Page 13

THE SHOW WORLD
13
SAN ANTONIO FAIR                           EDITOR URGES LAW
PROVES A FAILURE AGAINST SPECULATORS
Local Papers Urge Change of Management and Greater Public Inter- Admits Inefficiency of Theater Managers to Stamp Out Nuisiance and
est in Southern Town.             Would Make Scalping Punishable by Fine or Imprisonment.
ci
politicians have closely scrutinized the
tublic and private life of Bryan, yet never
before has there been any mention of the
fact that he was on the stage as an ac-
tor at any time during his career. Of
course the Republican orators and spell-
binders were always ready to admit that
Bryan was acting all the time.
An old-time theatrical man overheard
THE SHOT WORLD'S informant disclose
the fact that Bryan was at one time an
actor and he immediately began to specu-
late on what the outtome would have
been had Bryan remained an actor. He
finally arrived at the conclusion that the'
"Peerless One," had he remained true to
the thespian's art, would be still hiking
the tall grass with a repertoire company.
Then he remarked that he had just voted
for Taft.
San Antonio, Nov. 1.
,file Sa Antonio Fair, recently held,
e So less afailure. Local papers
s orieg tor le  eokholders not to vote
by proxy at the election of officers as
lu-retofore, but to vote in person, saying
t-t the fair needs a change in tie man-
ag  at and condemningthe fair associ-
;eilol in geaeral. Fionm the amiusement
uton rn of the fair it is  alleged  that
tuachel te limit for weakness, but the
illr feaLtures were a success as far as
tile management of the fair was con-
clrte. The trouble is, the people at
core take no interest in the fair and
ilout the public's co-operation it is
vilos sible for it to be a success. The
peers should "roast" tie public and not
tt peanagement of the fair association,
is they seem to have done all in their
poer to make the fair a success.-DAVY
cRtOCKETT.
CHATTANOOGA EXPECTS
A BUSY SHOW SEASON.
Anticipate Business to  Increase After
Excitement of Presidential Election
Is Over.
Chattanooga, Nov. 2.
Thle mancgers of tile four houses here
-Bijol, Shubert, Orpheum and Crescent-
r akolig1pepaationstodobigbusiness
ifit, next Tuesday. During the season
they hare all done satisfactory business
and have uttered no complaint, but ex-
-1t to increase their receipts very much
iuter the excitement and uncertainty of
i presidential election has passed.
Ahe tlialle, formerly treasurer of the
l ijou theater here, but now manager of
the Auditorium, Asheville, N. C., was here
best week ea route from Asheville to At-
hInta, the sotern headquarters of the
Wolamusement enterprises. Mr. Halle
ft here on the return  to   Asheville
but Wednesday, and will at once open
ti Auditorium as a vaudeville and Can-
ipione house combination.
The employes and house staff of the
Pijou thater are now out in their new
winter uniforms and regalia. There is
nlo other house in the south that keeps
its hoose people in more pleasing appear-
With uangling Brothers' big white top
blo ta stellar attraction of tse week,
tiataaooga1100 hatd a busy six days of
iiiiiseliesits. Beside ste circtbs, George
lo   aid a misical comedy company
hair 1lawily to excellent audiences at
Ioi oil wee  shid o he Shuert had
une Nirdono in concert on    Monday
a   h od Forger, repesdet matinee and
nlingst red ced Fritt in a   nusical se-
1y limrin p night.
ie. Noidia is as popular nte as in
newa   adher stagecareer and drew
(ro (CC9Mory house. Tloe Forget' had
ity ecal leadiros  t ttie  hattnoe, but
 aod hesn vt night. Miss Frito is i
toil girl, lately returned fro studying
thicatdladtle Shtbert wts paced with
it  iendl.
,Old timsers and show-wise people here
onl ill litili(10ily Ringling Brothers'
sofw tevey  esteircoo  emhas ever
extibited in Chttanooga.   Col. James
tiv Braily, press represcntatixve for the
lglinigs,' lOetched Chattanooga on Men-
tltiraornig, fsrecediisg the organization
ISa two Have Pay spent the interreing
badC       i it becning atLuanted with the
11ll~saier and professional msen of the
it.lit catted first oil the Chattanooga
iohreit'irive of THE SHOW  WORLtt)
it,1 drantatic edlitor of thle Citattanooga
Newsaidtten moved dowto the busi-
0 tco . So axinnings-was tte colonel
tirali  was Presentedwith a cardtothe
Cliiet, till "Mlillionaires" club of this
it wote Brady made a fast friend
o1ry nnewsper Who rie cal  tin eon-
tat  it lWhile here, aindhe will always
caOt thegads tand.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN WAS
ONCE A BARNSTORMER.
Saidiso Have Played the Part of Archi-
bald Carlisle in East Lynne With
Ada Gray.
Once upona a time William Jennings
tran was an  actor-a  barnstormer at
tcat.
lUSt whetlher the man from  Nebraska
wtas good or bad as a thespian is a mat-
tettat no one seemasto recalllbutTHtE
St-low WOBOD'S infornaant is positive
tet Hl years ago the sane Bryan saas
as Lrsihald CarlisleinEast Lynne.
wasrayae itAda Gtilro in the and up
her death lreeyears sheoften boasted
tow her intimate hiends that te Demo-
clatie leader once "Acted with her.  She
insisted that 1    on, the Wisltao J. Bryan
hea was in  er company, aas the same
Per   t    flatsgt that npresident chair.
EastLayne itAda Gray inthe lead
teas Pttolitby thtelate Charles Watkins
tand Ed Blooms. Bryan only renained
withttle com"pany abouttthree months.
T[TBSHO WWORLD'S informant,wao
does"Ot 'wish hisalame Pubtishsed, says
lie ixstirel that it is thle sanale Wil liamn
I~~~~ Aitig  ra.~ ccording to the story
Bryanwasa Vera-young mataat the time.
Despite the factthat newspapermen and
L. T. Berliner, special traveling repre-
sentative of THE SHOW WORLD, writ-
ing from Corry, Pa., says:
"Where are all the one-night-stand
shows this season? I hear it whispered
that over half the companies that opened
a short time ago, have either closed or
are about to do so. Evidence of the
scarcity of plays is evident in all towns
I have seen so far this year. Take Erie,
Pa. The Park is playing two attractions
a week with melodrama. The Majestic,
the high-class house, last week had tall-
ing pictures for three nights and this
week Paul Gilmore in The Boys of Com-
pany B on Saturday gave the first per-
formance the Majestic had in two weeks.
"In Jamestown, N. Y., another Reis
trwn, the opera house hadi he samep c-
ttures Eriebhad, for three nights, and not
a sho tlis teek    ttil Saturday, when
A. G. ltelnsate's production of Graustark
appeared.
"Take it last year at this time, before
the panic had been felt at all in the one-
The following editorial written by Sai.
E. Smyti, editor of the Sovereign Visi-
tor, treats in a most logical way of tihe
scourge of speculators from  which the
theatrical business has suffered for many
years:
"One of the wrongs existing in the
amiusensoat field which should be righted
is the illegitimate enterprise of theater-
ticket speculators. Deplorable as it is,
there should be a way to suppiress this
parasitic occupation; and the law should
ei responsible, rather than those engaged
in theatrical enterprise, for a waay of
abolishing it. It is an unjust, inequitable
reciprocation that tile law hands out to
theatrical  managers   and   amusement
owners. For instance: B runs a theater.
The law says to him: 'Make your aisles
wider; unlock your exits, and keep them
ri
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night-stands, and the larger cities had a
show every night and the smaller places
at least two a week. Now, the smaller
town has to be satislied with one a week
tunless a "rep" show happens to book in.
"And shows are going to be scarcer
before spring. As E. E. Meredith stated
in THE SHOW     WORLD, the show that
figures a profit out of $150 gross is mak-
ing some money, but the fellow that has
to get $200 and up to be on the right side
of the ledger is the sorest man on the
toad just at present.
"The Lena Rivers company that has
played through Ohio, Pennsylvania and
New York the last two weeks. is an ex-
ception to the poor business rule. This
play lad big ooues in every stand and
is msaking msoney.
'The Devil is now on tse one nigsts,
t o, h east anid west. Variouts managers
expect to make mooney ou~t of the clash
etween hemanagers over th netropoli-
tan productions a short time ago. Some
are getting money and others are getting
experience."
November 7, 1908.
Vr-  -  C
< er(C+4ED 'FROM-
e ' O O 1
By
ROBERT MANTELL.
A Cohen sketch of Robert Mantell, who will open a three weeks' repertoire
engagement at the Grand Opera house in Shakespearean plays.
POPULAR PRICE SHOWS
SCARCETHIS SEASON
Berliner Says Many Houses Find Difficulty in Filling Time-Motion
Pictures to the Rescue.
unlocked; install aa asbestos curtain;
keep lights burning   over exits,' etc.
Why? For the safety, the protection of
the public.  W'hen  B's theater burns
down, or there is a fire panic, and some-
one is killed or hurt, the law lays its
unierciful hand ipon B and says: 'Pay
this mail danages; your aisles were too
narrow  to admnit of the escape of the
crowd.'
Law Is One-Sided.
Thus the law protols and recompenses
the public for injury and loss; and a
sane, wise, precautionary law it is, so
far as it goes. But it only works one
way toward the public. If the law pro-
tects the public against loss in the thea-
ter, why should it not reciprocate and
protect the theater from the public, the
ticket speculator?  The theater adver-
tises a certain price for an attraction,
and when the public wants to go it digs
dowii in its jeanis and pays a dollar or so
oxtra as revenue to the ticket speculator
who has snapped all tile best seats. What
cin the theater do? Nothing, absolutely
nothing that will permanently suppress
i1se aibuse. The theater is bound to honor
tickets sold from its box office, even if
tbey tillss thiough n dozen hands at a
irofit each time. Patrons swear at the
management, and the mn agement swears
it the law. and it rests till the next act
if illegitimace. The lawa does nothing,
aid yet this is a loss to someone. And
the iaws aie for the protection of all
beusinesses. Whv not the theater?
'The nost deplorable fact in the abuse
i that the willing public stand for it.
'he people pay for the upkeep of the en-
treprise, but it is human to err; the thea-
ter does nlot lose so much, yet tries to
kill the practice. It is traditional. this
errin; to protect thoin, the people, we
should have law. Law governs the rule
0f action. If the people as easy, the law
should protect them].   Thousands and
(-ousands, of dolla-s are gouged from the
pople every year by the shaipers and
specit-lors. 'the theater will never lie
able to okill tsI nbuse. because tie law
does not say: 'That is illegal; yon are
liable to 1u nishmnent.'
Law Can Protect.
"A law should be passed making it a
na isotesseasotr, an offenaso tpunishble by
ille, Or  ltrsorittonat al te ielsos
(''akilp o practice of sellig-tsates'tick-
etsataice igertisa th iscalefixed
ld tile toeater istino tile tilcets. This
xxSatei ioner the spateunptrofitable,do
0 ta  e       woit n t ie aiioyasre, ieonv-eiene
itime upon ther orbic,saxete thea-
1c 1(1(chsmoneey ad1place, the selliap of
ic keos tnotinued frotecio  of 2)e lax.
Atricl h  ab-driear isetresie and fsed
fcmselli transportatiolat ratehigher
11Ils the schedule ofs ncessfixed ty law.
hvi  e yot tite thematopvi-es protected
lith ra   Or sall ve adtit th ara cab
otripin la is So  exoiitio, So i mppOrtaot, So
tax00]giOtl illctel-litSe tsat it shotildtbe
cdole to tl eibeast ofithe la  ad the
theateithro  tle soil,'Pt-e ec th buseif'
SAMBE. SMYTtI.
Love not aa rosne for he' rises bet
loving first tile rieser  than Salt learn
in tine to tore Ior for teir sae.-
Jatres Jiesids Ro    e h
PAT CHATS
(Continued fro Paget   pn
other sand, a cheap nccturer eosld be-
comle monotonious, and wxould destroy the
artisticataospare so neessat tocois-
plete so-ess of a moving picre coter-
D'Thes       sout hin ths  fovir ictre is
1101 to star   sice and   y. ines.
'I fost certail-do," ietreplied, "atid
fCitueiore  i silieve that  hie character
on thie plce  of exhiitios aill improve
as t   enyearsgoiy. Wit tb ofullest co-
operationsof1111 identified in tise bttsiness
a degree of prosperity can be reached
iligxelled  by  aite otier   branch  of
trsement.  The days of the nediocre
oving picture eotertailnment are fast
drawing to a close.''
Mr. thiies' ideas for the iprovement
of the  gsiness can be ssmmed up in a
fear sentences:
That cleanlinessisext to godluress is
epecially a plicable to a moingpictore
theaite.
Doist expect sometiitg for nothing.
ot the best service and pay a right
lriecfor it.
Colirtesa-  is  an  asset ax-iet  costs
110thling, but whbich Isas atn important
hoariisgonftse soxioffice.
The comsfort of your patross shsould he
ditigolnthlabolted after if you wrish thema
to retuirns.
Do not poester- your fins exchsange for
sibjeets tiat are uttra-sensatioaal, or
snay te objiectionable to refined sensi-
bilities.
Keep otit chseap aatdeville. Coarse
icsts and suiggestive monologue do not
iririto tise patroisage of woolen and dal-
dren.
Don't go in tlse biutiness expecting to
get rich over night. Bttild op your own
patronage.
L