The Billboard 1909-07-10: Vol 21 Iss 28 (1909-07-10)

16 The Bi liliboard JULY 10, 1909. W. H. DONALDSON, Managing Editor. PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT 416 Elim Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, U. S. A, long Distance Telephone, Main 2769. Cable Address ¢registered) “Billyboy.” NEW YORK. | Suite D. Holland Suilding, 1440 Broadway. Telephone Central 1630 Bryant. | CHICAGO. 207-909 Schiller Bldg., 103-109 Randolph St. Telephone Central 5934. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. Room 2, 1439 Fillmore St. LONDON, ENGLAND. 179 Temple Chambers, E. C. | PARIS, FRANCE. 121 -Rue Montmartre. MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. | Caledonian Bldg., Office 264, Post Office Place. Address all communica.ions for the editorial or business departments to The Billboard Publishing Company. Subscription, $4 a year; 6 months, $2; 3 months, $1. Payable in advance. No extra charge to foreign subseribers. Ec ADVERTISING RATES—Tweaty cents per line, agate measurement. 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The Billboard may be had in London at the office of The Era. ——— i = = Saturday, July 10, 1909. =x = The biennial Grand Lodge and convention of the Theatrical Mechanical Association, which occurs at Minneapolis, Minnesota, the week of July 12-17, | bids fair to be one of the most important in its history. From a small beginning, the order has developed into one of the most! Theatrical influential and beneficent institutions in profesMechanical Association sional life, and the spread of the same is inev| Grand Lodge. itable. December 31, 1908, the lodges in existence numbered one hundred, in good standing, and the membership totaled 11,067, situated in thirty-four states and four Canadian provinces. Since then the growth has been rapid and substantial. During the two years preceding December 31, 1908, statistics show that seventy-eight lodges paid out, in sick and death benefits and charitable grants, the sum of $66,894.50. The founders of the association planned and built wisely. The organization is founded on benevolence, and that oneness of purpose has been safeguarded by a provision in the organic laws of the order, as follows: “Avoiding all questions of a sectarian or political nature, or any controversy relative to salary or grievances between employe and employer, it aims to cultivate the social and moral feelings of its members, and the true dissemination of the true principles of charity, benevolence and fidelity.” _ ZIn other words, it affords protection in time of sickness, a reverential | recognition and help in time of death, and a warm fellowship in the joys and sorrows of life. So wide is its embrace that in its membership are included managers, actors, musicians, treasurers, stage mechanics, and all | branches of the profession, illustrating that the humblest and the highest in the ranks are alike, co-laborers in a single aim—the betterment of conditions | among all. Some of the questions which will, doubtless, come before the Grand Lodge are elsewhere, in our news columns, referred to. Prominent among them are such as relate to the establishment of a home for the aged and infirm of the order, and the extension of the order, to take in European countries. To these workers in a most humane and laudable purpose go out the warmest commendation and wishes of all men. That the deliberations of the Grand Lodge will be productive of the best permanent good, and that the stay of those in attendance in the beautiful Minnesota city will be a joyous occasion, is safely to be predicted. Too flagrant the liberties, too flippant the criticism of play, players and patrons alike. Cheap shrewdness banishes charity, prejudice masquerades as honest criticism, indiscreet speech and idle gossip invites injustice. With marvelous complacency, from his single viewpoint, a writer Theatrepresumes to foist his opinion upon the readers of a monthly Goers magazine. With rare wisdom (7?) he writes: Criticized. “The American theatre-going public is, generally speak| ing, a singularly naive and credulous body, moved chiefly by its primitive emotions, yet priding itself on its critical accumen; following the machine-made star, rather than the self-made dramatist.” Seemingly to add vitriolic touch to his expressions, his prejudiced pen proceeds: “It regards the theatre merely as an altar for the celebration of its pagan rites of mummer worship; and bearing a huge brass ring in its nose that it may be the more easily led by the crafty stage manager, and the no less adroit press agent.” | Season. | Should | Marked Man. | property or values may be exchanged; it is more than that. An illuminating instance of impertinent intrusion of personal opinion, unfair to manager and audience alike, is found in the assinine contention tte whether the play be by Augustus Thomas or Pinero, but it the star it worships shall be better than any one in the supporting company And if this result is obtained by Keeping down the ther actors, killing their good scenes and preventing them from entertaining the public to the best their ability, this singularly naive public of ours S quite content.” No doubt it serves the purpose of the writer, who deplores that this same public “will not even accept instructions in its literature.” The vital feature of the “instructions” it refuses to observe being, perhaps, the admonition to buy only works by myself. It is well to take note of a movement, widespread in its geographical distribution and sweeping in its influence, which the warm season always brings with it in this country. We refer to Chautauqua assemblies, which are numerous in every part of America. The summer gath‘he erings of these very healthful and otherwise beneficial asChautauqua semblages of people, bent on pleasure and intellectual culture, have been a factor for good, the influence of which can not be estimated. At this time of the year, the respective | places of meeting are being placed in order. The magnificent groves are made to present a most alluring appearance, and assembly buildings are in process of renovation, making ready for the army of tired and brain-fagged men and women who are eager to acquire knowledge amidst scenes close to Nature. There is something more in the coming together of these people than a mere wish to forsake their homes Instinctively the human reverts, in desire, to the primitive conditions of his ancestors, when men were strong and the blood coursed freely, with no barriers of artificial civilization to clot its flow; when a beautiful landscape drew more satisfaction and praise than the muddy daub of some academic painter; and when, up through the wide-spreading boughs of giant trees, the eyes caught traces of an etherial blue, associated in mind with things better, truer, more sublime than moneychasing and money-spending. All honor to and blessings on the head of the large-hearted and far-seeing man who thought out the first Chautauqua and instituted it. But it is not only the men and women seeking health and knowledge who are to benefit. What of the hundreds of instructors and entertainers who are so fortunate as to minister to them? It is a boon to these as well, for, while instructing and amusing, they are permitted to view the same scenes, breath the same pure air, and build up the physical frame for the fierce struggle of life. To all such, our hearts go out in well wishes for their health, wealth and happiness. We hesitate in calling attention to a communication which reached us this week, signed by a trustworthy and reputable member of the vaudeville profession, detailing the conduct of a certain house manager toward some of the ladies of a vaudeville team. It should be sufficient to explain that the manager in question sought to take advantage of them while they were on the program in his house, doubtless assuming that they, being among strangers, and virtually his guests, would not dare to resent the same. We do not believe that such conduct is generally prevalent, and it is our pleasure to add condemnation to the same. The professional woman has much to endure. Her lot is not the most desirable, being virtually that of a homeless person who is seeking to live by the talent the Creator has endowed her with. That she is thrown out among strangers and stands where the lime-light beats fiercely, makes her, Become a | often, the subject of unjust attacks and criticisms. In these more enlightened | days, when the profession of theatricals has become an honored occupation— not a badge of outlawry, any and all women of the stage may hold up their heads and frigidly demand the same rights and consideration from any and all persons that may be claimed and asserted by a queen. That the necessary road-life which she is compelled to lead should count against her, is preposterous, and that a manager could have been found, ready to abuse hospitality in such manner, is deeply to be deplored. Henceforth, he should become a marked man, and his deeds be given the largest range of publicity. Dramatic invectives, which have since indicated many idiosyncracies peculiar to the boomerang, have been hurled at this paper, because its editorial policy prompted conservatism and urged moderation in the film controversy. Much that is undignified has been permitted to find utterance Time in type, and the rules of business propriety and commercial Levels ethics have been severely strained, to serve no useful purpose. All Things. What we feared most was that confidence would be shaken, that the growth of a promising amusement method, being divided against itself, would be retarded and irreparably injured. The cancerous elements could not be eliminated except by organization, and the prescribed cauterizing applications must necessarily be applied by concerted action. To this, the independent organization now assents. The wisdom of some of the “arbitrary” methods of certain allied manufacturers is becoming more apparent daily, and, while, in some minor detalls, its rules are inviting criticism, they are the result of haste. and are due to the necessity of prompt action. But the diagnosis of conditions determined the course, and no hesitancy was manifested when the duty was plain. It is to be hoped that the bill introduced into the lower house of the TIl |nois Legislature by Representative Lederer, of Chicago, and which had for its object the amendment of the child labor law of that state, will come up for reconsideration at the next session. The bill provided Child Labor for granting theatrical companies the privilege of emAnd the Theatre ployine children in juvenile roles. Tt had much support, In Tilinois. and its author was hopeful of pushing it through, but it died, together with a number of other good measures, during the confusion and excitement engendered between House and Senate by reason of the turmoil into which the entire Illinois public was thrown by the final breaking of the senatorial deadlock, and the election of William Lorimer, Republican, to the United States Senate by Democratic members of the legislature. It might be well for those interested to address themselves to Represent ative Lederer, encouraging him to resume his promotion of the bill at the next session. In credit, modern commercial life moves and finds its being It is not merely the buying and paying: not merely the medium through which Upon it rests all the business of the entire commercial world. Ry it we measure our confidence in the man, place our estimate upon his honesty, determine the texture of his moral fabric, assay the metal that constitutes his mental structure. It reflects the analysis made in the business laboratory. When confidence is shaken, credit is withdrawn, in accordance with the gravity of the case. When confidence abounds, credit is elastic. But, always, the worth of the debtor's word, as fixed and established by past promptness In liquidating obligations, rules. Not infrequently, real financial standing is entirely ignored, one of the rewards for “previous g00d behavior.” Credit. a dle a nT Pe ee =