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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 1913)
/IIP* ^r YjjsesOO ’ jJgfjSSSK** 7 I N the third act of a play produced some time ago before a critical New York audience a fussy old bachelor decided to dash out into the cold night air a noble act. As he rushes off the stage he cries: "Where is my shawl? Where is my shawl? 1 cant go out without a shawl. Ah!" The "Ah!” indicates his satisfaction at finding the desired article. Then he leaves the stage. At one performance of*the play the property- man neglected to put the shawl in its proper place, and when the bachelor uttered the word "Ah!” he was embarrassed to find that there was no shawl in sight. He cast a hasty glance about him, hoping that it might be found, but after what must have been to him a long and painful wait he turned up his coat collar, and so went out to brave the storm. Now this hitch in the performance, apparent as it was, remained unde tected by all but two or three in the large audience. The other spectators showed no sign of suspecting that something had gone w rong, even w^hen the bachelor returned later with the shawl around his shoulders. Such hitches occur often enough in the best managed plays, yet per haps only one person in 500 ever de tects them. It would be a mistake to conclude from this that audiences, however critical they may be, are unob servant. It is a case not of lack of power of observation but of an over abundance of faith. The fact is that they have become so accustomed to absolute perfection in the produc tion of plays that it seems almost in conceivable to then that an actor should be found wanting or that the smoothness of a performance should be hindered by human fallibility. This faith in the absolute perfection Df the machinery of the theater has resulted in a delicate but powerful form of tyranny which has, unknown to the audiences that exercise it, caused pain and terror and grief innumerable performers. Slaves of this relentless tyranny, they have been compelled to appear as usual in spite of tragedies and ailments un suspected by the public. Sometimes the circumstances have been tragic and at times they have been rather comical. Last summer Jack Norworth, the husband of Nora Bayes, was taken seriously ill and the doctors sent him off to Europe in ba6te. While her husband was racing with death across the seas Nora Bayes was obliged to go on with her performance at the New Brighton theater, where the pair had been appearing When seen by the writer a few minutes before her act she was almost in a state of col lapse from anxiety and grief. Her hair was dishevelled, her eyes were red with crying, and she seemed a wreck. A few minutes later she ap peared before the audience, gayly be decked and smiling as though she . were the happiest woman in the world. It happened that many in the audi * J tifire zi54e<3 stocks sfcuee 7&>mr jy<sz4et£^ ence knew about her husband's con dition and sympathized with her, be ing aware of how attached to each other they were. Yet she was per mitted to go on with her act. In the absence of her husband, the original act had to be abandoned, and Miss Bayes called upon the audience to name any song they might like her to sing. Some one called for a popu lar melody. Miss Bayes hesitated. The tears gathered in her eyes. “I can t sing that without my dar ling!” she exclaimed as she bit her lip. Another song was called for. Again the eyes of Miss Bayes filled with tears, and they came so freely this time that she had to turn her back on the audience. "I can't sing that without my dar ling, either," she stammered. It was evident that she was in no condition to go on with her perform ance. Yet she continued to the end. It seemed cruel to allow her to go on, but the audience had to be served. Miss Bayes would no doubt have preferred to cancel her engagement and remain by the side of her sick husband, but the tyranny of the audience was not a thing to be trifled with. They had come from all parts of the city to see Miss Bayes and they must not be disappointed. It is one of the unpleas ant duties of managers to enforce this rule. The point of this episode is some what weakened by later events, includ ing the separation of Nora Bayes and her husband, but the fact remains that the incident is a good illustration of what actors and actresses have to go through to serve the tyrant known as the public. Laurette Taylor, who has scored a success in “Peg o’ My Heart," was the victim of an odd experience when she was appearing at the Maxine Elliott theater in “The Bird of Paradise.” One evening, a little while before the rise of the curtain, she received a nate warning her that she had only five weeks to live. It was signed with a skull and crossbones. Miss Taylor was alarmed by the tone of ■— -.- - t the note and became hysterical. How ever, she received her cue and brac ing herself she made her way to the stage. In the first act of this play Miss Taylor had a little speech in which she said: “Why should I be a prin cess? I want to live, to swim, to run, to play; I want to live, live, live!” Miss Taylor remembered the note she had received threatening her life. She became terrified again and her speech emphasizing her wish to live became so hysterical that it was necessary for her to rush off the stage. The man ager came out promptly, and, not knowing what explanation to give, said that Miss Taylor had been seized with an attack of ptomaine poison ing. After some delay the performance was continued. In the last act Miss Taylor was to climb up a mountain and jump into a burning pit. When she reached the top of the incline on this occasion she was once more over come by the terror of impending death, and ran back in full view of the audience. For more than a fortnight Miss Tay lor was in a nervous condition. One evening during the play a man arose to take off his overcoat. Miss Taylor, thinking it might be the writer of the mysterious note, screamed. On an other occasion a small ball rolling onto the stage from behind the wings set her in a panic. Mme. Frances Alda was attacked with appendicitis several seasons ago during a performance of “Othello." She was seized in the first act, but went through the entire performance bravely. When the curtain went down on the last act she was rushed to the hospital and an operation was per iorrneu wunoui utiit}. Whatever terrors such contingen cies have for most actors and actress es they seem to Margaret Illing ton only trifles compared with a greater problem which public performers have to face. She un derrates the inconvenience of physical disability and emphasizes the danger of temporary spiritual or mental un fitness. There is a great source of danger to the artist and to dramatic art, she thinks, in the common prac tice of allowing stars to play a single role eight times a week and for as many performances as the public will patronize, without considering wheth er the actor or actress is in the mood or condition to ofTer the public the best that is in her. This practice "of working a single play and a single actor to death’’ is one of the dangers threatening the life of the American theater, she insists. This condition can be improved only by training spoiled American audi ences to the point where they will be prepared to see a star role inter rupted by any good artist, whether named on the program or not. Job’s Comforters. "Some folks,” said Uncle Eben, "has a way of remindin’ you of yoh troubles by continually tellin’ you not to worry about ’em.” OFFICERS MUST BE MUSICAL Commands in the German Army Are Henceforth All to Be Based on a Given Note. In tbe future German officers who have a musical ear will be better able than others to give commands, for the method of pronouncing orders to troops is to be entirely revolutionized. Instead of any one being fully quali fied to utter commands, provided he does not suffer from a stammer or other linguistic defect, he will now have to know his scales. The kaiser has been considerably exercised in hiB mind lately because invariably the orders are barbarously distorted, and many of the syllables of the words used remain in the officer's throat. But, worst of all, each officer has his own way of “pitching" his or ders. Professor Spiess was instructed by the kaiser to reform all this, and after working for several weeks and laboring over the claims of the vari I ous notes, natural and flat, the profes sor finally found the note on which orders must be based—C natural. This is probably the first time that the enunciation of orders has been taken up scientifically, and there is a bad time ahead tor officers who lack a musical ear. Or Get Off His Pedestal. Every man whose children regard him as the wisest and best man on earth is compelled to lead something of a double life. 1 JUST PUTTING SCOUT WISE Acquaintance There With Ineide In formation as to the Merits of the Ball Players. Some years ago, when Arthur Ir win, the Highland scout, was sleuth ing in the west, he dropped into a lit tle town which was supposed to boast a pitcher of big league possibility. Lounging around the hotel to pick up all the gossip he could. Irwin finally stumbled across a very bright-appear ing chap who volunteered that he knew the local baseball situation pret ty well. “What kind of a pitcher is B—?” asked Irwin. “He's pretty good, but there’s just one real player on the team That’s Dolan. He can hit, he can field, he can run—” and the enthusiast breez ed away for an hour on the merits of this wonderful phenom. Irwin was impressed. “Well, I must be going.” said the fan at last, “but miad what I tell you —this fellow Dolan will be in the bis leagues soon.” As the citizen walked away the manager of the hotel happened along. "Who is that fellow?” asked Irwin, pointing to the retreating figure. "Why, don’t you know?” asked the proprietor, shocked that anyone could be so ignorant. "That’s Casey Do lan, our third baseman." Perhaps the wooden nutmeg chap moved west and invented the hollow I strawberry. DESTROY OLD HOUSE This Ancient Building Erected Before the Revolution. Saw Continental Troops Both in Vic tory and Defeat—Is Given Over to Wreckers—Newark Suburb Needs Site for Playground. Newark, N. J.—One of the most ancient landmarks in the vicinity of Newark, N .J., has bee. ruthlessly destroyed by a wrecking company. It was a house in the suburb of Irving ton, which was old when Washington led his little army past it in his re treat to Morristown, pressed closely by the enemy. Repulsed at Spring field, three miles away, the Hessians and British redcoats fled past it on their retreat to New York. It served as a hiding place for the muskets of the patriots when the British tem porarily were in possession of the neighborhood. This was learned sev enty-five years later when the build ing was converted from a shop into a dwelling house. A number of old flint-lock muskets were found hidden away beneath its eaves. Originally it was a sawmill, erected some time prior to 1700 by the early Dutch settlers. It stood upon the bank of the Elizabeth river, and de rived its motive power from a wheel turned by the waters of that stream. The site was one of the first places selected by Dutch and English immi grants for a settlement. It is men tioned in a will dated 1589, made by one John Brown, sr., in which he be queaths the property to his three sons. This document was executed only sixtv-nine years after the land ing of the first important group of settlers on the banks of the Hud son. j ne oia ounamg was associated with a famous New York achieve ment. Ten years before the Civil war one of the wonders of New York city was the Crystal Palace, occupy ing a site on Sixth avenue between Fortieth and Forty-second streets. It was constructed almost entirely of glass, after the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London. In the London structure it was necessary, when the sun was strong, to put up canvas shades to temper the glare and heat. The New York architect determined to correct this defect. They learned that Cyrus W. Durand, who made his headquarters in this old building at Irvington, had discovered a process of enamelling clear glass by a vitri fied coating, so as to make it resem I I Landmark Over 200 Years Old. ble ground glass. The enamel gave the glass transluceDey. but not trans parency. So all, of the fifteen thou sand panes of glass were sent to this small shop to be enamelled before they were fitted into their iron frames in the palace. For many years this shop was to Newark what Llewellyn Park is to Orange. Between 1806 and 1860 the building was the laboratory, as vrell as the factory of Mr. Durand, who was a great mechanical genius. He was an expert in twenty-four different trades. He invented the geometrical lathe now used in the engraving of bank notes. Another of his inven tions equally ingenius but of no prac tical utility, was the •‘grammation,” a machine in which a sentence can be placed by a process of analytical subdivision each part of speech in that sentence is clearly distinguished. The plot on which the building stood for over 200 years was wanted for a recreation center. Accordingly the Irvington officials sold it to a wrecking company for $55. Several prominent citizens protested, urging that it be preserved as a museum for the local relics, which abound in the neighborhood, but their protest was ineffectual. Defends the Silt Skirt. Denver, Colo.—Wilbur F. Cannon, former pure food commissioner, has rushed to the defense of the X-ray and slit skirts with these five reasons: The X-ray and slit skirts permit cir culation of air about the body. The absence of many underskirts relieve the strain on the hips and prevents ktdney trouble Absence of the usual amount of clothes makes frequent bathing necessary and frequent bath ing opens the pores and makes the bathers quite healthy. Absence of many clothes make body movements freer, thus saving energy. There is less labor required in the care of clothes, such as washing, ironing and mending. Laborer Falls Heir to $1,000,000. Omaha. Neb.—Frederick Gross Ven Alvensteben for forty-two years a day laborer, received notice from the German counsel at Chicago that he had fallen heir to an estate in Ger many valued at $1,000,000. Von Al vensteben became estranged from his family thirty years ago and came to America. He said he had known he would some day receive a large inhere Itance. Titanic Sailor Dead. London.—Reginald Lee, one of the two sailors in the lookout when the White Star liner Titanic struck an Iceberg on April 14 last year, died at Southampton. COMING SECOND BASEMAN IN BIG LEAGUES Infieider Vitt of Detroit Tigers. It is generally conceded by baseball experts that Vitt, who has done such excellent work for Hugh Jennings' Tigers, is one of the coming second basemen of the major leagues. Before Vitt was taken ill recently he had shown plenty of life and always played with lots of snap and vim. OUR INTEREST IN BASEBALL There Is Nothing Like It. Even Poli tics in National Campaign Forced to Take Back Seat. Probably there is not another ex ample on earth to compare with the nation-wide interest of the people of the United States in the daily record of baseball teams. Entirely apart from the feverish anxiety of the pool-play ing part of the population, there is in every town from Maine to Oregon— and maybe to the extreme tip of the Aleutian islands—from the lakes to the gulf a great body of people— men and women—thoroughly familiar with the general trend of the sport, in telligently appreciative of its subtler nuances, and fairly familiar with the small army of men who play the games. There is nothing else like it, says the Lowell Courier-Citizen. It has the .stock market lashed to the post. Politics even in a national cam paign would be hull-down to wind ward. A war would hardly command the same unwavering interest for six months. It is the national obsession, knowing neither latitude nor longitude throughout 3,000,000 square miles of plain and mountain, highland and low land, prairie, pasture and plantation. The night reports of the great press associations carry the news of it as soberly as if it were international pol itics, and with the best of reasons; for it is the most universally absorb ing, the most widely and appreciative ly read of all the news that is night ly ticked off to a waiting country. When one considers the enormous ex tent of the United States, this univer sity of interest in a mere sport, play ed by salaried experts, is amazing. What is there to compare to it? Noth ing. HURLER SHOULD WORK OFTEN Manager Dooin Thinks Pitcher Should Be Kept in Game as Long as He Retains Effectiveness. ‘ Early in the season,” says Manager Charlie Dooin of the Philadelphia Na tional league team, “Seaton and Alex ander worked in a great many games, and won them, too, keeping us away ahead in the race. Then the cry wras raised that these two pitchers were being overworked and were entitled to a rest. The two slabmen never V L—.-i Pitcher Alexander. complained—In fact, they liked to work often—but rather than be con sidered a slave-driver I rested them. What was the result? The other pitchers failed to deliver, while Alex ander and Seaton, instead of being benefited by the layoff, were rusty and couldn’t show nearly their orig inal effectiveness. I’m now convinced that pitchers should work early and often if they are to keep their ef fectiveness. No more pampering and nursing for my wizards, believe me.” Journey to South Seas. A South Sea baseball tour which will include three months in Aus tralia is being planned by Michael Fisher, a Seattle baseball magnate. Australians have been compelled to do without baseball since A. G. Spal ding made his world tour many years >go. Fisher contemplates establish ing league baseball in Australia If the sport is popular. No Cinches in Baseball. While there are no cinches in base ball, one who has watched the Mack and McGraw men perform against rival teams is inclined to wonder whether Mathewson and Marquard can stop Bender and Plank. ODD INCIDENT OF BASEBALL | Shortstop McBride of Washington Team Relates Funny Play That Happened in St. Louis Game. “The funniest incident I remember in baseball occurred in a game played in Washington shortly after the fire on our grounds, which was in 1911," “Hap” Hogan. says George McBride, the Washington shortstop. “When the new park was laid out they switched the diamond, and now 1 think Washington has one of the worst sun fields in the league. "The incident I have in mind took place in this sun field. The roof of the stand had not been started, which made things worse. “We were playing St. Louis, ana ‘Hap' Hogan was in left. It was a close game, and Schaefer, who came to bat with three on bases, made a half line to left field and ‘Hap’ lost the ball in the sun. ‘The ball struck him squarely on the head when it came down, and we scored three runs. Hogan was stunned for a minute and the way Schaefer carried on made it all the funnier. “The next day the St. Louis out fielders practiced before the game, wearing catchers’ masks on top of their heads and also regaled in chest protectors.” Plight of a Pitcher. Connie Mack, who takes great pride in developing young pitchers and then prophesying how they will show up in action, sent in one of his finds in an exhibition game not long ago. The slaughter of the young slab artist was pitiful to behold. At the end of the Becond Inning Connie was somewhat peeved. “What’s the matter with you, son?” he asked the terrified youngster as kindly as he could—which was not remarkably kindly. "I—I don’t seem to be able to get the ball over the plate,” said the pitcher sadly. “You’re mighty right, you can’t get it over the plate, observed Mack, his peeved condition much aggravated. “And I'll tell you why. Every time you start it over they knock it back at you.”—Popular Magazine. Lean Baseball Year. Baseball, like any other business, j has its good and bad periods. This season the cry is nation-wide that the hard times caused the public to seek cheaper shows for recreation in stead of paying the prices demanded for baseball. The minor circuits are not the only ones to suffer, for many of the major league teams will be ltjcky to pay expenses. New York, because of the traveling transients, will have a big year. In Chicago, Bos ton and several other good baseball cities, the attendance will fall far be low former years. FEW QUEER DECISIONS American Association Umpires Make Some Odd Rulings. Why a Player Shouldn't Slide Intc First Base—Charlie Irwin Tells Good Story on “Germany” Schaefer of Senators. Whatever the merits of the respect ive controversies, two of President Chivington’s umpires in the American association have succeeded in creat ing talk over what were heralded as “freak decisions. Umpire O'Brien called "Dixie" Walker out in a recent game at St. Paul when he slid to first base and was quoted as saying he would give a similar decision on any player em ploying those tactics. Umpire John stone was credited with putting Play er Booe out of the game for looking behind him and trying to get* the catcher's signals. President Chivington says that the report from Umpire O'Brien says the play on Walker was not even close and that no other decision would have, been possible. While President Tom does not go to the extent of saying a player would be called out if he actu ally was safe in sliding to first, he sides with his umpire in the contro versy on the ground that a player slides to first only to confuse the arbiter and really loses time thereby, as he has to slow up to make the slide. In regard to Johnstone's case, the league head says that in the absence of definite information his opinion would be that the player was put out of the game for turning back and talking to the umpire instead of trying to get signals. While discussing the O'Brien deci sion in league headquarters. President Chivington and Umpire Charlie Irwin got to talking about old-time umpires and their verdicts, and how the de cisions which once “went" would not do for modern baseball. One instance was cited in which Manager Joe Can tillon of Minneapolis, once an umpire, figured. as tne story was toio, uermany Schaefer, now comedian of the Wash ington American leaguers, was pro testing pretty hard for a youngster on nearly every strike called. With the call two and two, one which seemed to cut the corner of the plate was thrown and Schaefer was called out by Cantillon. “What you trying to do, run me out of the league just because I'm a young fellow trying to break in and earn my living?" howled “Germany.” “Did you think that was a bad one, blandly inquired Cantillon. “Couldn’t reach it if I had been an acrobat,” stormed Schaefer. "All right, we'll give you another one,” said “Pongo” Joe. Thereupon Cantillon motioned to “Dummy” Taylor, who was pitching, to throw another ball. Taylor came rushing in from the slab, gesticulating wildly and wanting to know what it was all about. Can tillon smiled at Taylor and by signs the situation was explained to the mute. Grudgingly he threw another ball which cut the heart of the plate. Schaefer, thoroughly enraged, swung at it with all his might and missed it by six inches. “Now, go over to the bench and sit down. If you do less talking and more batting, you won’t be so likely to get run out of the league,” was Cantil lon’s parting shot at Schaefer. After that incident, Schaefer was a great admirer of Umpire Cantillon. Imagine an umpire in these days giving Ty Cobb or Joe Jackson anoth er chance to hit because they pro tested when they were called out on strikes. Possibly the police would be able to save the arbiter from the mob. NOTTS of the DIAMOND Two souls with a single thought— McGraw and Mack. * * • Catcher Rariden of the Boston Braves isn't throwing with his usual speed. • • • McGraw is trying to land Bobby Byrne, the crack third sacker of the Pirates. • • • Battle Creek now has a complete In dian battery, with Watkins pitching and Nevitt catching. • • • Infielder O'Leary of the Cardinals seems to be fully as good as when ha played with the Detroits. • • • Eddie Plank says that Tris Speak er is the hardest batsman in the league for him to pitch to. • • • A New York baseball writer claims that Umpires Orth and Klem are the class of the National league. • * • Heine Groh is having a lot of chances in the Reds’ infield, and is accepting them in first-class style. • • • Johnny Bates is now the best pinch hitter in either league. The Cincin nati outfielder made good on eight out of nine chances. • • • Larxy McLean is doing regular serv ice for the Giants, and it appears as if he would give Chief Meyers a run for the backstopping job. • • • The national commission has already been planning to start the world's se ries at the Polo grounds on October 7. and alternate every day with the Ath letics at Shibe park. • • • Evidently Manager Evers is going to get his money's worth in weight if not in quality when he makes trades in the future. Moore, Stack and. Vaughan are all over the ordinary size. • • • Long Bob Ewing, for several years a pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds, is through with baseball. He started to pitch in a game at Lima, but snapped a small bone in his arm. He is going back to his farm.