Casco Bay breeze. [volume] (South Harpswell, Me.) 1901-1917, 1906-08-16

oriShe ana funny. To my mind it's
Just another proof OF the fact that
nine people out of ten would rather
be good than bad"
| A little looking about the place
seemed to bear out this last state.
ment
Why" declared a big policeman.
I've served pretty nearly everywhere
in the city. and Conveys about the
pest place I've struck. It's q regular
Sunday-school picnic here most of
the time"
Eat 1t used to have a bad reputa.
tom"
Bad. well. I guess yes. but that
was before came. Why, I've heard
some OF the old fellows say that"
The same story was told at the sta
ton mouse; the arrests for disorderly
conduct have fallen Off almost fifty
per cent. In the last FIVE years, de-
spite the growth of tine place.
Down on the Bowery, a dance-hall
keeper corroborated the police testi-
mony. Five years ago." said he,
we kept six bouncers busy here
every night. Now the floor superin-
tendent does the whole business"
Inc city authorities have recoS-
nized the change and have aided in
II. Water supply and drainage, clean
streets and efficient police protection
have followed. And all this has
brought also a change in the charac-
ter OF the patrons. With the bad
shows eliminated and the strong
hand OF the police to be relied on.
TINS cnange in the class of patrons
followed naturally. And with every
thing to gain by the keeping OF good
order the amusement people them
selves have naturally been the strong
est uphoiders of the law and order
regime.
Chances For Actors of Merit.
Another important result of the
new methods is noticed in the
changed character of the showmen
and their employees. Time was when
Coney Island and similar resorts were
hotoeds of crooks and panhandlers of
the worst description. To-day they
AFFORD an excellent opportunity for
actors and actresses to continue their
work and for young college students
TO obtain employment that will help
pay their next years schooling.
There are as many as thirty or forty
OF these employed at the baths and
In other capacities. The big produc-
tons such as "Fignting the Flames"
and the Great Train ROBBERY" em-
ploy many trained actors, the last
named going TO the extent OF employ
Ing au actual member OF the famous
Dalton gang in their effort to provide
4 true-to-life production that will be
in every respect worth the admis-
SIGN fee.
From Coney Island the new idea
IL summer amusements spread. It
might be imagined that the old style
Slow. being driven from that place.
would find a Judgment somewhere
else. But that is rot tee case. Az
parently the showmen came to the
conclusion that the appeal OF the Old
fake SHOW was too limited pat-on-
2Se to be worth while. The two re-
sorts tnae come nearer to the old SOFT
ere North Beach and South Eeaca,
but except in their cheapness they
have very little similarity to the old
Coney Island. They, too, are deveI-
oping along the lines OF their most
famous prototype, order is rigidly
preserved, and with very few excep-
lions the amusements are OF a clean,
legitimate character. Two other
nearby resorts Glen Island and
Fort Ceorge-are now being rebuilt
and developed on a. elaborate scale
along somewhat different lines from
Coney Island, to be sure, but with
the same recognition of the sort OF
amusement that the people care most
for
At Coney Island IL was noticed
that when great amounts of money
were invested I'm amusement places
the city at once came forward and
performed its duty as to civic i'm
provements. The same thing has
been true throughout the country.
As soon as the resorts cease to be
nenaces to public morals and become
places OF really innocent amusement.
the municipal authorities a=e glad to
recognize them and give them the op-
portunity to become even more sta
BILE and permanent. Such an attitude
on the part OF city authorities is I'M
imaginable in connection with the
oid-5tyle reSo-t. Perhaps a majority
OF such suburban resorts were orig
inaliy built up by Transportation COM
panies, largely by street railway COM
panies. Sometimes IL was to these
promoters interests TO establish a
really hish-c.ass resort, as I'm the
case OF No.am5ega Park. near Bog
ton. but more often IL was decidedly
to their Interest to make 81 as cheap
and popular as possible. As long as
the only sort OF resort known was
the fake variety, the street railway
resorts were simos. entirely of this
sort. But now these have also felt
the effects o. the change OF the last
few years. and many of them have
benefited by IL to such an extent that
they have either been taken into the
city PARK system or connected with IL
N nF 4