El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-10
Theater As An UpEft
A Striking Example Of II On TIE
East Sfde-The Common Pee
PIE Basis Of Society.
-Flv ChaE. H. Parzhursf--
.HE injunction Of scripture Is t

PIE Basis Of Society.
-By Chas. II. ParIzhursf--f
-HE Injunction OF scripture Is tot
give. hoping for nothing again.
\ It is a long step IN the direction
Of that to give hoping for only little,
gain-phnanthropy with return Of
only 8, instead Of percent In such
a scheme there is moral advantage to
the philanthropist along wtth little
revenue thrown in. and II is really bet
ter for the recipient to pay something
for what he receives than get some
thing for nothing
There is a beneficent, at the same
time remunerative, enterprise OF that
description recently established on the
lower east side in New York Some
40 years ago a child was born on Ave-
nue. b at the corner OF Fifth street,
whose excellent home training, along
with Unusual powers with winch ne
seems TO have been uatiFely endowed
has enabled him to iii large sphere
Of useful activity. be remained at
home until he was IS His first ven
tCre was as a neWsbOys which yielded
hoEever csrefuIiy economical and
turned into the domestic treasury. He
subsequently tried a varsity OF enter
prfses. which neither met his ideal,
satisfied his ambition nor materially
added to his possessions.
His attention was finally drawn to
the moving picture business, with such
accomplishments Of the musical and
dramatic arts as should furnish the
public with rational and honorable en-
tertainment. for he has from the first
held tenaciOusly to the purpose OF Of
fering to his patrons nothing that IS
off color or upon which un1aVorable
criticism can be passed His ambition
has been to give a good thing at rates
that would fall within the means Of
those who could not afford to pay high
prices
Just about a year ago he visited
the spot where he was born. and OBJ
served the deterioration and the rather
tumbled-dOwn condition Of the district
Although he had in the meantime be-
come financially prosperous, his mem
cries bound him to the old site and MS
svmpathies identified him still with
the east siders so he determined 20 DO
something to liven up and brighten up
the neighbOrhOOd Of his old nome
While standing looking at the house
in which he was born he met the pastor
Of the church situated directly oppO-
site. and said to him What would
you think OF the idea Of putting up eX-
actly on this spot a big theater that
should give a little life and pleasaRC
variety to this discouraged and dilap-
dated section OF the town; something
that would. without being expensive.
break in upon the Weary monotony or
the tired people%
That was just a year ago The
theater is now erected and occupied,
standing on the exact spot OF the
founders birth. His original plan was
10 put into it sum not exceeding
5000 OOO but his ambition expanded
with the progress Of the enterprise. and
the total cost has been little in eX-
cess Of 100000
IL. -ea-1-H~ 49,
IL stands for progress. In the midst OF
a region in which there is not a great
deal of pleasure that quite deserves to
be called pleasure, the building stands
for life on its brighter side There is
in IL a certain power OF uplift- 1t is
not a church. IL is not college, but
its tendency viii be to lift a little the
thoughts Of people off from the ground
and out OF deep ruts.
The Base OF Society.
The theater seats $500 people, and,
with its marble and tapestries is a
fine piece OF architecture. 1t viii
raise the value OF property as well as
the value Of people Admission Zee
varies from 10 TO 25 cents The night
that I was thero-the third evening
after the opening occupied a box
for which paid Is cents Eyerythins
was taken The audience was made
up of people from the east side, and
was orderly. attentive and interested
The program consisted Of movies
music and dramatics.
The whole thing is interesting and
suggestive The opportunity afforded
those people is appreciated They
know a good thing when they see It.
So long as il remains in the hands OF
its originator and proprietor II VIII
not to be allowed to cater to depraved
tastes. On the contrary, he viii hold
if uD to Just as high a tone as cir
cumstances will allow. for it Is an ed
ucatfonal enterprise. as well as an en-
pertaining and financial one. The prom
Use is that IL is going to meet expenses
with surplus
OF all the eighty or so enterprises
OF a similar character that are under
his MANAGEMENT there is apparently
none in which both his heart and purse
are so deeply invested The general
tendency of people who have large
money to lay out for the improvement
OF the race is to put it into institutions
Intended to serve the interests OF those
whose Interests are already pretty wei
attended to. It is said that when q rlch
Bostonian dies without leaving a iee-
scy to Harvard University that fact IS
considered ground for breaking ms
win III viii be a good thing for the lm-
movement of the human breed Wnen -
comes to be recognized that lI IS L-0
common people that constitute the 49,
Is of society. and that the solall. -
any edifice depends a great deaI -
on what is put in at the potion '
in what is laid on at the top