Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-12
MARRYING HABIT GRIPS
WEALTHY NEW WORKERS

cokeous fame, bought himself a box at
the Metropolitan Opera House the other
day for $4,000. He has not yet sent In a
subscription for box at Oscar Hammer
stems home of grand opera. So. yester-
DAY, l asked Oscar Hammersten about
that
"oh, he's paid hundred thousand for a
roost ut the Metropolitan, has he?" said
Mr.. Hammerstein. rehectively. We'll,
F'rick suffers from insomnia. YOU know.
and that isn't too much money for n
wealthy man like he is to pay for a stall
where he'll be able to get some sleep,
Is it,
Cryptic? Not at all Oscar meant that
Mr.. Prick would be liable to find the
Metropolitan performances dull and in
clining to somnolence. But. then, that's
what Oscar might have been expected 10
say.
Chicago ideas continue to take hold IN
New York. Last year an Anti-TouCh
Association was formed In Chicago, and
now there's an AntiTouch Association in
full swing in New York. and growing in
membership by leaps and bounds, as
they'd say in Adrian. Mich,
The AntiTouch Association is an or
ganization of male persons formed for the
solitary and individual purpose OF DIS
couraging the touch and all touchers. The
word borrow" Is not employed, not only
because it is regarded as obso' escent, but
because 1t has no application to the mat
Ter III liaHu, II DeiflS one or the strongest
convictions of the members of the Anti
Touch Association that no chronic
tcucher ever by any chance returns the
amount for which he has touched or any
part thereof His touch. consequently, is
not borrow. 1t is a touch. There's
more difference between these terms than
there Is between tweedledee and tweedle-
dunn.
citation are not only pledged, they are
bound by oath, not to submit to a touch
from anybody. even their closest pal, I'M
less that pal is fiat on his back in a sick
bed, or some member of his family is in
the same case No kind of a quick con-
versation, or canvass" as it is called
on the part OF the TOUGHER is to evoke any
financial response on the part of the anti
TOUGHER. Conspicuously framed all over
the headquarters OF the Anti-Touch AS
ISOLATION are the rules and regulations OF
the organization, together with a compre-
hensive list of the various not to say
multitudinous. kinds of touchers.
Classifying Touchers.
good deal Of prominence is given to
the hurry TOUGHER. the boy who only
wants the one. or the two. or the FIVE or
the ten as the case may be. for three
minutes or so, until he hops around the
corner to cash a check. and who makes
his touch pantingly to give verisimilitude
to his declaration that he's In a big
rush. The chap who makes the touch
because he left his money home in the
other suit is mentioned. as is the chap
who had his pocket picked OF his rent and
grocery money while riding uptown in
the subway. The sad and sweet TOUGHER,
with slow music variations. who claims to
have been wiped out in Brooklyn Rapid
Transit when that stock went to AZ Ia
portrayed In all Of his sadness and sweet
ness. and SO Is the TOUGHER who wants to
run up to Boston on business and who
can't get check for $500 cashed because
it's after banking hours. The ingenious
TOUGHER who wants to buy an umbrella
because It's raining and he left his UNI
brella at home and he isn't to be paid of
till a-Choosday, Is adverted to, and like
wise the somber. gloomy TOUGHER who
wants to go down to Camden, N j., to
help bury his favorite aunt. but who lacks
Just $7.6S Of the price of the round-trp
ticket. Even the joyous. frank TOUGHER
who just needs the money is set down In
the list along with many other varieties
of touchers too numerous to mention.
Penalties are provided for members of
the Anu-Touch Association who become
fall guys" for touchers in any circum-
stances
A Washington man who visited New
York recently made himself acquainted
with the motives and aspirations of the
Anti-Touch Association. and be fore leav-
ing for home he told me that has1ntended
to start a chapter of the AnuTouch AS
ISOLATION IN the District of Columbia, with
headquarters somewhere near 18th street
and Pennsylvania avenue. where. he said,
Washington teuchers do most congregate.
1t is with the humane purpose of warning
the District of Columbia touchers-if any
such really do exist there-that this ad-
vance tip is benevolently Impaired.
1t is authortatively stated that there
are some 1000 actors and actorines out of
work in New York. You're not inclined
to doubt that statement when you're
walking along the Great White Way. The
actors and actorines own Broadway. This
Joy should not be begrudged them. Most
OF them look as II they needed to own
something. The male performer have a
frowsy. dandruffy. unshorn. unkempt look
about them. You see. the reason for
this is simple. There are too many
actors. just as there are too many fieas
and barrel organs. They look pretty
healthy, as a rule. but few of them ap-
pear to have heard of the imminent need
with the front-that Is. the shave and the
brush-off-jogs along Broadway with a
furtive. not to say hunted, look In his
eye. Well might his eye carry that ex-
to finish ducking the touches Of the I'M
kempt ones. At this season of the year
an actor with IS cents in his clothes
virtually carries his life in his hands
Wnen ne taxes the broadway air. Inc
dandruffy bunch will do everything to
shred him Of the bashful dime or of the
retiring and secretive two bits but wallop
him back Of the ear with a piece of gas
pipe-and maybe they'll even think q time
or two about that.
Plenty of Pathos.
It Ii truly an interesting spectacle to
behold eleven actors awaiting their
turns to touch one of their mates with an
entire pair Of shoes and an uninked hat
band for the laundry money. Each of
them needs the merry. hooking fifteen
cents wherewith to snag the shirt out of
the cruel laundry persons possession
There sure is plenty of pathos in the
Broadway annals Of the busted hams
The actorines who trudge around the
Broadway theatrical agencies looking for
work" have, too, for the most part. that
unscreenable look which unerringly de-
notes helpless, IL hustling, impecunios-
ity. They swish wolfe skirts that are
very much voile indeed, and they TIA ta'
and Hello" each other with a stimulation
of cheerfulness that weakly wells their
Internal worriment over the frequent and
clamorous visits of the fiat agent and the
installment man.
Vortexing, then. in the midst OF the ty-
phoon of trouble that. for most of them.
Is destined to know no alienation do any
OF these actors or actorines ever think of
swapping the tie that binds them to the