Evening journal., 1916-01-28
ContInued from Page Nine.


he found that i'm every instance
these victims were habitual play
goers and imbibed their false idea OF
life from the stage. II the same things
were said and done in your parlor
that are said and done upon the stage,
in your wrath and indignation you
would show those people TO the door.
But J hear someone interpOse. But
the theatre reveals life Yes, but a
great deal Of the life of the present
day is very debasing and demoraliz-
ing in its influence. Said Charles
Burnham, the president OF the Amer
lean Theatrical Managers Associa-
tion, recently. 81 feel with great alarm
the downward moral tendency of the
modern theatre" Where the plays
are the most vicious and corrupt. the
crowd is largest. EITHER the thea
tire must soon be radically reformed. ."
said he, "Or an outraged public will
turn like the worm. and demand it's
complete suppression" Said a thea
trical editor of a Chicago daily, some
time ago, "The average play is get
ting nastier and nastier every year.
IF these same productions had been
put upon the stage twenty years ago,
they would have arrested every ac-
tor and actress and landed them in
the police station before morning
When "SapphO" was presented in New
York City some seasons since. the
production was so nauseating that II
made even the most hardened play
Roers hold their nostrils from the
stencil Yet the theatrical editor of
the New York Journal said, 81 do
not see why the public are raising
such cry about that especial play
when the productions put upon the
stage in the highest class houses in
this city are nearly all Of them as
bad morally as that, and many OF
them vastly worse"
But someone interpOses. you must
admit there are good plays" Yes
there areA Then he adds. "Why dc
you not commend the good play, Will,
condemning the bad ones?" This
would seem on the surface to be 4;
reasonable attitude to take. But le
us sec about it, Said the manager o
Chicago theatre some time since
There rs no play house in this cOun
try that could continue TO do bust
ness a single season. and stage onl!
clean and moral plays. The public
taste is demanding the other kind.
In a parlOr car, from Chicago TO In
dianapolis. one afternoon I engaged
in conversation with very pleasan
gentleman. who found was tn
manager Of a Chicago theatre I QUO
tod these words of this other theatr
manager. and he said. THAT man i
exactly right If we tried to pu
on the stage only uplifting plays, "
would have TO go out Of business. TIL
people want the other kind. and tn
hotter Il Is in its plot" as he eN
pressed Il. the bigger crowds it vii
draw" You ask me why | do nc
commend the good play while con
dCmning the bad one? 7 reply. "Fo
the same reason ! would not so to
saloon foF a glass Of lemonade. Tha
lemonade might be Just as clean an
Wholesome obtained in the saloon q
elsewhere but by patr0nizing, thi
SELDOM / am helping the institution
d. business. which IS doing so r p'7
for fhc degradation OF mankind
tBe time Of the IroQuOis theatre lin
in Chicago. when more than eigl
hundred lost their lives. the papol
stated the next morning that just b.
fore the fire broke out low Gomez
ian had come out on the stage a.
companied with vulgar Jokes an
Suggestive acts. and sang that mo-
uni fling Of songs THE Beer Thi
Made Milwaukee Famous" II migl
satisfy YOU, by friends. TO have yol
loved ones go down TO their deaf
with such sounds ringing i'm the
oars and such thoughts i'm the
minds. i'm that kind of p place. bl
tell you plainly IL would not salts
nic. Give no occasion of stumbling.
I have two indictments TO brir
against the card table. The fir
one is it is a thief Of time. Ev
since that pack of cards was first i
vented 10 while away the spare hOu
Of an idiOtic king. down 10 the pre-
opt. it has wasted more valuable tin
than any other one agency i'm O
civilization. There is so little tin
between the cradle and the gray
thcre is SC much TO he done. and
liiile time IN which 10 do IT, we ha
no time to waste. ] know OF YOU
men in college. who would sit doy
carly in the evening TO play car
aud play until long after midnigl
and 20 into their classes the ne
day without their lessons and
home in disgrace
Says someone. you do not wa