The sun., 1919-04-27

son even Joe LEBLANC, guardian angel
OF the Marked Down Drama, has wit
messed some plays and decided that lie
never could white down his tariff TO a
price that would At them. But H.
spite Of this GOODNESS they have been
kept on view for weeks.
VIII this attitude of the public
toward the drama continue2 1t would
of course be to the everlasting fortune
of the managers II 1t did. VIII the
eagerness continue to be without dis
crimination2 Or is there now in the
city a public from other places which
is willing TO find entertainment in
anything that has the trademark OF
the metropolis on it? While maxim :
the best of this unusual situation, the
managers cannot conceal their amaze
ment. But their state of mind is most
eloquently indicated by the character
of the plays they are Offering. When
one Of them was actually SO bad last
week that 1t passed away without a
day Of warning, there was a tremor of
apprehension in their chancelleries.
Perhaps, after all, the end was at hand.
Perhaps. after all. there were limits to
what might be set before their
patrons. But the optimistic explana-
ton that this untoward tragedy hap
pened in a more or less unpopular
theatre Gained their worst fears
The real solution of the mystery was
probably to be found in this incident
So the mills are again grinding, al
though the managerial eye when II
rests on the public is not as confident
as 1t was before this disturbing asser-
ton Of some degree of taste and dis
elimination still active.
"Reminiscences that goes back more
than five years or more Is always a
burden to the hurried New Yorker
unless he happens TO be reminiscins
himself. Then he may show an espe-
cial patience for the practice; but
when he is not doing the talking, at
tention falters. Since such memories
! of the theatre have already received
the conservation OF legends when they
extend beyond the day when Lilliar
Lorraine sang on the roof of the New
| York Theatre, there is little reason
why one should attend to them.
Even at the risk of continuing
among the great unread. It is alto
gether for the pleasure Of the writer
that he wonders how many persons
knew that the late Pauline Markham
once essayed to make her way on the
dramatic stage. She was one of the
Lydia Thompson company and per-
haps It's most notable figure. Tn
doubleday she possessed its most not
able figure. Richard Grant White
who spoke of the velvet of her voice
before that phrase had passed into
| the list of stencilled banalities, sale
she had the lost arms OF the Venu!
di Milo. She was figure in theatre
and even political life at the time o
her arrival in this country In all tn,
freshness OF her beauty. Indeed, sucl
importance as she assumed was pos
sible only in young country. In ar
older civilization, II would seem NJ
incomprehensible as II IL to us to-day
At all events, Pauline Markham
was one of the members Of Lydi;
Thompson's troup along with Ros
Coghlan, Ada Harland, Ella
Weathersby. Lisa Weber and other
who perhaps became less well known
Eliza Of the Weathersby sisters mar
ried the late Nat Goodwin, and Jcn
ME for years played the marqulse il
"Erminie" to the amusement o
countless playgoers. She appeare,
on tho New York stage only q few