Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-09-13
PASSING OF DIME MUSEUM.
Once Popular Circus Freaks Have
Given Way To Moving Picture Shows

Much has been written CT the
changes in the theatrical world by the
entrance of the popular moving picture
SHOW. but the disastrous effect OF TINS
cheap amusement on the class of en-
tertainers known to the public as
freaks" is not generally known.
But a few years ago. 50 short
time, in fact. that young men ana
women of % and 80 years cannot help
but remember them, the dime mu-
seums of the country Were heavily
patronized. Most of the amusement
seekers of today can remember when
their home town held such palace
of entertainment where they could IN
spect the most alarming looking e&-
amplrs of human lie. look over a be
wildering collection of WAX works. and
listen to a vaudeville show all for til"
sum of 10 cents. Who among us OF
mature years has forgotten the won
dcrful glass blower always to be found
| in those DAYS in a corner of the mu-
| scum. or the marvellous product of his
skill which he sold as "souvenirs"'
With the increasing popularity o.
| the motion picture houses, these mu-
seums have, year by year, become less
| in favor The armess wonder no
, longer attracts. The daring sword
| swallower cannot even interest the
| boys, and the iovial fat lady with her
| package of photographs has become a
| decided back number
Outside of the circus tents few
| human curiostes are now exhibited.
| There has been a great slump in the
| freak business.
Tho popularity Of nature freaks as
| public entertainers was at its height
about f. years ago.
Then the living pin cushion, tho hu-
man frog and others OF like illl trav
| eled over y circuit of museums two or
more times during a season. They
| commanded salaries that would COM
pare favorably with the remuneration
given now to Somn of our foremost
| theatrical stars. New the human frog
! is glad to hop about q Gfty-foot tent
| for SIS week and tho living pin
cushion has to stand lots of pain
| fur tests for not more than 500
Twenty years ago the famous Bow
erv. in New York. was lined with dime
| museums Now there is not ono of
In st Louis, Chicago, Philadelphia.
Roston and other large cities condi-
tions are rapidly assuming tn" same
| aspect.
That tho moving picture show has
| caused tn" downfall of the freak is
conceded by theatrical men generally.
| The never ending variety of enter .
tainment offered by the great rolls of
| films is the reason
! It was the !;aitey Museum, in New
York which long since has been
closed. that amateur night" was orig
| mated. Sixteen years ago rOnghn"SS
| and norseplaY and cries of "Get the
| hook" We're not associated with anna -
| teur nights. The amateurs who went
| on We're the genuine article. Stage
| struck girls from the factories. sing
| ing and whstling newsboyS and young
| plumbers or clerks in Bowery stores
| who fully believed they We're destined
! to he Herrmanns or Kcllars went on
| at the old amateur nights at the
| Ctaitey
Amateur nights at the Gaiety was
| only once a week, but the freaks wer"
on hand all the time. There We're some
moro popular than others who mad
| drawing power and following all their
| own. There We're the Murray triplets.
| for instance. three good looking Young
men. dwarfed. who We're carefully
| chaperoned by their mother.
The fond and watchful mother kept
child's toy bank on the platform at
the feet of the best looking of the
triplets When any particularly bold
or forward young girl pressed forward
too closely. watchful Mrs, Murray
would say: If you think so much
of Tommy. put A dime in his bank -
II was surprising how many dimes
would be Forthcoming in the course of
a busy day and evening
One of the prime favorites in St.
Louis museums was Emma Schaler
the ossified girl She was bright
girl and pretty so far as eyes and
features We're concerned. She entered
the ranks of human curiosties as "the
living skeleton dehutante." and as
such starred over the dime museum
circuit East and West and North and
South with James Coffee, the skele-
ton dude"
Eli Rowen, the armless wonder. was
man of handsome face and stalwart
torso. He was we'll educated and was
undoubtedly one of the most intelli-
gent of freaks. He did acrobatic