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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
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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.