Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-04
Enentttg Chat

According to c. Floyd Hopkins
there will be fourteen theaters or
moving picture establishments which
will open their doors in Harrisburg
this week, but in opinion of people
who have followed the amusement
business here for years there has
never been any suspension, outside
of the usual summer intermission,
that compares with what has Just
been gone through. There have
been soale times in severe winter
or when things were abnormal that
shows were given up for a few days.
but a month cut out of the period
ordinarily active is something In
precedented. The financial loss due
TO the cancellation of all bookings
for the regular theaters here and
the stoppage of the movies" will
run into the thousands, 1t is some
thing hat eVen the people in the
business do not like to talk about.
AS for the popular opinion it is best
gauge by the way people have been
asking when doors were going to be
opened. The bulk of the inquiries
have come from persons who are
either movie fans" or habitues of
the theatrrJ bat all the same there
have been many, many individuals
who do not belong to either class
who have been eager for the rails
ing of restrictions so that they can
once more drop in" for a short
time in the afternoon or evening.
The amusement places of Harris
burg have a far greater place in the
life of the city than many think
and 1t is just commencing to be
realized. The attendance at the
Z 1nn nFA o.. ahA ftNaN -. 1-- q
the free period" will be worth
noting.
And by the same token, as GER
tain men like to say, the people
the closing of the amusement places
has hit hardest are the very mes
WHICH national policy has been to
furnish pastime. The soldiers who
come to Harrisburg from the garri-
sons near here and the men who are
working on various products for
national defense have had to under
go a lot of deprivation of amuse-
ment. 1t may be true that they
have gotten more sleep than other
wise and saved money, but the fact
remains young soldiers and young
steelworkers like some amusement
and they have felt the cutting Off of
the shows a lot more than they
have said. 1t has been hard for
them to understand. some of them
say, why the shows should be closed
and the five and tens, for instance,
be permitted to go ahead as usual.
And the sight of soldiers buying
ginger ale in a drugstore and
solemnly standing outside drinking
it out of a tumbler, borrowed for
the occasion, is either edifying or
4 a DatrgtnD An1 thou l.. 1fff,.a..A
only in theory between chances of
contagion in an overloaded, packed
to the platforms, trolley car and
a Sunday morning service in a we'll
ventilated church, auditorium which
is leaned at least once a week.
These are just some ideas heard at
random the last few days and since
the period for the quarantine is
about ending it will not do much
harm to mention them. But, ac-
cording to one of the city fathers,
THE next time such a thing as a
quarantine is to be clamped down
on this town there will be at least
notice given to city council as to
when and how it is to be done"
1t may be added that some medical
men are of the same opinion.
The late Mayor John d. Patter-
son who was several times called
to the chair of chief magistrate of
Harrisburg, used to say that this
was a most law abiding city, con-
sidering the fact that it is a trans
portation and industrial center and
people come and go a great deal.
The observance of the quarantine
regulations has been remarkable and
to use the language of a state Off
cial somewhat shows up by the diff
ference the way some other towns
have behaved"
Expiration of enlistments, better
offers for trained men to so into
the police forces of corporations
and last but not least men enter
ing the army have depleted the State
Police force to a number which is
less than known since it was estab-
lished by Major John c. Groome in
1905. The total number of AGA
cies is now 67 and efforts to recruit
up during the van have been diff
cult. In spite of these conditions
the force is maintaining almost the
usual number of substitutes and the
officers are covering large districts.
These are the days when the dogs
go hunting in automobiles. Almost
any day cars can be seen going IN
or out of the city bearing hunters
and their dogs. 1t is not so long
since the impulse of the average
dog was to jump out of an automo-
bile as soon as it started. Now
they jump in and wait for the "a
to start. The hunters say that the
dogs are keen after a ride and that
they seem to enjoy the luxurious
way of travelling to the hunt.
gut-Et xt~nKAV -