the flood Of mail mat
/ ter other than letters
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03

reaches the well-spring of human sym
pathy.
Beatrice Carew. the veriest sketch in
Madeline Lucette Ryley's An American
Citizen" vets ones eyes. There were
similar characters I'm Marguerite Mer-
ringtons Captain Letterblair. and in
Alice Ives The Village Postmaster.
Instinctively, intuitively. women get at
the hearts of theatergoers.
1t is true too. l think, that women
pIaywrights have more subtletly than
men. AS the jingle has it. 1t is their
nature. too"
The difference is to be observed De-
tween any two pieces written by man
and a woman. A man playwright would
have given Beatrice Carew a scene with
the man she loved in An American
Citizen that would have left her crush
ed, and the audience more or less con-
WINGED.
Mrs Ryley spoke through a half dozen
glances, a few lines spoken at odd
times, a long sigh uttered before her
final exit.
OF course, il goes without saying that
authors Of my sex can draw characters
Of the feminine persuasion inimitably
we'll In the mirror of their own emo
tons they find the emotions of other
women divine. and appreciate the fact
The Density Of Mere Man"
There is a scene in Under Southern
Skies" which is received with roars Of
| laughter every night by the women in
the audience. and il goes for almost
nothing with the men. This is the scene
] in which the young clergyman catches
Fiji kissing his image in her HallOw-
I cen glass, discovers himself. and is
surprised that he IS quilted instantane-
ously by the indignant girl. What Sara
Grand calls a mere man author or
lauditor cannot quite grasp the emotional
mechanism which sends the young
woman hurrying up the stairs. The
/ women lin front" know why she goes.
and IL amuses them.
( In view OF tho facts Ishave set forth
above. il is rather remarkable that there
are so few women dramatists Of note
| 1 think there are not more than five
in America the only one ! can call TO
mind in England, except Mrs. Ryley,
whose productions have been mostly
made in America, is John Olive
| Hobbies. There probably is a very goot
reason for this condition OF affairs
abroad, and that reason is the unwil
lingness of the public to accept womel
as authors of plays.
| An American girl who sold a comedy
to a London manager. told me that n
1 obliged her to consent to a masculin'
nom de plume This is very remarkably
| but Il tell the tale as twas told t
me-
From the foregoing remarks It ma.
be facetiously observed that l have
| given no credit at all To the men wh'
write plays. AS a matter of fact. be
] lieve that as craftsmen, as intellectual
workers. they are in some instances su
perior l merely have been asked L
point out the characteristic merits o
a woman's play. and l think l have don'
cn
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
EVANGELIST hUNHALL
At LAFAYETTE THEATER
Famous Divine WillLecture
on Book of Books"
THE PUBLIC Is INVITED
DR.. Gates Will Meet His Bible Class at
the Usual Hour This
Afternoon

At the big meeting today in the Lafay-
cite Theater. under the auspices of the
Young Mems Christian Association, Dr..
/. W Munhall. the famous evangelist.
will give his lecture. The Book of
Books"
Among the many favorable comments
made on this lecture. Mr.. Moody and
Bishop Vincent have both expressed
their opinion that it is the greatest and
best one they had ever heard on the
Bible.
Repeated in Boston.
During Mr.. Munhall's eight weeks
stay in Boston. where he was giving the
MONDAY lectures. he repeated this lee
ture four times by urgent requests of
business and professional men to in
creasingly large audiences.
Dr. Munhall was offered $4,000. and all
hotel and travelling expenses to give
this lecture $50 nights. He refused be-
cause he is an evangelist and will not
let any consideration turn him from that
work. Doubters and skeptics will be
particularly interested in this address.
Tickets Of admission may be obtained
free at hotels and drug stores and Other
business houses throughout the city
The doors of the theater open at 3:3(
and the song service Will begin imme-
diately.
Class to Resume.
DR. Merrill E. Gates. leader of the
great Bible class. which is held in La
fayette Opera House Sundays at 2:45. viii
meet the class today at the usual hour
He has been Obliged to be absent from
the class for two Sundays but hopes
to meet them regularly hereafter. Me.
who wish 10 attend this czass on "Lif,
Questions and Bible Answers. may OBJ
tain admission at the theater side Ell
trance from 2:30 to 3:15.
There will be an interesting meeting
for boys at the rooms of the association
| 1872 c. Street this afternoon at $780, AT
address TO boys Will be given by Herber
+. Sharp superintendent of the Nation
al Junior Republic. and the song service
will be interesting All boys of the city
between the ages of twelve and sixteeT
are invited.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03

they have concluded their London en-
gagements are The Orchid Madame
Sherry THE School Girl and The
Cherry Girl
"Glittering Gloria" one of the sea
sons acknowledged musical comedy sue
cesses in London. will be seen in Amer
lea before very long. James T. Powers
will play the leading role in the Ameri-
can production.
Attractive and unique features in I'm
der Southern Skies are the Jack-o'-
lantern pumpkin dance and the Hal
lc~sen tricks. neither of which had
been seen on the stage until Mrs. Par
ker utilized them in her play.
A new play by Augustus Thomas and
entitled The Other Girl was present
ed for the first time last Tuesday night
in New York and is accredited with sue
cess. The hit Of the performance is
said to have been made by Joseph
Wheelock. jr.. who will be remembered
here especially for his excellent work
with the old National Comedy Com
pany. About year ago young Whee-
lock was forced to retire from the EN-
pire stock company. of New York. and
~ u <AIlLo4ld llI his ntdlLn ne mas
entirely recovered and Wa heartily well
coined back TO the stage last week.
Justin Huntly Mccarthy. encouraged
by the success achieved by The Proud
Prince" Mr.. McCarthy's dramatization
Of I.ongfellOw s Robert of Sicily" is
at work dramatizing Longfellows Hi
awathG.' which possibly will be pro-
duced by Sothern at some future time.
Man, companies carry their own mu-
steal directors. but it is seldom a wo-
man violin!st occupies the leaders chair.
Ruth Browning, a Southern girl. who
is rather well known as a solo player
on this instrument. is the conductor
with Under Southern Skies" having
been selected by the management at the
suggestion of Lottie Blair Parker, the
author of the play.
Henry Miller will again join the Froh-
man forces and will resume his starring
tour under the direction Of Charles
Frohman in Business Is Business the
play which ran with such remarkable
success last winter and spring at the
Theatre Coincide Francois. Paris.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03

DENVER. Col. Jan. 2-Willing to
may give hin. putting up a good fgbs
and being patient under the blows Is
the way as he realizes that much of his
discomforts are of his own making. a
German count is filling the position OF
hired man at the greenhouses OF J. c
Latshaw in Pueblo. and is filling II we'll
Nine days ago man applied TO Mrs.
Latshaw for work and as she was
pleased with his appearance and needed
man. she told him that she would try
him and if he did the work he could
stay. He was well able to do the work.
and from his general bearing and ample
fund of information on many topics. II
was discovered by his employers that
their hired man was something above
the ordinary. they did not inquire into
his private affairs, but realizing that he
was a gentleman I'm the true sense of
the word, they respected his privacy
and were well pleased with the work
done by Max" as he said his name was.
Some Official Papers.
The day after he went TO work Max
gave Mrs. Latshaw an official looking
envelope containing some papers. which
he thought he might lose If he kept
them in his possession. Yesterday he
gave Mrs. Batshaw permission 10 read
them, and she was SURPRISED when they
showed that her hired man was a Ger
man count and OF family of interna-
tional reputation. His family dates
back 600 years, and its name is written
in large letters in German history.
Max refused 70 give his name for pub
LEGATION, as he was eXiled from his coun-
try some years ago The term of his
exile will be up next August when he
Intends to return TO claim estates left
him by relatives since his Punishment
He has travelled over a goodly portion
OF the globe since leaving his native
country, and many and wonderful ad
ventures have fallen TO his lot.
1t was. after being in Pueblo FOR
several days, he secured work from
Mrs. Latshaw. He had had nothing Z
] eat for some time, but his pride would
not let him ask for any favors and n
worked hard for several Wearisom
| hours before ne had anything TO sus
tain his hungry body. After he ha'
eaten TO his hearts content he told hi
employer of his condition. When asAe'
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
W0MAN'S UNION TO HOLD
SPECIAL WEEK OF PRAYER

A week Of prayer by the Woman s
Interdenominational Union will be held
at the First Congregational Church
Tenth and Streets northwest from
January to 8. The sessions will be for
one hour. at II o'clock I'm the morning.
The program is as follows: Monday,
The Power Of Prayer Presbyterian)
Mrs. De Rumlee; Tuesday. The Church
of Christ" (Christian). Mrs. Jennie
Bates: "Wednesday. ''AIl Nations and
Peoples" lutheran, Mrs. Monroe:
Thursday. Home and Foreign Mis-
sions' (CongregationaD. Mrs. j. l..
Ewell: Friday. The Family" (BaptisD
Mrs. William II. Baker; Saturday. The
enforcement OF Christ on Earth"
(Methodis), Mrs. William Burris
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
GERMAN COUNT WORKS
FOR PUEBLO FLORIST
Dame Fortune Sports With Scion of Noble House. Bu
He Is Patient Under ReVerSeS.

whv he had not told OF il before. he
said he would rather starve than ask
for food he had not earned. and that
he could not imagine himself taking
charity offerings.
His sister is married TO one Of Ger
many's renowned foreign ambassadors.
His kin are living in the ancestral cas-
tie which has been the home Of the
family for six centuries Max. the Ger
man count. is the hired man in a green
house.
Vagaries of Fortune.
The vagaries of tickle fortune are
well exemplifed in his life Educated
I'm the best Of German universities. hav-
ing several languages at his command,
formerly having money to satisfy his
every want. and friends and influence
that could sway the Kaiser in his in
teresIs. but now disowned by his fam
lily, with no money and only influence
enough to secure a position as hired
man in a foreign country, he Is surely
seeing the ups and downs in life. Politics
-politics-and an unlimited income,
which ne knew not how TO value. COM
5ined with his waywardness and hot
headedness were the causes THAI led 70
all his troubles and wanderings
Max is thirty-five years Of age, re-
fined and decidedly German in appear
ance. and has a fair knowledge OF the
English language He is proving a good
assistant TO his eMl loyers and will re-
main with them until the spring of the
coming year, when he will start for his
home, stopping in various cities on the
way. When he arrives in Germany In
the summer he will enter into the du-
ties of a large landholder and viii
assume his former title. which he re
fuses 70 give out at the present time
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03

Mrs. Parker. have felt more to
night than at any other time in a
great many years. | don't know why
it is. but there is something about your
work that goes straight 10 my heart
For the moment, excited by the oc-
casion. 1 WIS gratiied beyond rea-
son. In the quiet of my own room,
however. 1 began wondering whether
" hat my esteemed friend had said could
not be applied to any woman dramatist
There are not many of these in the
United States or abroad. but it is sig
nificantly truS that few who have had
PLAYS produced have failed
The explanation came to me as I
sermonized with the words of the news
paper man as my text: Women are
more emotional than men They write
more from the heart and less from the
brain The consequence is that, per-
haps, without quite understanding the
cause themselves. they draw tears and
provoke laughter with material from
which masculine author could get
neither.
ANY person who has compared the
pIavs of women with those of men must
understand the diTeSence l am trying to
describe. 1t is verb marked between
THE Henrietta" whiAh came from the
pen Of Bronson Howahd. and "A Fool
of Fortune. which WAYS the work Of
Martha Morton. Mr. Howard drew a
splendid. vivid dramatic picture of
events in Wall Street, Which all but
eliminated i'm the ruin Of bis chief char
acter. Mrs. Mortou's h4nliwork was
less vivid, more like PASTEL: but the
ruined Speculation who was the central
figure on the canvas claimed ones SYM
pathy and affection in "a Fool of For
tune" as he never did in THE Hen
rietta"
Mr.. Howard had Thought about his
creation; Mrs. Norton had felt with
hers
A Matter of Nature.
] can remember only / a few of the
plays written by women jim which there
is not at least one character that
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
Aid of Kings Daughters.

A concert in aid of the Third Circle
Of Kings Daughters was given on We'd
nesday evening at Carroll Institute
Hall. in Tenth Street The entertain
ment was under the auspices Of the Co.
Iumbia Conservatory Of Music, and in
cluded the following program;
Overture. selections from Robins
comic opera, "Jacinta," Columbia Or
chestra: mandolin selection. Nordica
Club. Walter ]. Holt, director; recita-
ton, so Was ], - Miss Jessie NJ. Gray;
violin solo, "Nashional Fantasia" Mrs.
Cross (accompanist, Miss Ethel Pattee);
vocal solo. Anchored Watson. James
Graves; piano solo, ''Rondo Capriccioso,
Mendelssohn. Miss Ethel Pattee; cello
solo, selected, Dore Wolfsteiner: cornet
solo. Shubert's 'Serenade," DIR. w. Z.
Diffenderfer; mandolin selection, Nor
dica Club; recitation, "Mollie,' Miss
Jessie NJ Gray.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
Saengerbund Concert.

Saengerbund Concert.
The first public concert OF the Wash
ington Saengerbund for the new sea-
son will be given on Sunday evening.
January 10, at the National Theater.
The club will be assisted by Mrs. Caro-
line Mir Hardy. soprano; John Hum
bird Duffey. baritone. and an orchestra
of forty musicians. Among the num-
bers on the program will be the Don
Juan" overture and three short selec-
tons by the orchestra. BY request Max
Bruch's Fair Ellen will be given b.
the Saengerbund chorus and full or
chestra. under the direction of Henry
Xander A work by Wagner which has
never been given I'm Washington will be
among the features of TIE program
Mrs. Hardy Will sing the aria IRON
''Tannhauser'' and a group of songs
while Mr.. Duffey's selections are to be
a Wagner aria and other selections.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
Saengerbund Entertains.

The fourth musical entertainment Of
the Washington Saengerbund will be
given tonight at the clubhouse. with the
following program:
Choruses. Colt gruesse dich. 80
Musecke. and "Gruesse an die Hell
math. KRONER. by Saengerbund piano
solos. "Cinquienne Valse GODDARD. and
"Fete Bachlque," Neustedt Miss Made
line Cohencius; contralto solo. Angus
Macdonald" Roeckel. Mrs n. ID. Elk
nicios; bass solo. The Two Grenadiers, %
Schumann. Harry Hughes: soprano So
los. THE Maids of Cadiz," Delibes. and
japanese Love Song" Clayton Thorn
as. Mrs. William Keye Miller; clarinet
solo. Blue Bells OF Scotland" Glenn
mems. Karl Schaefer. vocal duets. "A
Flight OF Clouds" Caracciolo. and
Nearest and Dearest" by Mrs Miller
and Mrs. EXnicios.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
Program at universaIist.

The program of music which was sung
by the choir of the Church of Our
Father last Sunday. viii be repeated this
morning. under the direction Of George
Lawrence. Miss Marie Becker presiding
at the organ. The quartet and chorus
will sing Adams "Cantique de Noel q"
with obIigato solo by Mr.. Lawrence,
and THE Palms arranged as bari
tone solo and chorus. The baritone
solo will be sung by ID. J.. Scoville.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
ALBERT k. STEVENT0N
DEAD IN NEW YORK

A message received at the Treasury
Department tells of the death in a hos
pital ~ New York of Albert y. Steven
ton, for many years lieutenant of the
watch in the Treasury. He was well
known I'm Washington in the days OF
the Grant Administration.
Mr.. Steventon was later transferred
TO the immigration service at Ellis ISL
and. and had been in that service for
several years.
The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-01-03
Lever Prices.
Harrison Grey Fiake Takes the Initiative
in New York.

The prevailing rates for seats at the
New York theaters has been the sub
ject of wide discussion in the press and
among playgoers during the past year
II has been made clear that public SEN
timent demands lower taTiff at the
first-class theaters Harrison Grey