Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-26

viii come orwsr with the money. In my
first year in Berlin / made $4,000 marks
031,OoO clear from my dancing and with
that money l started my school for child
rem. Since then l have had to find 5000
marks $4,000 every year for it's main
tenance besides giving my services to the
instruction Of the girls and the management
OF the institution. l am perfectly willing
to continue giving my services. but l do
wish hat some one would come forward
and relieve me Of the necessity for finding
the money as well. l have never danced in
public in the United States, but always
privately. l had the pleasure at that time
Of almost starving to death not only there
but in London eight years ago"
Naturally there have been comparisons
made between Miss Duncan. who was the
first in the field with the natural" or
classical style Of dancing, and Maud
Allan, who is the rage Of London just now
and whose success here had a whole lot to
do with Frohman's decision to bring the
Duncan girl to London. Friends Of the
latter declare that Miss Allan has stolen
the idea from the older woman, but the
critics are pretty unanimous In declaring
that II this is true Miss Allan improved
considerably upon her teacher. Miss Dun
can complained to me that some one had
even stolen the facts Of her biography and
tackled them onto Miss Allan. The real
facts seem to be that there is a remarkable
series of condolences in their lives.
Il want to protest against the stealing
Of my biography" declared Miss Duncan
to me. II saw in a paper recently the
statement hat Miss Allan started in San
Francisco. went to Chicago and New York
and finished up in Berlin. Now those are
exactly the facts In my case
Miss Allan, Of course, lived for years in
San Francisco. where he father was In
business. In coming to Berlin 1t would not
be strange, but the most natural thing in
the world for her to stop in both Chicago
and New York. Miss Duncan is the daugh-
ter OF Joseph Charles Duncan, a former
banker and first president of the Academy
of Arts in San Francisco. Z
Interviews with theatrical managers usu-
ally develop into more or less of an ad-
vertisement for the manager, but a London
Express man has got from George Alexan-
der some comments on the relation of
managers and the public that are so sane
and sound as to be worth reprinting, for
they apply as well to America as to Eng
land, and Alexander is one of the most
astute business men to be found anywhere
In the theatrical world.
81 am not a believer" he said. in
theatrical 'booms' and 'slumps.' The pa It
season has been vilified as something I'M
usually demoralizing. The public, we are
told. is staying away from theaters. Tn
is not my experience. The places the pub
lie wished to see have all done exceedingly
well. II authors and managers do no.
provide such pieces the public is not TO
lime. Thee is no habit to go to the
play one year and to avoid 1t arIther. 1t
all depends on the plays.
Each theat r is individual to its II. A
manager is like the director OF an orchestra.
He gives sometimes one tune and some
times another. But the manager is not
always ignorant when he does not play
the tune 10 which the bank balance dances.
He may be doing his best work even then.
| know that when the st. James theater
is not crowded 1t is because there is some
thing in the piece which does not attract
The larger public. But, while the public
is the best judge of what is attractive.
that play may still be a fine piece of ar
tistic work, and l may be very proud to
have produced It and to be playing in 1t.
Il remember once hearing a bishop
speaking Of the Natural History Of Biogra-
p~hy'-bewailing the fact that seven-e'ghths
OF the book was devoted to the lives Of
the sinners and only one-eightn TO the lives
Of the saints. Well, l think the serious
playgoers are represented by about one
eiehth of the general ~playgoers and the
other seven-eighths want only frivolous
entertainments. l wish ] could afford al
ways TO cater for the saints.
III two or three Of the innumerable I'M
selfish millionaires, who are apparently
loat'ng around with bulging purses, eager
o shower the contents on a national thea
ter, prepared to do so much for art, would
,ombine to lay their cheques on my table
nd promise not to interfere with me, and
would allow me to have a year at the st.
James producing repertoire OF plays that
l should like to do, ] should be delighted to
offer a program Of works which would
SATISFY the most catholic OF tastes.
But my mill'oraiTe cherubs sitting up
aloft, holding high the banner Of the
Greater Drama at the st. James Theater,
must ask me no questions at the end OF tn,
year as to how the deficit was arrived at.
l c uld only assure them that it should not
be in my pocket. They would have to b.
content with the inestimable pleasure the '
were giving the public in general and to
the manager OF the st. James theater in
particular" JOHN V CARPENTER.
COminE Events.
The week at the Boyd theater win be
given over to something in the nature OF a
farewell performance. this time being the
sure one. The management learned early
in the pyaaL thai 49,