New-York tribune., 1916-02-28

We do not think that the lOcalsi" VI
the Shuberts will injure them rs muen
as might be supposed. for we are OF
the opinion that they are wrong IN
their conception OF the fedglins' the
police court reporter and the sporting
writer. We can't stop to defend the
aedgling. although we know that Ma
poleon was a most precocious genera
and that Sheridan wrote "lhe Rivals
when he wss t%enty-four or there
sbouts.
.crhe police court reporter" We sup
nose is the fellow that new spaper men
know as "the district man To SPEAK
slightingly Of him Is TO contemn the
entire newspaper profession. PROBABLY
every dramatic critic in New York has
been a police court reporter AZ some
time or other, but many district men
have turned out much better than
that -,
su~passine wealth. Time cllnHs ana
rattles in his pockets. lie may spend
II almost as he chooses. Just so iohs
IS the pedestrians OF New YORK keep
away from automobiles and lonely iolka
IN fats don't monkey with the gas
yven then II takes only a minute ei
two TO inform the Office that the GilNei
hit I'D the pace and made MS escape
before the police arrived on tne scene
or that the woman lett note saylhS
she was tired.
From 7:3O .. m. until q. m. bar
rinp few interruptions, the dlstrlc'
man NAV sit and swap the stories which
will later appear in a Winter Garden
show. Who is better fitted than tne
police court reporter TO review w itnin
;be Law" The Third Degree and ! ne
House of Glass? While the crook play
lives il il fair to refer 10 the ponce
court reporter as an ignorant amateur
William Winter would have beer al
loss IN say whether or no the SAFE was
oronerl, cracked in Rolling stones,
fut Eddie Den-e could have settled
that moot dramatic point without az
fculty.
ANYBODY but a theatrical manager
e.ould know that the police court re-
porter is among the most reguIai
patrons OF the theatre. Where IS ne
but at the theatre when the night cry
editor vainly tries to interest MN III
the current subway csve-in!
Possibly the theatre can get sIohg
without the sporting writer a!thougn
the Hippodrome did send ua pass
while its skating tournament was o"'
but even more certainly the sporting
writer can get along without the inc
stre. We deplore the notion 'hsV
carefully nurtured intelligence IS re-
ouired to write a story about nSe
Blue Paradise" while anybody A. a.,
can report Harvard Yale tootba'
game We are not willing 20 admit
that the technique % f,nero ls or,
whit more remarkable than that a.
Percy Haugh.on. For our part ,o,,. W,
,vould rather have coached % 1914
Harvard football team - nave
written the third sc' "e va!
lord Quex." One year W Professor
Raker was enough 20 inspire Sal'a-
tion Nell" but the Minnesota shit was
several seasons in the making.
The historian Who undertakes. one
hundred years from now, 10 write OF
,he manners and customs Of the Amer
lean people in the beginning Of the
tventieth century can dismiss tnf
American theatre with paragraph
But he cannot he so brief IN descro
ing the influence Of baseball. lie vii
lave no need TO mention Mansfield. bu'
he will be slipslod ohronieler If M
reglects to say something about Matty
Whatever you or | or anybody els
thinks about il, the drama is smal
factor in the life of the American peo
ple. Outdoor sport Ia an enormous
one. Battles have been won on cricse
fields and may be won on diamonds
None have been decided in the theatre
The Greeks gave US tragedy an
footraces and stadiums. All survive
but on any fair afternoon III June VI