Arizona republican., 1907-02-26

AND IT'S NOVEL WORK
New York Working Girls Who Study
the Minoan Thalassoeracy and Won
der IL Homer Was a Myth.

|
tertainment at popular prices. or. in
other words, the education and eleva-
ton OF the masses by means of the
theater. is the purpose of a movement
now well established in this city and
soon. it is planned. to be introduced in
a general way throughout the country
through local committees working in
unison with the central committee
| here
| Thus far. in this city. the idea has
been extraordinarily successful. and the
| theater managers. on the whole. have
| welcomed it no less enthusiastically
| than the people who heretofore, for
want Of capital to invest in a first class
show. have been obliged to stay at
home or else TO indulge in the dubious
delights of Queen of Chinatown. -
King of the Noonshiners" and other
East Side apologies for a play.
| Actually the movement has revealed
a popular passion for Shakespeare. The
proof of this lies in the fact that the
most successful period so far was the
week. not long ago. during which Rob-
| ert Mantell appeared in Shakespearean
roles at one of the local theaters. No
less than $500 tickets were sold through
the dramatic department of the Peo-
pies Institute, which is the organiza-
ton behind the movement, and 1000
of these tickets were for the last night
alone.
1t used to be said of New York
theaters that they would close their
doors but for the pleasure-loving He
brews. Such a condition no longer ex-
lists. AS a matter Of fact. the man
aging director OF the Peoples Institute,
| Charles Sprague Smith. is of the opin-
ion that a theater Offering a clean en-
tertainment at popular prices can not
have too many seats. More surprising
things than a popular passion for the
| classic drama have developed. Only
the other night at the rooms of the
Peoples Institute Club a. in the heart
of the East Side. Mr.. Smith. who was
| formerly professor of modern languages
at Columbia University, found an au-
dience made up chiefly Of working girls
eager to hear him discuss the question
| whether Homer was a man or a myth
and whether the MinOan Thalassoc-
racy really did much for Crete. II was.
furthermore, through cooperation with
the Peoples Institute that symphony
concerts at % cents a season ticket
at the rate of four and One-sixth cents
a cOncert-have been offered to people.
| who. except when at church, had per-
haps never heard anything but a barrel
organ or a German band. If the Insti-
tute had a house or auditorium of its
own. with 5000 seats. the place would
be filled every Sunday night, in Mr..
/ Smiths opinion.
Last year this popular threatre move
ment drew 10000 people. most OF whom
had never been inside a Broadway
playhouse before 10 see Maud Adams
in Peter Pan" and at present it is
! drawing hundreds of East Siders
nightly to one of the new American
dramas. In two weeks recently. il
| caused the sale of $500 seats at the
| theatre where for two weeks GeOrgs
Bernard Shaw's satirical Caesar and
Cleopatra" was being performed; 1t
| sent 5000 people in seven weeks to
| see the drama made out of Lew Wal
lace's prince Of India" 5000 more in
| two weeks to see a rival of Shake
speare's rarely performed "Cymbeline. s.
and 1000 in the course of eight days to
see a presentation of Midsummer
Nights Dream" The same movement
lately afforded some 500 high school
pupils an opportunity to attend matinee
Pippa Passes. This new movement, in
some instances. has actually been re-
sponible for the success of the play.
In all but the theaters that cater
especially to the social whirlers, the
Peoples Institute element is becoming
larger week by week, much TO the re-
lief of managers who have been taking
chances with dramas of simple life,
A few years ago when Beerbohm Tree,
the English tragedian was making his
first and only visit to America, he pro-
posed giving some performances
of Hamlet but the theatre manager,
fearing rows OF vacant seats, fatty re-
jected the proposal, but now. since
4 the Peoples Institute has brought the
purveyOrs of the rdama and the once
neglected common people together,
Shakespeare is no longer a scarecrow,
II and any theatre manager in the city
would be prepared to consider the pro-
duction of one of the old classics to-
morrow if the modern show at present
on the boards of his theatre should
prove a failure.
II The movement so far has been limit
ed in its extent. but now that it is sue
cessful beyond doubt or preadventure,
it will be extended to include not only
the public schools. but also labor or
partment stores. A general committee
of influential membership, has been or
ganized. and through local committees
il is planned to extend the movement
to other cities. 1t is all a part of Di-
rector Sprague Smiths system out
lined when he founded the Peoples In
stitute ten years ago. of helping his
fellow-men by bringing them together
in assemblies of all kinds, political
religious and intellectual. and giving
them an opportunity TO better their
relations with one another.
The Institute started with nothing;
it received $500 in contributions the
first year, and at that time this new
brotherhood of man idea seemed DOOM
ed to pass away; but last year, al
though the expenses of the institute
were s14.5OO, only a debt of about $500
was incurred. The late Abram S. Hew-
itt was one of those who helped Pro-
lessor smith in the beginning. He II
was who invited the founder and his
II friends to use his house as meeting
,,1aoa and ba also gave the free use OF