The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-07-15
Battling Against Summer Heat.
BY FRANKLIN FYLEs.

crumble in next winters blasts, but
for the summer 1t is 'as good as a
massive marble structure in the archi-
lecture OF Cleopatra's age and country.
The perSuader outside is no ordinary
ungrammatical gibberer, but a come
dian who, in the dramatic season, trav-
els with good-ciass theatrical compan-
les. He uses his best abilities to stop,
anluse and send in the passing throng.
When the auditorium is filled, all lis
is turned off and out of the blackness
comes the voice of an actor who has
played in Shakespeare with star ac-
tresses. With perfect elocution, and all
the tricks of emotional expression, he
recites a wel1-written legend of the
statue, being that of an Egyptian girl
who, to save her people from a plague
cast herself a sacrifice into the Nile
l don't believe that, although he isn't
required to show himself, he accepts
less than $3.50 per week salary. The
comedian in front must get as much
And that girl who poses as the vivified
statue may have demanded $500 If she
knew the value of her Wondrous beau
ty for this purpose. But see how those
three persons life a familiar illusion
from sideshow insignificance to great
prosperity. Last Sunday the weather
being clear and 'Pharaoh's Daughter
the newest sight, audiences of 300 per-
sons at dime apiece were run through
at the rate of three an hour from noon
to midnight, making the receipts
about $1,000 for the day.
Those sixteen southern girls who
had won trips to see New York. as
~,,.;4r
states, were taken to a vaudeville the
atre. They didn't know, and if they
had know they wouldn't have cared,
that a big fight was going on among
the variety showmen, that the house
they visited is the chiefest in a cir
cult belonging to principal fighter, and
that the programme was made up con-
slderably of specialties on trial for
ntneSS to send on American tours in
the autumn. To them the incest and
dearest performer was a soprano Dal-
ladist, and not because she was ample
in creamy beauty, nor that she had
Inc polite manner of a smiling host
ess in drawing room, nor yet that
her top note was billed as the highest
known, but that she sang old south
ern melodies as though doing it for
love of those sixteen girls from Dixie
They didn't like the next young wo-
man at all While she tripped to and
fro piping inane dOggerel in a baby
treble; and they were plainly shocked
when, coming out again, she was Skirt
less. This theatre has audiences that
look like church congregations, so
seemiy are they in appearance AMI
demeanOr. The southern girls glanced
over the house to see how she would
be received in her red rig of blouse,
trunks and tights. There was no sign
of disapproval; for the rule here is
well known to the frequenters, and ii
is that the costuming may be suitable
to the act. Women who dance may
shorten their skirts, but not above the
knees. If they are acTobats or gym
nasts they may wear the garb usual
to their sex in the circus. Actresses
assuming male roles in plays may put
on trousers. But undressing for the
mere sake of audacity is forbidden.
This one, who looked so devilish in un-
draped red, was inOffensive to that al1-
dience because she was dressed to do
stunts in contOrtion. A little dog was
all that saved her from being common
place. He stood on his hind legs on
her highest spot, which changed rap
idly as she rolled over, bent into hoop
turned fiip-faps and twisted herself in
TO t1ngles.
The visitors were seeing expurgated
vaudeville. The censor listens every
Monday forenoon TO all that the per
formers are ready to say during the
week, and cuts out the indecencies,
with most of the vulgarities. He elimi-
rates many an exploit that would be
permitted on the regular stage. This
bill had frolic by six young girls in
the guise of pupils in a schoolroom
without d teacher Now, in one of
last winters musical farces the ballet
lay down on its backs, stuck its legs
straight up and gave a feet-Over- head
dance in the air. An imitation of that
antic had been put into this sketch,
and likely it Will be given on the en-
suing tour, but the censor at this the
atre forbade it, and the schoolgirls
pouted because they had to dance right
side up.
Consequently the girls from the south
saw show that had more sugar than
ginger, and more comeliness than gro
tesquery. There " ere three song-and-
dance pairs in which the men as we'll
as the women were just as pretty as
they could contrive to be, while their
songs were sentimental and their dan
ces graceful. Dialogues of insulting
repartee and slap-stick hits were alb
persifiage of a shrimp husband and
bloater wife who joked about their
contrast in sizes. This was quite the
wickedest that the censor had passed
NO" said the fat wife, II wouldn't
put up the lace curtains you bought.
because folks could look in through the
holes"
And what did you do with them?'
the lean husband 'retoFted. You made
those two sets of curtains into one
peek-a-bo waist"
The proprieties are all relative. That
was the limit at this house.
The prevailing politeness struck me
all the more fOrcibly because 1 had
gone to a rough house only the night
before, in quest of. novelty, and had
found it only in one little variation by
a knockabOut couple of sidewalk con-
versationalists. They were an Irish
man and German Of course thew