Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-04-02
"reminiscences Of the Salt Lake Theater

IN the tabernacle. the little tabernacle.
the ono that Is partly below the
i ground. and to reach whose floor ono
dcsCends a flight OF stairs.
Antithesis seems Co rule tonight.
Whom did meet ~ tho entrance door
but crazy Bob7 Ife wished me
Co paint a. banner the clHsped hands of
friendship the Ausecing Eye. There BE-
"a star within his brain, be- says De
has visions N consuming fire. crazy
Bob cannot pay noe lu money for %.
service be asks. money, silver or gold,
De has none. but no viii plead when
the proper time shall come. that I pass
triumphant through the gaze Of Heaven.
Tho grand old mailman. for $50 he was.
was "a giant IN alze. but now there
passes through the barber shop one
who is dwarf But this one who is
hump hacked rs strong and siucwy;
no is the bill poster Of the house, He
ls humble person. but converse with
him. Touch him on this one subject
and HIS eye shall burn as flame Hope
less love So. there is heart in that
wiashapeu body 81 know what L
lm.' he viii say-"but in the coming
world"
Thcn there are really such beings as
that2--as Quasimodo7
All would We not wonder az times
could we but look into the future 2
How strange 10 Is 20 look into
the pasti Certainly the young
scenic artist would look with wonder
ing Interest. ala he but know the part
they would play I'm his life. at the three
men who now pass through the barber
shop Two OF these men are not actors
or attaches of the theatcr In any way,
hut they are privileged t0 pass through
the stage door and so into the auditor
ium The third person this night cone
ducts the orchestra The first person
is called Judge p. lie win perform
the marriage ceremony for the scenic
artist some day in the future. This
judges son viii witness perhaps the
performance from amid the gallery
gods. for he Us often there. and hls
first ambition Is 10 be able 90 buy bis
seat I'm the parquette circle. But some
day he VIII not need "a ticket, FOR Doe
will be manager Of the Salt Lake thea
ter. The second person shall one day
be called THE Blind Poet II. W. a..
He gave 20 the scenic artist his first
ticket Of admission TO the thoator. He
will vet write some beautiful verses,
Rest. on the Hillside Rest" The or
chestral leader will set beautiful and
plaintive music 90 the beautiful words.
and they will yet be sung over the
mortal remains Of tens Of thousands.
Indeed the words and music will Doe
sung over the wife that Is 10 be Of the
artist. when she. alasl IS dead. And %
may be that they will be sung over his
children's children. All, how little he
thinks OF II now! And the skillfully
built musician. with the quick nervous
gait. the dark cleaning eye, II viii De
his task too. 10 compose the funeral
march Of the leader, Brigham Young.
A MEMORABLE FUNERAL.
Brigham Young-yes. that Is his
voice. And Il is voice. slow, measur-
cd. filled with an inhuitude Of self
viii and determination. All other
voices iu tho room are stilled, and AN
cars are strained 20 hear what the
president may say Il IS Yankee
voice. there is mo- installing that. Brig
ham Young was not lover Of England
nor of the English.
And the funeral OF Brigham Young
II is impossible for me TO disassociato
that event from the theater How
hushod and still was tho Temple OF the
Drama. The great man had built f.
his presence seemed there on the stage,
I'm the auditorium. everywhere. And on
the paint gallery Well. the scenic
artist had n strange way Of dreaming.
How strange looked the idle brushes.
How brilliant the colors were IN the
big palette The chrome, the vermil-
lion, the cobalt, how they shOne The
white, the black how symbolic they
were. one could hear on the paint
| gallery the noise from the gathering
crowds The brushes made no mark
upon the stained canvas; no click
came from the wheel Of the paint
frame there was no work that day.
| For a while the scenic-artist tried 10
] look into the gulf between the real and
the unreal
Later he listened 20 the rolling Of the
organ, the singing OF the tabernacle
choir. and the sermons; and he stood
| not 20 feet away from the open tomb
when the coffin was lowered. and
| then after the crowds the roped
streets, how still again Il was. In the
| tabernacle there was the vacant seat
| there was the vacant seat Ia the thea
| ter. Brigham Young, president OF the
| Church, prophet. seer and revelator
| builder of the theater, patron OF the
| drama-there Il was.
But I wander from my subject I re-.
| turn 20 a certain night. The orches.
] ira begins lts overture, tho scenic
| artist is In his gallery. Perhaps he viii
/ uukuowingly keep time With his brush
/ strokes To- the music, perhaps, he viii
] watch for "a few minutes some foUa|
/ scene iu the play. Perhaps az some
| tender passage he may feel the pres
! sure
Look into thine own heart" says
| the Proyerh. "if thou wouldst look
into the heart OF others"
SOME SCENIC COSTS.
Which scene cost the highest price
| OF any scene produced In the salt
| Lake theater Well. "Tom" rehung 10
for me this day upon the paint-framc.
| "a slow, wise smile has Tom and
| he could tell things. The stage car
| peuter has enjoyed opportunities, too.
| He has had predecessors. He can
/ remember we'll no doubt, "Bil" and
| Peter" and "Jim," and the stories,
too. they once did tell. And "Ned,
the taIlor-but things have changed
| since then.
but this old scene-"The Park" How
| we'll 1 remember the day ON which
| the carmlue was touched into that
/ flower IL is a little faded now but
ID from how many checks OF rose the
| Carmiuo had faded since then! by
| heaven, is IL possible that that bit
| of color has been on that painted rag
| so Ionr2 hut we were talking about
| price / have wandered again. How
| -tuplil Scntiment-bah! This is q
| commercial age.
We'll. that scene did cost money
| have never quite figured IL out. How
| much? For how many weeks ala ID
/ hang upon the paint frame Why
| there was 90 be considered the SALARY
| OF the high priced Tirrell of Boston
! scenic artist. the salary of A. j.. as,
! sIstsnt scenic artist the salary OF tho
attendant. the price Of canvas aut
| paints. the cost OF the fire which kept
! 900. HIHfmrtHnr HtIRra aud fHH