The Washington times., 1914-06-07

| in the famous story had bitten him
| Immediately after he had denied the
existence of such an animal. What
| sort of term would have been ap-
piled to describe the farmer If he did
not make some kind of an admissions
This Is rather a serious matter because
there are a great many people trying
to find a similar term to apply to the
theatrical managers they have heard
speculate as to what has caused bad
business during the past two or three
seasons. You see, the theatrical mana
gers have been denying the existence
Of the animal feeding from their trough
that Is universally known as moving
pictures.
ago the general price OF admission to
the theater in this country was $50
That amount Of money secured the
best seat in tho house. Then came The
famous syndicate. There is nothing in
the world so pleasant as spending
money. and the syndicate managers
were willing to let the public spent
its money-not only willing, but they
advanced the price of a seat to 81,
so that more money could be spent
without going to extra trouble to find
something to spend 1t for.
Fifteen years ago there was not
theater in the CITY of Washington that
charged moro than $1.50 for an orches.
ira seat. And there was not one or
them, either. to which admission to the
gallery could not be obtained for 3
cents. The income Of the general pub
lie was about the same and the appro-
priation for amusement from that in
come about the same as It is now.
Please remember that little bit of in
formation about the income being the
= D ma s1-I t.AI
ity OF expediture. etc. Then, as stated,
the price of seats went up to 81, and
the gallery admission became 80 cents.
Also some ten or twelve years ago a
circus gentleman, whose only available
asset was a thing called moving pic
ture projection machine, went fiat broke
in q little town in Tennessee. He hired
a store, set up his machine and began
to throw pictures of the Empire State
Express moving at full speed on an or
dinary bed sheet nailed to 4 wall at
the other end Of the building. People
had never seen anything like that be-
fore and were willing to pay a dime
FOR the privilege. He had hunch that
If plays could be produced, photo
graphed and projected in the same way
there would be a tremendous saving
OF travelling expenses and pay for ac-
tors, while the plays could be produced
via the projection machine and bed
sheet indefinitely.
learned and experienced persons, in
GLIDING those who were responsible for
the picture of the Empire State Ex-
press. laughed long. low. gurgIing
ton. They called it silly. foolish. as
SHINE, and lot of other contemptuous
things. But the circus man persisted.
and finally got some one t. produce
pay.
Last year the people of the United
States paid more than $50, 600. 900 to see
moving pictures. You haven't forgot
ten about the income OF the people,
have you? You remember / said it
amounted to about the same today that
cal managers have simply gone ahead
charging 81 per seat for shows far in
ferior in acting, production and general
entertainment possibilities to the things
that have succeeded the old Empire
State express in plunging at full speed
across the circus mans bed sheet. Also
they deny there are such things as
moving pictures,
People still want to be amused-just
as they did fifteen years ago. They
read and see good situations developed
by first class acting on the legitimate
stage. But when they can see people
like Mary Pickford. Alice Joyce. Mar
guerite Snow, King Baggott. Warren
kerrigan, Mary Fuller John Bunny,
small sum Of 10 cents why should they
pay 81 for the privilege OF being acces-
sories after the fact to, The Traffic
and other crimes of this sex o'clock
period of dramatic history?
The chances are the coming season
will bring an intelligent answer. One
might occur to the average citizen. i'm
which doesn't seem to have
percolated through the highbrows that
wear the silk hats on first nights. The
81 seat and the $30,000.o0O spent for pic
lures might suggest something.
One OF the rarest gifts in the world
Is the ability to break a friendship In
the middle without leaving Jagged ends
that will make a scar II ever the two
parts join again. 1t is sort OF green
.ree" fracture of the fitness of things.
II one may dip into surgery for
term. You know when you break
bone partly through. the surgeons call
Is likeness to the breaking of a green
Dough partly through. And so you
might call the parting between people
who have paused for an instant TO
ook over the world from the same
point of view. exchange sympathetic
on things in general and pass
On in opposite directions. The break is
held from an actual parting by slen-
der silver of hope that they'll meet
again.
we approach the parting with people
who have worked to please us and en-
crtain us as Violet HeminS and Earl
Brown have done with the Columbia
Players during the past two months.
Miss Heming came here as an old
friend to put a cast about one OF those
green tree fractures for few moments.
4 year or so ago We saw her and ad-
nired her as a young girl just starting
4 career on the stage. She had the
hnn n e4N
IRENE youth coupled with an inherited
aIcnt and a determination to succeed.
Her opportunities were limited to those
PARTS that would fit her experience.
She returned this spring more mature
n both art and person and ready TO
give more complete account or her
some of the parts she has played she
,as dominated completely In The
"Bunty Pulls the Strings
bringing to each some
specially in the first two. with the
stars who first gave the plays their
.ogue Miss Heming goes 20 her old
,ome in England for the summer. !
Iext fall she will return to America to
.oeume tho tour of "DIsareIi' as !
icorge hrliss' leading woman. IT IS
rarely possible there will he another
to see her when the next
Mr. Brown was n newcomer to Wash |
nGton. and the selection of plars for |
boo