The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-16

nut before One has learned the facts how
the stilted inscription breathes affection and
fond and naive pride,
The other day I vent to see that admir-
ably constructed and remarkably we'll acted
play His House in Order" by Pinero.
One reason why the play held the audi
ence In absorption fron start to inieh Is
because Pinero has been to school TO that
master craftsman Ibsen, and has learned
the secret OF gripping the attention Of in
telligent people.
Odd. isn't Il, that to the man in the street
lbsen Is a tiresome person who wrote per-
niciOus plays that would bore one to death
unless one belonged to the high brows.'
The fact lis that given Ibsen, we'll played,
most men would be content II there we're no
drinks-I should say, waits-between the
acts. And the man In the street would be
the last to leave his seat.
Having preambled about in this graceful
but in~colsequentisl manner. / come back
TO the st1tement that the other day l went
TO the st. James's Theatre and booked an
upper box" in the centre OF the house.
There can he no possible objection to boxes
rs long az they are not at the side OF the
stage.
paid for my seat in silver. English
mo ey doesn't seem like real money, and
I han out what's asked, prayin heaven
that I may receive tn right change, yet
scoTning the mental effort necessary to
find out IL such has been acoorde / me.
When the hour at which thu matinee
wa to begin approached l went to the
theatre and found men and women wait
in AAm Nha .N1lwa 80 omar and Inf than in
not /, the peanut gallery, as at home, but
TO the pit.
made my way upstairs-do yoI remem-
Der when we used to 60 upstairs for a quar-
ter (matinees rs centsl In the oh Brooklyn
Park Theatre to ses Joh' Mc"ull ugh in
"Virginius" or Adelaide Neilson2 Here it
would be proper TO 60 into middle aged
r,ptures over the adorable and unique
beauty OF stay eyed Adelaide, but with
great forbearaoce I refrair.)
Only = quarter of q dollar and YOU had
tbs privilege Of STOPPING and picking from
the pile on the floor a programme that cost
you nothing.
But here In London, when I handed my
ticket to the doorkee2er and held out my
hand for a programme. the middle aged.
woman who was clutching them said,
.Sixpence. please"
I took the programme and gave her six
pence, thinking how different Il was from
the good old BROOKLYN ways. Fancy a
man having thu facs 10 talk about good
old Bro oklyn ways to New Yor readers.)
Then the middle aged woman led me to
my boz
The name was-a relic Of past customs.
The sbox" was the ordinary New York
folding seat, minus the place for a hat.
We all sat side by side in boxes with in
visible partitions.
And I had paid, ten, six pieces - silver
for my ticket All this GOmewb1t measly
programme. It Favored OF eyCDrtiOn.
Middle aged women ushefs in London
theatres are hard worker When they
were not selling program mes pending
the rising Of the curtain they sold boxes
OF American sweets to the lleasant faced
English people. II Ia likely tina h sweet
maker il in league with the American
dentists who are popular in London n
who are willing to repair the ravages OF
american sweets for a confederation.
Imagine going 10 a New York confec-
TONER'S and asking for a pound OF 'Ameri-
can sweets" 1t would be al hard to pro-
cure as a pound OF English breakfast
tea would be in London. The clerk in
eitber case would stare blanhy at you.
When I was in London some years ago
the English looked with contempt on Ameri-
oan candies or sweets" Now they have
been hIred by their cOlor and taste. have
danced after them in increasing numbers
and the end Ia not vet. They must va
the piper, the painless American" piper.
The middle aged woman had an eye
10 the main chance. for as the sacred hour
drew nigh at which all English people sus-
pend all operations for tea l saw that she
was provided with steaming cups OF DIR.
,Johnson's ~favorite tipple. I grew nervous.
Personally I did not wish to do anything
bu, watch the play. wondered II the
actors would stop acting, come before
the curtain and join the audience in a forum
OF tea"
Luckily the hour sounded between the
acts and instead OF going out TO imbibe
men and women drank where they sat.
And the actors and actresses were having
tea in their dressing rooms. while stage
carDenters, property men call boys and
obarwomen slipped the grand beverage
where they happened to be when the muez-
Yin called from the watch tower. .
TEA habit cured. Try" That's an
advertisement you never see in English
papers nor will you ever see IL. An English
MAJ would sooner stop anything most dear
han give up this amusing habit.
But It seems TO have no visible effect on
mental perception. Let me in spite OF the
nature OF this article land it's a clever
reader who can guess its nature at once)
make a slight detour here to remark that
Pinero's brilliant play abounded in keen
shafts aimed at such British foibles as
dowdiness, Pecksnifism and the like, and
I was naturally much pleased at his shots
Jour own foibles being altogether differently,
but 1 found that the English audience
relished them oven more.
And let me say that the verbal points we're
seen Immediately. 1t might ave been a
Now York or even a Boston audience, 40
quick was the appreciation. Ia it not posi-
Bile that the intelligent in all countries are
equally quick witted?
Tea and play over, l left the theatre and
then nv mind reverted to the excessive
charge OF sixpence for a programme, and l
said to myself, They do these things better
in Nav York.