THE SHOW WORLD

January 30,1909

TI-E
ISSUED EVERY FRIDAY
(DATED SATURDAY)
--B-a
The Sho      World P      blishing Co
Grand     Opera    House     Building
Eighty Seven South Ciark Street
Chicago, Illinois
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WARREN A. PATRICK,
General Director
WALT MAKEE,
Editor
E. E. MEREDITH,
Associate Editor
II. J. STREYCKMANS,
Business Manager
BERNARD F. ROLFE,
Advertising Manager.
M. S.PATRICK,'
Secretary and Treasurer
Entere4 as second-class matter, June 25,
1907, at the postoffice at Chicago, illinois,
under the act of Congress of March 8, 1879.
ADVERTISING RATES:
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NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS.
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able to THE SHOW WORLD PUBLISHING
Co., to whom all business communications
should be addressed.
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
(Payable In Advance)
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Four Dollars a Year.
Foreign:
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DISTRIBUTING AGENTS:
The Western News Company
and its
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MANUSCRIPTS:
The Editor will not be responsible for the
return of unsolicited manuscripts, but if
stamps are enclosed they will be returned
if found unavailable.
Anonymous matter will not be considered
under any circumstances. Writers desiring
their names be with-held from publication
Must so state beneath their signatures.
We do not solicit contributions from un-
authorized correspondents, but in special in-
stances we will consider contributions bear-
ing upon a topic of vital interest to the
profession of entertainment.
Manuscripts or news matter will not be
considered unless written upon one side of
the paper only and addressed in the lower
left hand corner of the envelope to The
Nexi Editor.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1909.
EDITORIAL.
Improved Nickel Theaters.
(Chicago Tribune.)
The nickel theater may have positive
educational value. Committees     of  the
Chicago Woman's Club repott that inves-
ligation shows decided improvement in
these places of popular resort. Demoral-
izing tendetncies are being checked, so that
theaters once of doubtful character are
counted among the helpful influences of
their neighborhoods.
That the nickel shows meet a popular
need is apparent    from  their  drawing
power. Most of them are making money
despite their small admission fee. That
means they are furnishing entertain-
ments which are sufficiently attractive to
secure the repeated attendance of a more
or less limited constitueny. Unless they
made the right sort of appeal, their re-
ceipts would soon fall off.
Certain physiCal evils have been noted
in connection with them. As a conse-
qtuence some regulation has been neces-
sary and proper. Care has been demand-
-1 in the electric wiring. Some degree
if technical skill in using the moving pic-

ii-.  ii.,>  -  i  hi-i I Blired].  ut
"  r "   ,     ')  :"  ofilnl y
audiences ill respct to o\ercrowding, to
I h interst of tile safety of life and mor-
is. They 1have not requited any excep-
lional or extrueldinar'y outlays on the
),att of th1e operators. That a committee
of investigation is able to report favorabl
1pon their general character shows that
the requirements have been met in the
proper spirit.
If now it should develop that subjects
of some edueatiotal value are preferred
to those of the blood and thunder type, or
to those where temporary amusement is
afforded by impossible situations labeled
humorous,  the theaters may become
positive benefits  to  their surrounding
neighborhoods. People demand entertain-
ment and amusement. Many of them are
limited in the amount they can spend.
Others do not care to go far from home in
the evening. There are far worse places
111an the nickel theaters which might be
firquented were it not for this new,
-heap, and apparently satisfactory type of
popular resort.
The Atchison Globe rises to remark that
it takes a Chicago production to please
the theater goers of that city and while
111e writer Of this may have been a cut)
reporter whose judgment is not worth
muach on the 1hances of the Standard Oil
Piiilg its big fine, he expresses an opin-
ion as to shows which would seem to
colae from the heart:
' ile show at the theater last night
ias from Chicago. Chicago is becom-
ing quite inportatt st1a ipreducing center.
One thing about the Chicago productions
is that they have better choruses and bet-
t-r singers than the New York shows thLat
come to Atchison. The average New York
musical comedy runs a whole lot oil its
narne. It has good scenery, one or two
good funny men, but nearly always has
bum singers and a cheap lot of chorus
girls."
It is truly gratifying to every friend
of the circus ownets and the Alliance of
Billers to know that all agrement was
reached at the meeting ield last Sunday;
to know that peace reigns among the em-
ployers of billers and the billers them-
selves, whose importance to the circus
world call hardly be over estimated. The
questions in dispute may have seemed
triflling to those who have never been
connected with the advance of a tented
enterprise but they are not to the ian
Ivho has traveled the long country routes
or handled an advertisitg ear or acted
as general agenlt for  a  onster cogalizi-
fion.
The factors who control the combination
houses may or may not be on the verge
of war. The signs indicate that there is
great activity ill a quiet way and the
public announcement made by Ray Com-
stock that lie does not represent the Shu-
Derts i securing houses is especially in-
Lelesting and impotant at this time.
A Beautiful Program.
Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. 25.
Stanley C. Ayers, manager of the ad-
vertising department of the Miles theater,
playing advanced  vaudeville, is justly
proud of the artistic program given to
the patrons of the house. Many of the
leading merchants of the city are finding
the program a profitable advertising me-
dium. Mr. Ayers was formerly associated
with the staff of the Majestic theater, St.
Paul, which is also owned by the Miles
interests.
New Press Agent Scheme.
Hartfo-id, Conll., Janl. 28.
A scheme which will probably prove of
great benefit to press agents has been
01igillated by Pytie of Parsons' thleater.
The usual press stories are written, to-
getlier with a sketch of each member of
tile comlpanly represenlted by tile agent
and the matter is then set in type and
inatrixes ire made and sent to such pa-
pets as tile ageiit desires to cover. This
not only saves time and money to agents
and managers, but to newspapers as well.
'rue seee las wolked withl great suc-
cess here 1in connection with the Blue
Mdouse advertising-HARRIS.
T. M. A. NOTES.
Spokane Iodge No. 47 gave its first
annual hop Jan. 20 and Charles Rich was
ntst-cr of ceremonies-SMITH.
Oklahoma Lodge No. 85 initiated a
niutmber of candidates and installed the
f, llowviig officeis Jan. 22: Elliott Altonl,
president; F. H-. Itiyres. vice-president;
Tom   Wyant, past plresident; Char-les
Nickle, recording secrela 1-. F. lain-
iski, treasurer; Fred E. Wird, financial
secretary; Guy Oliver, marshal: Frank
Robinson, sergeatt-at-rims; ii] Dr. S.
IF. Darlington, pil~sillli. Rt. N. Camlp-
>ell,D Nitk Ptonli, p l es Nictle, Wal-
ter Wortham aliid C. R. Wilson, trustees.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Chii-go, Jan. 26.
Sili  IO1V 1WORLD:
'i'h  Iapid dvlopiillit of muoNitig piC-
tules as a t0lin Of allIuseIlent Uand a
Means of educatiol to those who are un-
ide to attt Id tile higher pliced fu1n1s1 01
liU111eclicllt has lit last attrlactcud tile at-
teition of that meanest of all grafters,
tie pol tical grafter. With thle growNth in
numilber of the ioving picture shows came
a demand for capable opelitors for the
111ach1ines, and subsequently tle oganiza-
tion of the Moving Picture Machine Op-
crators' Union, which had ts its purpose
the bettu111eitm of tile working conditions0
sairoulldillg tile enmploymlenit of tile oper-
ator eigaged iin the giling of the enter-
tainiment.  Had the organizers of this
ulioll ploceedcd fairly to secuire for the
ieniI1s of teil unionthe benefits wich
aceCrue frol intelligent organization, tile
inovenient could have been applauded as
a h    ti l to tie members of tie Picture
Machine Ollelators' union an~d aII added
seculity for the safety of the patrons of
tile moving picture shows. But it appears
that this has not been the case.     The
Inoloters of tie union were first elected
to serve as officers of thle unlion aiid
through political illuence, these ofticers
had themselves appointed at commission
for the purpose of exaining all appli-
eCants for timmbeiship into the union as
to Iiicii imlilications s  Opelitors. This
collil lliln aets gratuitously for the mu-
nicipality and issues liceises to such ap-
plicalits as are successful in passing the
examnlition of this commission.    It is
this fact tat sugg'-sts one source of dan-
ger to the future success of the mov-
ing picture theaters in Chicago.
in1is city ias i  its employ inspectors
ill tile electrical, buildhig 11110 tire depart-
llielts, who tioLug1 their knowledge of
tile odinances beaiing upon tile subject,
111 tleir ituciilicaiI knowledge of the situ-
atoll is it relates to their respective de-
partllenills that could qualify as a board
of colmlmisSionlers whose jurisdiction would
embrace the location of the theater as to
its safety to idj