San Francisco dramatic review (1899)

April 21, 1900 Mr. Geo. Hammersmith will appear this evening for the Stanford Parlor jinks. Next Wednesday he will entertain the guests of the Olympic Club on Ladies' Night, and the following Saturday is engaged for the opening jinks at Tiburon. —Mary Frances Francis. The %ight Strain The prosecution of Olga Nethersole in New York has lead Critic Glover of the Chicago Times Herald to wake up, and he does so in a most commendable manner. His opinions as set foith in the following will be applauded by all who know what is good and what is bad upon the stage: "A thoughtful and honest desire for improvement in the moral tone of theatrical representations is certain to be applauded by all friends of the theatre. But a movement in this direction should begin with the enactment of proper laws and ordinances which will guide public officials and prevent such rotten discrimination as has just been observed in New York. It may not be advisable to establish a censorship, but it should be made impossible for a dozen undeniably vulgar plays to pass unscathed, and then visit the terrors of the law upon a play the value or impropriety of which is at least debatable. Censorship by ignorant policemen who know nothing either of literature or art, by provincial mayors of uncertain attainments, by elderly ladies who have never attended the theatre and are ignorant of its scope and purpose, or by the average license clerk in a municipal office, is an absurdity. Knowledge, morality, experience and good judgment should be considered essential to those who are to determine the propriety of any play or performance, and none of these qualities was observed in the case of those who engineered this recent attack upon Olga Nethersole. Raking up an old ordinance which was intended to restrict the operation of infamous persons, they railroaded her into court in a manner destitute of common decency, subjected her to the humiliation and disgrace which the grossest offenders had escaped, and then skulked out of sight without having provided the slightest proof of their accusations. "Such gratuitous assaults upon personal character and private business should be impossible, and probably will be after municipalities have been made to pay damages for the luxury of being used as an instrument of oppression by persons who can disclose no honest motive. "In this connection it may be said that the excessive license of newspaper comment has worked evil in this case as in many others. It has been the custom of sensational sheets and of other publications that hire inexperienced and unfit youths to pass judgment upon matters about which they know nothing at all, to carp, quibble, gossip and snarl over any actor who has lifted his head above mediocrity. "Mary Anderson was driven from the stage at the very moment of mellow maturity by the abuse of personal comment indulged in by irresponsible writers, who, in their anxiety to turn a smart paragraph, were quite indifferent to consequences. Edwin Booth was hunted into practical retirement at one period by insinuating gossips. Joseph Jefferson has for years been subjected to attacks from this mosquito fleet. He has been persistently ridiculed as penurious and lacking in enterprise, although as every fairly intelligent man understands well enough, he has clung to Rip Van Winkle for the reason that the public insisted, and does insist to this day, in constant repetitions of that character. Richard Mansfield, who has never been inclined, as small souls are, to bend the pregnant hinges of the knee, was long ago singled out as the target for the sneering lies and reckless insinuations of these journalistic freebooters, who have also made merry in their clumsy way over Bernhardt, Duse and all others sufficiently out of the commonplace to excite their jealous enmity." Grand Opera at the Grand It is now definitely announced by Al. Bouvier that next November the famous Grau Opera Company, of New York, the most famous organization in the world, will be seen here for a season of grand opera. The best artists of the organization will be among the singers. Higher Prices for Theatrical Printing Theatrical managers on this Coast, as elsewhere, are beginning to feel the result of the great advance in prices on all kinds of paper, card-board and cloth. A forty per cent raise has taken place in the past six months, and the paper trust sends out word that higher prices may yet be looked for. Eastern printers have already advanced prices, and now Pacific Coast printers are preparing to do likewise, in order to protect themselves. Pictorial printing on this Coast has never yielded much profit, and even now with higher prices there is no great profit in this line of business. As soon as the present stock now held here by printers is exhausted, it will be impossible to renew the supply at the old figures, so if the managers who will be called upon to pay out more money for printing feel hurt, they can add their kick to the many others that are directed against the paper trust. A complete stock for professional men and women Fine Cotton Tights, colors black, tan, gray, flesh, cardinal and light blue, $1.35 each. Silk Plaited Tights in all colors, $2.50 each. Silk Tights in all colors, No. I, #5.25 a pair, No. 2, $5.50 a pair, No. 3, $5.75 a pair. Pure Wool Tights in all colors, $3.00 a pair. Same in second quality, f?. 50 a pair. We make Silk Tights to order in any color or size desired. Send for prices. 1:29 Kearny St. San Francisco THE LARGEST Show Printing J-Jouse WSST OF CHICAGO Headquarters for Agents and Managers ARCHIE LEVY'S Amusement Association The Theatrical Exchange of the Pacific Coast. Booking for Thirty-Eight Houses. Rooms 116-117-118-119-120 No. 6 EDDY STREET SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. TAKE EIJ'.VATOH 'PHONE BLACK 1701 Subscribe for the Dramatic Review. Printers Binders Engravers 409 Market Street SAN FRANCISCO I CORDRAY'S I J THEATRE J J Portland, Ore. i l ^Large Seating Capacity^ I Fully equipped with Scenery and f all modern stage appliances. t ADDRESS, J John F. Cordray \ PORTLAND, ORE. Playing both Leading and Popular Price Attractions