The Washington times., 1908-10-18
Fairgrounds Association
Pleased With Impetus
Given Appreciation.
THINK SUM RAISED
MAY TOTAL So, 900
Players Do Much to Arouse Inter
est, Declares Chairman Cuno H.
Rudolph-Seen by 1000.

If We had not received a dollar IN
money. the impetus given the play
| grounds movement by the Ben Greet
performances on the White House
| grounds would have been worth the ef-
fort"
J Cuno H Rudolph. chairman Of tha
| executive committee Of the Fairgrounds
! Association, thus expressed last night
the entire satisfaction Of the association
/ withf the success Of the novel Open-air
productions given by the Ben Greet
| Woodlawn Players, through courtesy Of
/ Mrs. Roosevelt upon the White House
| grounds Friday afternoon and yester-
/ day morning.
More than four thousand persons. half
of them, perhaps, being school children,
| attended the performance, which stand
unique in the al fresco entertainments
| heretofore given i'm the city OF Wash
! ington. Although members of she COM
/ mittee last night were unable 10 esIi-
/ mate the net proceeds Of the entertain
ments or the exact number Of persons
( attending them. as no accounting 5y
| the ticket-selling agencies will be made
until Monday, IL was said that the Ben
/ Greet plays had been a success in every
way and OF inestimabIe benefit to the
future progress of the Fairgrounds
movement
Efforts Not in Vain.
The presence of President and Mrs.
Roosevelt. members of the Cabinet, rep
lreseEtatives from the diplomatic and
official sets, and the smart contingent
of residential society present on Friday
afternoon. was sufficient in itself 10 as
! sr..r.r..rrr
weeks of effort had not been in vain
/ Yesterday morning came near 200
HAPPY school children. who wondered
and marveled 10 their hearts content
as Pandora and the Mischief Box" and
| Midas and the Golden Touca,' from
/ iHawthorne's Wonder Tales" were
| spread out like a sCC-e from fairylaud
lupon the natural stage made from the
rolling slopes ur0n the historic White
| House lot
For both performances, the weather
was ideal and no more perfect repre-
I sentation OF the TWO childish dramas
I could have been obtained IN any opera
house Indeed. there were hundreds
who left the novel scene. impressed with
the belief hat the plays are seen 10
their best GdvantaEe upon nature s.
/ stage. where the actors fit in and out
( Of the snruJbery, instead OF the painted
wings Of the modern theater and where
the sunshine rather than mUlti-colored
electric lights makes each fantastic
costume a thing Of beauty
President Makes Speech.
President Roosevelt, who made a
/ short address TO tne scuoor children,
/ members Of the Board Of Education,
teachers. parents. and friends, AZ the
/ morning performance yesterday. apuy
/ expressed what tine performance meant
To Washington and the Fairgrounds
movement generally. when he said.
we owe TO them lthe Ben Greet play
ers) not only cur entertainment OF yes
/ terdav afternoon and this morning, and
that profit that must come from play
done in this manner, but we owe 20
them a substantial advancement in the
! movement for securing better play
I ground facilities for the children OF
Washington"
/ 1t is believed that approximately g. 00J
/ will be cleared for the playground fund
when the final accounting is n.ade-
That. such a fatterinE showing should
be made is due In part to the generosity
Of the Ben Greet players. who, as an
lOllttl DA MI 3 lADtSthflL ttSLEll y.
declined to accept any pay for their
time and services. being content merely
with the payment of the actual expense
of the production
Committee to Meet.
The committee having the entertain
ment in charge Will meet probably on
Monday afternoon for the purpose Of
making final settlement Of all minor
expenses and the turning over Of the
remainT"r Of the proceeds to the Play
ground5 Association. All the members
Of the executive committee of the asso-
citation took a personal interest in the
productions and were present at botn
performances to insure good order, COM
fort, ara smOOthness in every detail
They 81 cCeeded admirably, and together
with tie PLAY g were warmly cOngrat-
uIated by President Roosevelt when
he visited the scene for a few moments
at Il O'Clock yesterday morning
Society was out in force at the Friday
afternoon performance The fact tina.
Mrs. Roosevelt and the President had
. evinced sufficient interest IN the play
grounds movement to tender the use Of
the White House grounds, heretofore
! never used for such a purpose was a
/ cue to others Charita bly, inclined. and
/ fully 1000 persons were oct in testi-
mony TO the effectiveness Of the scheme.
Give Many Performances.
/ Ben Greet and his Woodlawn Players
have given more than 1000 outdoor pro-
ductions in this country and i'm England,
but never before have they appeared
J upon such historic grounds as those
upon which they appeared in Washing
ton. nor perhaps have their efforts ever
been more generously applauded or for
I = more worthy cause.
/ The executive committee having in
/ charge the detail Of the arrangements.
which only began its labOrs two weeks
ago when Mrs. RpOSeValtS generous
offer was medc, was composed of runo
I Il RudolIh. chairman; James Z. West
( vice chairman John =. Sleman IT. .
Arthur G. Moses, and Henry \. Curtis
! Frederick ID. owen headed the receT-
4 tion comwittee from t--e street d"cora-
1 tons and civic Improvements.
NAMDATONy ETTNTDC