The San Francisco call., 1909-04-25

a change and a rest. and here 7 am
ready and aching to do what I am
sure the west is ready 10 have done.
This part of san Francisco can not
be abandoned. It can never be what
ii was before the fire. 1t can not go
back TO a strictly residential section
without injuring thousands whose
financial operations have benefited the
city and have tied them 10 this por-
ton OF your great metropolis. 4 hip
podrome, such as have conceived,
would supply the attraction necessary;
would keep this section alive with in
terest and would. II seems to me, be a
benefit TO the entire community. It
would be. as I said. tonic
'The first thing would do would be
Neptune's Daughter which was the
greatest piece of spectacular stage
work ever seen in America when I
staged it at the Hippodrome. We gave
SO performances of the piece and en-
ployed an army Of zoo people. There
was never an accident nor a change in
all that time The use of the water
tanks through which the mermaids
emerge necessitated only that the
women be good swimmers and not
afraid OF the water. I could communi-
cate at any time with any one of them
under water. Each had her own COM
partment, and il anything happened to
the ventilating pipes which pressed the
air into the sealed chambers there was
a tank Of ozone at hand which the girl
could release IN an instant and stay
there without discomfort for "a hours,
if need be-"
4 ASKED Temple how it seemed TO
handle the smaller forces of a mu-
! sical comedy company after dealing
in the superlauves Of great spectacles.
There's just as much work and al
most as much worry, said he. why.
a stage director has even TO teach
many of his principals the principles of
the English language. Pronunciation,
emphasis, a comprehensive understand
ing Of the lines have all to be impaired.
You've no idea how little some Of these
people know outside or mimicry. OF
course I do not mean ALL mean some.
One chap has no brains at all. but
nimble pair of feet; another has been
neglected by instructors when a boy
and his information is a wonderfully
grotesque aggregation Of error. These
people have to be taught. That's the
stage directors job and it isn't an easy
one either
According TO Temple there's no such
thing as a popular stage director. If
he's popular he's bad. His value to the
house is in exact proportion to the
disesteem in which he is held by his
people. He must be severe. he must be
unbending, he must be exacting and
therefore he must be a crank and hated
Temple accepts the situation philo-
sophicasly and says that though there
is instant unpopularity meted. out to
the stage director il frequently happens
that when one is leaving the good quail
ties of players and directors are re-
veaIed mutually. For instance. Temple
is very proud Of gift which the en-
ployes made him shortly before he left
the Hippodrome. All of the players
We're in on the present and it was a
$1,000 jewel
I value the gift but I prize the let
ter which accompanied it higher This
IS the letter:
ITO Our Dear Mr. Temple:
1T is with the deepest feelings Of
mutual good Fellowship that we ex-
tend 10 you and yours the Christmas
greetings of the Hippodrome company
ana the mechanical staff in its en-
tirety-
The event marks the third Christ
mas We have passed together as CONF