THE COURIER.
The Flower of Poesy.
When from the rose-wreathed
gate of Eden man was driven,
An exiled king to roam,
He picked a flower in
token of his heaven,
And bore it to his home.
Ho planted it within
his soul and tended,
He watered it with tears,
Unto his far'rite child
it has decended
Through all the countless years.
ISAHKL RlCHEV.
ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Random Notes.
The fate of the Bryan lecture enter
prise, which was foreshadowed in these
columns a week ago, was only what
ighl have beon expected. Political
eloquence of the sophomoric quality is
too common in thiB land of politicians
and orators to command a price of $3
per seat. Mr. Bryan is having some set
backs now. Since the tide of November
3 things cannot be said to be coming
his way. The star of destiny that
hone so brightly has taken a tumble
ano been snuffed out in the swirling
sea. The song of the conqueror has
been replaced by the dead march in
Saul. In these cool and calm days fol
lowing the exciting campaign it is seen
that Mr. Bryan is not, to use the strong Coming events cast their shadows be
aad elegant phrase that passes current fore, and such shadows are moro appre
in Hogan'a alley, the only pebble on the ciated when the aftermath proves
beach. What seemed so smooth and familiar to tho expectations of those in
glittering in the days when the mid- terested. Ever alert to the public's de
summer madness got hold of the mands the management of the Lansing
emotions of the easily-swayed, is now theatre takes pleasure in offering the
seen to have rough places, and the ap- Woodward Theatre Co. for an engage
ment of two weeks, beginning Monday,
Jan. 11th, at the same ever winning
prices of admission of twenty-five cents
for the ground floor and boxes, and ten
cents to all other parts of the house.
The Woodward Company have long
since earned their spurs as the leading
repertoire company of the west, and
their coming for such an extended en
gagement will undoubtedly be hailed
with delight by all popular priced
amusement adherents. Mr. Woodward
offers a decided novelty in the form of
Edison's Magniscope, a latter edition of
his now famous Vitaecope which has
has demanded greater attention than
any invention the -Wizard has offered
since the electric light. The Magni
scope is not unlike his first invention in
appearance but later developemen'a
have placed it more in advance of the
former machine. With the coming of
the Woodward Theatre Co. of fifteen
artists with the Magniscope and twenty
new pictures, a revival of pleasure, in
struction and amusement awaits all
patrons. Seats on sale Saturday a. m.
parent sheen has lost its lustre. There
are other pebbles on the beach, and the
fickle public wants something new.
Mr. Bryan's place in the public esti
mation cannot but be seriously affected
by this lecture fiasco. Tho failure of
the lecturing tour is an advertisement
ef the fact that the prophet is begin
ning to lose the honor that is so neces-
' aary to prophets. It is enough to nip
all the budding hopes in the naturally
optimistic breast of the sky rocket
statesman. It must be sad for Mr.
Bryan to have to admit that the wrong
ed people are not willing to pay him
comic opera prices to tell them of their
awful condition. AH things considered
it would perhaps have been better if
.yMr. Bryan had accepted the offer of
"8iegal-Cooper Co.'s Big Store in New
York, whose motto "Meet me at the
fountain," is rapialy becoming a house
hold world in all American families
afflicted with the bargain counter mania.
Mr. Bryan would, in all probability,
have been given luxurious quarters next
to the Siegal Cooper "dental parlors,"
and he could have expounded the law
to the music of jerking teeth. To be A New Orleans exchange in criticism
anre the salary offered was small, but of Frederick Warde and his production
one may be happy, even on $25,000 per of King Lear saye:
year. The nowdpapera hare almost The ablest exponent of Lear an Amer
ceased to mention the erstwhile much- ican public has seen was Edwin Forrest,
talked about Lincolnite and in the next aQd it must be said the part was not all
month he will be entirely lost sight of his own until in his latter days when
La the tribute that the country will pay a Qa enfeebled him to a degree and
t those important personages, Corbett caused him to abandon tho robust roles
and Fitzsimmons. The new journalism ot Othello, Macbeth, Matamora and
is considering things other than Mrs. Sparticus. Now comes Frederick
Bryan's shoes or Little Billie's pranks. Warde, who knows the play thoroughly
So, it appears that Mr. Bryan's lines and wno na played Edgar and Edmund
have not fallen in the pleasantest place, in it many times with the old actors,
The rabbit's feet have lost their potency and no makes a grand presentation of
and Tuff Luck is clutching at the man tho play, a worthy production of the
who but a few months ago held thou- tragedy in tho way of scenery and cos
sands under the magic spell. All the tumes. He does more, he gives a splen
world's a stage, and there are so many did characterization of the character of
players that one player cannot have a Lear. In all the phases of Lear's char
continuous performance all to himself. acterMr. Warde showed himself to be a
student in his conception and reading
of the part, and a subtle artist in his
Nebraska is fortunate in escaping the execution. He works out the character
recent epidemic of failure that swept intelligently from the moment he is the
over the west. People in Lincoln who throned Kicg until the pitiful ending of
imagine their town is so much worse off his life, fierce until his strong will is
than any other place, can read the news- broken, terrible in act of cursing his
papers and learn that hard times have traitor daughters, pathetic and touching
had a blighting effect in sections where in all scenes where strength and intellect
thcro used to be the greatest prosperity. and life is fading away. For some time
s Frederick Warde has been the best
Virginius on the stage. Now he is the
Holcomb and Allen have told the beet King Lear,
country that they will control the popu- For the Ladies Bargain matinee Mr.
list colts this winter, and they have Warde and company will present the
given assurance that they, the colts, "Merchant of Venice." Prices 50 cents
will not jump over the fence. The ac- to any reserved seat in the house. Chil
robatic tendencies of the populists are dren 25 cents. Evening prices $1, 75, 50
so strongly developed that the cherub- and 25. Secure your seats early,
faced governor and the long-winded
nator nave a big job on their hands. The magnificent production of Hal
There may be some frisky populists who Reid's beautiful home like play will be
object to the Holcomb-Allen system of tho attraction at the Lansing theatre,
discipline. W. Moktox Smith. Saturday, Jan. 16, for one night only.
It is not an extraordinary sight to see
those of the gentler sex weep while wit
nessing some pathetic incident vividly
protrayed upon the stage, but it is ex
traordinary to see men who have attain
ed ripe years of mature manhood Bhed
tears while witnessing a stage picture.
This, however, is a nightly occurrence at
the theatres whore "Human Hearts" is
produced. The scene is only that of a
poor blind mother, without eyidence or
political influence, without anything ex
cepting her simplo faith in God, plead
ing with the Governor of Arkansas to
give back to her her innocent boy whom
her mother's heart tells her is suffering
for a deed of which he is not guilty, and
when defeateJ she is about to go she
hands the Governor a small bunch of
old-fashioned yellow roses which she has
plucked "from the corner of the house
at home." So it is that from the inmost
depths of manhood there wells up those
crystal evidences that no u.an ever
grows too old to remember; the sacred
beauty of his innocent childhood and the
dear old hands that have rocked him
to sleep. Prices f 1,75,50 and 25. Seats
on sale Thursday morning 10 a. m. at
theatre box office.
The success of the Brownies was so
overwhelming that Mr. Cox resolved to
write a great stge spectacle in which
they should figur. He chose Malcolm
Douglas as bis musical collaborator, and
their work occupied them two years.
When it was finally completed the well
known theatrical firm of C. B.Jefferson,
Klaw & Erlanger secured it. The spec
tacle was in twelve elaborate scenes and
full of intricate effects such as a storm
at sea. a shipwreck, an earthquake, a
volcano, and the destruction of a palace.
Scenic artists, property-makers and
costumers wero over a year in their
preparations and at last tho curtain
wont up for tho first time on the gor
geous production in Philadelphia,
where it created the greatest enthusiasm.
The big spectacle was then taken to
New York where it ran 150 nights to
packed houses. Every one in the
metropolis crowded to see it, and New
York became infected with the "Brownie
craze." Manufacturers got the Brownies
out in scarf-pins,, crackers, souvenir
spoons, rugs, wall paper, and almost
every other conceivable line of goods.
The success o? the Brownies on the
stage was even greater than in the
books, and Mr. Cox abandoned his
literary and art work to give the big
production bis undivided attention. He
has travelled all over the country with
it, and his appearance in the different
cities has been in the nature of an
ovation. "The Brownies" is the greatest
spectacular success known to the stage,
and next year it is to be presented in
one of the principal theatres in London.
JOHN DOWDEN, Jr., Manager.
One Night Only,
EXTRA!
EXTRA!
ill, IUI 9.
The Eminent Actor,
Will present his great Shakespeariaa success
46
Kinc Iear,"
?
A great scenic production. Throne room in Lear's nalnr
courtyard Albany's castle, the storm, landscape near Dover
heierhts
KX'MfcA SATURDAY-Speolal Bar
2aln Matinee-"The Merchant of Venice." Prices
50 and 25 cents.
EVENING PRICES: $1.00, 75, 50 AND 25
Seats now on sale.
