Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 154, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1913 — THE LONDON FIT. [ARTICLE]

THE LONDON FIT.

Tims Honored ‘DMston of the Probes tra Floor of English Theatres. In the orchestra of a birndns theatre there are only eight or tea rows of stalls and <—behind them Is the pit. whisk is waned off by a banter or feaos that itrihhii deal across the theatre. In the pit these are no Individual seats—merely rows of long beaches on which the people sit rather closely together. It Is of coarse Impossible to reserve seats la advance, says the Bookman, and people who are going to the pit have to come early on the evening of the perfbrmaaoe In order to secure Pie beet places. Hence In the case of a popular Stay a long avenue of people may be aeon at T o’clock stretching from the pit door all along the sidewalk, watthag tor the bones to open. They keep their places very patiently In line, united by a common mood of pleasarable anticipation. One manager a while ago made the experiment of selling reserved seats in the pit at the usual prloe, hot to this the pit people objected strenouely on the ground that they could seldom know In advance just when they would find themselves posaoesad of that happy combination of money and an evening off which would per mtt of theatre going, and preferred to take their chances waiting in Hne when the fortunate opportunity arThe pit Is patronised by people of a very estimable class and lb often frequented by well educated men and women who wish to save money and do not cave to drees. Whereas a seat tn the stalls cost half a guinea (or approximately $2.50), a place in tye pit easts only two and six (or approximately 60 sente); and the play can be seen vary nearly as weO. In the pit the same programme that is sold in the states for sixpence Is sold far twopence, and the pit has a refreshment bar of ns own which fa cheaper than the main bar of the! theatre. ' Of oourse the real reason why there 1s a pit In the London theatre, Is that there has always been a pit; that in Itself Is sufficient for the British mind; but it must be admitted that the system Is on grounds of cornnuw ifr-fr* an exceedingly good one.