Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-13
PICTURE OF new YORK
ASSH0WN IN LONDON
nj Boys e Shop The Palais Royal Girls a4Is Shop
American Flag Declared to Be
s Used Extensively in Music
Hall Production.

LONDON, october 13.--As most Ameri-
can visitors to London know, ballots are
feature Of the programs at the Empire
Theater In Leicester Square. A new
ballet was produced there Tuesday night
| 1t is entitled New York. The scenario
was the work of Col. -Newhall Davis,
we'll known -gastronome. whose assistance
Is. perhaps. more frequently enlisted by
| the proprietors Of new restaurants than
by managers Of theaters though in the
latter domain he has several successes
| to his credit.
II the colonel has ever seen New York
1t must be assumed that when he was
doing the scenario for the new Empire
ballet he relied more on his imagination
than on his memory. Nobody expects a
ballet to be realistic, but In this case
there is absolutely nothing suggestive of
the greatest American city. except a sin
gle policeman and a back cloth painted
vaguely to resemble the Hudson river.
exile" Enters Protest.
The Times prints a half-column letter
in large type designed to warn the Brit.
ish public against accepting this ballet
either as picture Of New York or some
part Of New York. The writer Of the
letter. who signs himself American Ex-
lie" says.
"The honest British authors of this en-.
lfeve that the customs officers who appear
In the opening scene, described as "A
LANDING stage on. the West River &C.
cept brtbes openly. with the police as
their accomplices. and that every kind of
disreputab.e disorder may be seen in the
area under the immediate control of the
great steamship companies and the Gus
toms authorities, where the public cannot
NIT h Nlra<c -
New York, but q very vulgar travesty
of it, =
'The use made Of the American flag is
more Questionable still. Its use is not
decorative merely, but symbolical. 1t is
meant to Americanize the whole business
beyond all chance or choice of mistake,
and to make certainty more certain it Is
dated on independence day. the chief
saints day of the United States. The flag
covers the cargo. 1t stamps the scene as
American. and 1t is not America, nor any
thing like 1t. Nor, If you make American
Aass into breaches for large-hipped young
women, does that add to its dignity.
II do not suggest that there was any
purpose to insult or misuse the nag. but
Whatever the purpose was. the effect is
to debase 1t. and to offend American eyes
and to put weird ideas into British heads
and to provoke this American protest."
Identity Of Protestant.
American Exile is understood to be
George W. Smalley, who In New York
used to be called ''the SQUIRE" so Eng
lish was he. He concludes by saying:
You may think us susceptible, and per-
haps we are, but who is not susceptible
when his national ensign is dragged in the
dust. even in the dust Of the music hall
stage?
In producing this ballet, with the name
New York" and the Stars. and Stripes
conspicuous In the scheme Of decorations.
while several transat antic knock-about
artists are introduced. the Empire man.
agement hoped to make special appeal
to American visitors, who form not in
entele.