The Washington herald., 1912-08-21
Topics of Interest to Every Woman
EDITED BY JULIA CHANDLER MANI
THINKING ONLY OF SELF IN
A CROWDED THEATER is A
INDUSTRIOUS INCONSIDERA TON
BY JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

I will go a far way In defense oi
washingtonians, because love the city
and admire its people. but confess
had nothing to say when a guest re-
marked to me one evening last weei
that she had never seen people 30 sell
fish and inconsiderate In public places
as they are here.
The occasion for the remark was one
unequaied in my personal knowledge fol
its rudeness We were sitting In 5oca
playhouse and had become much inter
ested in the development of the FIRST aci
of, the play. when a man and woman
arriving late. all but tore our skirts on
dragging over us to seats which were
well in the middle Of the row. As un-
pleasant as 1t was to gather handbags
and skirts aside, II was done with nc
feeling of ill-will. for there are times
when tardiness -, unavoidable.
The evening was intensely hot, and
electric fans alone made the theater
bearable. Scarcely had We become set.
tied again and engrossed In the play
the man objected to the fan In oui
vicinity. whereupon her escort proceed
ed to try 10 turn II of. an effort in
which he failed, owing to the fact that
the fans were put In this theater to
cool IL. and the key by which they ara
stopped is purposely removed. in order
to prevent patrons from turning them
or 1t took the gentleman In question
some time to realize that his efforts
were futile, and In the meanwhile inter-
est was diverted from the stage, and
folk grew impatient Of the interruption.
as well they might.
Didn't Wait for Act to Close.
Without SO much as waiting for the
act to close. the troubiemaker dragged
over every one between him and the
aisle, and in q few minutes returned
again to repeat the performance. At
the end of the third experience Of being
trodden upon and mauled about. It took
a dead OF time for the seat holders
who had been thus disturbed to collect
their scattered fans. handkerchief. pro-
mgraem agsb. .UsUU cE tohm tlwohmtd
grammes. bags, and other accessories.
10 say nothing of the rearrangement
of their clothes, which had been pulled
awry. But the tortuous interruption
soon appeared and squeezed along until
he reached the offending fan. which he
succeeded in turning on.
Five times patrons Of this theater. who
had braved the heat Of a humid night to
see the performance offered there, were
subjected to the distw bance OF having
some one drag over them all in the course
of one act. and all because OF the un-
utterable selfishness and reconsideration
Of two seat holders. And what is more
the slightest apology for the rudeness
was remarkable for its absence.
Lost Entire First Act.
By the time the fan had been effectual-
ly stopped the close Of the first act Of
the play was near and IT was practically
lost to dozens Of folks who were in, the
vicinity of the couple who wanted the
fan turned OF and had 1t done at my
cost to others.
Through the remainder of the evening
hundreds of people sweltered because the
fans were not agreeable to one woman,
(for It was the woman who was the in
stigator of the TROUBLED.
Can you wonder that my companion
told me that in all the cities in which she
had ever been she had never seen 80