Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-30
Ono OF the Days IL
nv FREDERIC 5. HAskI,

couples down in the front rows Thev
( We're here when YOU arrived, and they
must nave seen tho bin at least twice
Already They sit on and on THAR
eyes on the screen as though hypno
'iZcd You speculate vainly as 10 wbar
th"N are staying FOR ANA vainIy ov.r
Iht purpose and business OF some OF
IN: rest Of the audience. a few are
piiiIniY here out OF curiosity Thcro arc
one or TWO restless couples who seem
10 be Gaping on an evening Mt IN,
'"ta'.r ana Il subsequent supper with
u reel or yro OF movies But what OF
thcsc hhl! = dozen staid and common
place old gentlemen who sit ripidIv
erect In their neat business suits. scar.
tered mere and there among the au
nIehtc Ar" they catching train or
'"uhIt'i bE Insomnia. Gaping from
1''h'iN troubles? And what Of the good
m' u'cn' mlidie-aged married couple
WIN" stroll in as though 1t were quarter
OF in the afternoon instead OF tho
morning.
Nnny Como ia steep.
These are more or less puzzles. but
the regulars" among the audience
make their purpose clear enough. They
nave come TO sleep. though why here Is
another mystery. They do not look In
digcnt. but they lean their head.
against the chair behind them, or tho
wall. or the chair in front Of them. and
s!umhcr peacefully. sprawlcd in ali tho
ATTITUDES OF relaxation. Tho pictures
utterly IAN 10 keep them awake. though
the hero Is young Virginian who
writes plays and scattcrs hts RS all
over the printed cut-ins OF convcrsa-
ton. The young lady sketches the
slrcpcr5 busily
one or two of the regulars" do not
sleep There is an old gray-bearded
gentleman who comes habitually. they
tell you. sitting attentive and critical
ana slightly bored. like "a German
baron AT the opera. n boy OF eighteen
comes in with the familiarity habit,
takes scat under one of the shaded
wall lights and proceeds to dig Erimly
into book. Why he comes hero TO
read or study. heaven knows Per-
haps his passion for the film IS too
strong for him, and he salves his con-
science by pretending TO work while
he watches. The lighted clock on tho
wall strikes n single bell at 3 o'clock.
with a rcproachful Tut"
The young virginian playwright mar
rles the school teacher for tho third
time running Sitting here you glimpse
something Of the awful hnality of a
moving picture nlm THAT playwright
VIII go on brca King tho stove and
marrying the teacher over and over
again until the end OF time The man.
acement breaks the spell by nashinR
an announcement telling the audience
that the doors close at a NJ, but all
VINO VIII may stay until o'clock. The
audience doesn't care, apparently. Most
OF IL Is asleep. The screen announces
that the him is being turned by
union operator In case you should
not believe ii they give YOU his num-
bcr. aud the number 81 his union. Tho
man next 10 you notes down tho num-
Dor on an envelope. as thought II were
vastly important. He is half asleep.
In fact. everybody is either half
or wholly asleep. The faithful couples
up front have gone TO sleep. Most
Of those present have seen the show
at least once, hut they make no move
TO go. There is a dreamy enervated
atmosphere about that warns you that
you too Will presently be asleep. So
you arise and go forth.
You find yourself at step in tho
chill. deserted foegy street. II is just
before dawn. when. as any novelist can
tell you. courage and optimism are at
their lowest cbb. Twelfth Street Is a
drab and dispiriting thoroughfare In
the darkness. Only the electrics before
the picture show glow brightly. The
proprietor sits behind his grille, ar
ranging his nickels and dimes in neat
stacks. His sign CLOVIS dauntless at
his ieet-''Opcn All Night"