The sun., 1905-12-18
RIVAL CLUBS OF PLAYGOERS.
or THE DRAMA Work
UNDER TWO BANNERS.
One Band Meets at the waldorf and Amelia
bingham Presldes: the Other NJ the
Imperial with Isabelle Eyesson in
the ChAir--Deep Thinkers All

Imperial WIN haOelle ENeAsOn VT
the ChAir--Deep Thinkers All
The elevators OF the American stage
have lost their safety clutch Tho Play
Roers' Club Is rent In twain. There are
two Of II, the orthodox Playgoers' Club,
. promoting not only tho Intellectual Drama
but universal peace, and tho American
Playgoers, dissenters who support the
advanced drama but are all just now
for war. The two sections met separately
last night.
Alexander B. Ebn hit town last winter
with a 400 page drama on universal peace
in his pocket and burning zeal for ad-
vanced drama in his heart, He gave a
peace luncheon. at which Nat Goodwin
presided, and outlined his idea Of pro-
noting the dawn Of peace by p,aygoers'
club.
The Playgoers' Club met and settled
the place Of Shaw in literature. II issued
prospecti or uses with the portraits Of
twenty.eight different eminent actor-mem-
bers filing two sheets Of the folder and
portrait Of Mr.. Ebin occupying one sheet
In the centre. And the American drama
rose by bounds.
Then the serpent entered Eden Who
the serpent was is one Of the matters OF
difference. Anyway, Amelia Bingham, lead
d ing lady OF Proctor's Fifth Avenue stock
company, presided one fine evening in
November, and Isabelle Evesson. who sub
stitutes for her in three matinees a week
and Is a friend Of Mr., Ebn's, sat in the
audience.
Something moved Mr., Fb!n to get up
in the middle OF the meeting and tell Miss
Bingham that she wasn't member any
way. And Miss Bingham left the platform.
The trouble since Is hard for a mind un-
inspired by the literary drama to follow.
Somebody or other is a snake In the grass,
and eome person who shall be nameless is
trying to get free advertising, and some
body tried to take real stars Of the execu-
tive committee and put on mere stenog-
rapher, and somebody is just trying to land
q play, and somebody's borrowing account
had to BE stopped and the club busted
And next the American Piaygoers was
founded.
The A. P. met last nj ght at the Waldorf
Astoria with Miss Bingham in the chair
The original Ebin-founded P. c.. with
Miss Evesson presiding, met at the I'm
perial The former considered the quail
ties that make up a playgoer and the latter
debated on The Music Master" The
A. P. got the more who's who-ers, but the
P. e. the more highbrows,
At the orthodox meeting Mr.. Ebin made
a speech introducing Miss Evesson and
painting her roseate future. Miss Evesson
responded saying that she reah-llv had no
experience, but would do her best 1nen
she called up the first speaker.
Miss Estelle Clayton, playwright, read
an essay. She was expected to tell whet her
the author, the playwright or the mana ger
deserved the most credit. She thought
they all deserved credit; also that they
all have the artistic temperament, which
10 q dangerous thing.
Z. s. Jaros was the only speaker who
apsed into lowbrowsm. He told an Irish
story with Swedish accent 1t was about
moment later by citing Shakespeare, Moliere
sAh, yes" spoke up pale intelligence
during the applause that followed, DE
Quincy, the great De Quincy, the great
FFenchman."
A sad young woman with a fatgued
voice said that by their checks shall ye
know the managers She thought that
THE Music Master" showed the triumph
Of the higher law. She was all for the play
wright.
julius H. Cohn maintained that Dave
Warfleld was the whole works.
Leon N. Prince paused to pay tribute
TO the high ideals OF their glorious leader,
Mr.. Ebin.
Mr.. Ebin wanted to know whether Mr..
Klein's "eat's 'em aliN e. will last as long as
Shakes care, He concluded that it won't.
He confessed that he wrote a lay on 20
hemia in 1909 which contained the idea of
q music master. 1t has been rejected by
some of the most eminent managers in the
world, because it is dialect lay. But MIR.
Ebin still has faith in its financial success.
To prove it he showed the manuscript
It was aprlauded heavily. He objeCted
to the burlesQue Of the music master. ] hat
a woman should darn socks with macaroni
or a man keep his wife's portrait in the ice
box he regarded as imr robable.
Miss En- esson rose and said that a vote
Of thanks was really due to Mr., Ebin.
It went With a well bred whoop, 1t was
followed by thenkfeat in which Miss
Evesson and Miss Clayton were remem-
bered Then Mise Evesson arose and said
Il move, or Will somebody move, that
we adjourn; all IN favor say aye and
they desosnded from the higher peaks to
mere commercial Broadway,
shat they have spent hundreds Of dollars
hiring ARTISTS 10 draw crowd at the Wal
dorf. See what a crowd we have here,
and guess what they have"
Over at the Waldorf Astoria Amelia
Bingham, in pale blue silk and an ermine
hat, was presiding as Nine. President over
the American Playgoers-
By the time Miss Bingham got to the
Waldorf most of the bunch had arrived.
Eden Z. Grevile, secretary Of the new
club, was waiting with some mpatience.
Around Mr.. Greville futtered few less
than 100 Of the members, most Of them
women.
Miss Bingham made dramatic entry.
There was chorus 81 delighted "ohs"
and 'ahs, and twenty OF the female
art lovers levelled lorgnettes the better
to take in the fit Of Mics Bingham's prin-
cess. Ga.
Miss Bingham delayed the game little
because few waves had straightened
out in her Marcel and had to be fixed. Then
she hustled for the madame president 8
seat, stopping just long enough to breathe
sweetly.
sHow absurd 1t is to say that have had
difference with Miss Eveeson or Mr.. Ebin.
New York Playgoera Club? Really. Is
there such an institution"
The small parlor was oppreesively
crowded. The air was etuffy and he avily
charged with culture. There were present,
according to Mr.. Greville, representatives
true expopents, Of oil the arts.
On the platform with Miss Bingham were
Charles Henry Meltzer, Murray Carson
the actor; Mrs. Dore Lyon. A. st, John
Ar II i