Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-17

MISS CROSMAN'S IDEAS.-Art does
not pay; at least in the American thea
ter. is the conclusion reached by Miss
Henrietta Crosman. who advances the
following reasons:
The people here want amusement.
and they are unable to derive enjoy
ment and instruction from the same
source. In America the people look
upon the theater they would upon a
circus. IT is place to go and be
amused. 1t Is not taken seriously. and
the player here who takes his audience
seriously is sure of disappointment. /
DO not say this in a spirit of appoi mt
ment myself: l have overcome that and
l am trying to meet conditions as they
are. BY this i do not mean to say that
] am debasing my art. but / appreciate
the TACT that II We are to help the peo-
PIE Out OF their slough of despond we
must do 1t gradually. and cannot hope
TO have them. by one leap, reach a
higher plane.
1T is with regret that / watch my fell
low players demean the theater and
their art In an effort to hit the popular
chord. Most of us have started out with
high ideals. and IL takes pretty strong
minded person to stick to the straight
path when she sees others reaping
financial success and reward from
methods that are TO he condemned
Probably commercialiSm in the theatcr
is responsible. but doubt il.
ITO achieve a lasting success all prof.
Gets must be on sound financial basis.
so ] don't think it is that that is low
ering the tone and Ideals of our theater.
For one thing. il is "a very easy mat
ter TO have pure English spoken in our
theaters. but it is more often bad Eng
lish that we hear. The managers and
producers are mostly responsible for
this. and it IS because they don't know
what Is good English.
We might also have good diction.
even II we cannot have good plays.
There is no excuse for ignorance in the
theater. Good English and diction would
not revoIutionize things. but they would
be step in the right direction and the
great mass of theatergoers would receive
unknowingly benefit. And that is the
only way by which we can raise our
standard the people must take their
instruction sugar-coated with enter
tainment. They must not know they are
taking IT.
Then after awhile when they get
more used to II. we can take off. little
by little the sugar. until they are able
to take 1t without making d face, in
fact, enjoy it. But that is when they
become thinkers and derive enjoyment
from thought a long and tedious evo-
luton and one not to be accomplished
in a day or year in this hustlinG coun-
try of ours
First of all let us have good English
in the theater which we do not always
have in many frst-class companies, be
cause the head of ii is incompetent
Then when we get that we Will be
ready for another step. and we VIII
find that the public is ready to step
with US.
MRS SCHRADER'S LITTLE PLAY
tine Bandbox." one-act play by Mrs
Marie Bailey Schrader. formerly OF
Washington was presented last Sunday
night at the Fifth Avenue Theater. New
York and was well received.
The bandbox from which the play takes
it's name enters the plot when Schuyler
vanderyeer Stevens automobile. some
where between Times Square and the
park, hits q girl carrying it, The girl
got a fractured arm. but the handbook
escaped without scratch. and Mr.. Stew
ems. possibly having sisters of his own.
and knowing how much sometimes de-
ponds upon the contents of such a parcel
at once determined 10 place IL in It's own
er's hands the bandbox being properly
addressed 10 Miss Julia Brooks, some
where Fifth avenue.
In the meantime Miss Brooks with the
assistance of her French maid. had been
hurting telephone vocabulary at the
millinery shop, with the result that an