Newspapers / The News-Herald (Morganton, N.C.) / Feb. 14, 1907, edition 1 / Page 3
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ft !8 ' ' i . - - s. - The NewsHeral;o ' ; ' lp RGANN THURSAY FEBRARY"-14'1907 - t NEW YORK CITY has the great est amusement resort in the world in its Coney Island, which stands unchallenged as the most wonderful example of the development of the modern idea of popular attractions presented at prices rendering them available to all c!a;;e?. Coney Island is unique in many respects, but it was the first place in the world where first class at tractions were ever opened to the pub he for an admission price of ten. cents. The attractions have steadily improved :n quality at Coney, but the price re main; the same. - - . Coney has not always been the resort it b to-day, its earlier history was not ox the sort that makes cities great or a'ded in the development of good citi zenship. Twenty years ago there ttere shows there, ten cent shews, but they were not characterized by any aiterp.pt to elevate the public or amuse the better classes. At one time it was er.tially a tough resort where crooks throve and politically it was the rotten ttt of Brooklyn's many disgraceful tricts. The public and an improved pihlic sentiment is largely responsible for the changes that have been wrought, but much can be credited to a new ?"neration of amusement producers v.':o have selected Coney Island as a '"eajquarters. l ire and the Courts have assisted in l'ie change, for several-great connagra t.ons wiped out the worst section of t:'e place, and the courts sent corrupt Police officials, who aided in the corrup-t;'-n. of the place, to Sing Sing. But all tile fires and all the courts could not have accomplished as much as Thomp son & Dundy wrought when they open ed Luna Park's gates to the public, and ?ft an example in producing attractions 01 real merit surrounded by artistic structures from designs by architects of national repute. From a place where many people Went, but were careful to refrain from Mentioning the fact," it is now a place where everybody goes and talks en thusiastically of the visit for weeks a,"terwnrds. The enthusiasm is war ranted for at Coney Island can be seen the most complete example' of the re sults possible by the scientific applica tion of electricity to art. The famous White City, Chicago World's Fair, af forded a"" splendid spectacle, the Buffalo Exposition marked another advance, but at Luna Park and -at ' Dreamland the builders have brought the art of electrical illumination to the highest degree of perfection it ever has known. Combined, they have been classed as the eighth wonder of the world, and the distinction is merited. When Luna Park was built it was said it never would pay its owners, and the undertaking was certainly a great risk as it involved the expenditure of nearly two million dollars before a single cent was paid in at the gate. But the people came and Luna Park has been made bigger every season, and it has created a new standard in the amusement world. When the builders of Dreamland announced their inten tion to build another great amusement resort, almost at Luna Park's doors, persons, who thought they knew, said there was no room for two great places at Coney Island, but time has demon strated that there is no limit to this respect, , for these two great spectacles have paid dividends that seem almost fabuloul, and they have helped build up a number of minor attractions. The only amusement places that suf fered by their presence were the tough places, and the halls where questionable "P1CT0R1AL.C0L0R AND IAAGAZINE SECTION 0 shows had prospered. The clean at tractions have made good, and the pub lic has been awakened to the opinion that clean attractions of real artistic merit were what they wanted. In Luna Park and in Dreamland there has never been an attraction offered for public favor that depended on a questionable feature to make it a paying proposition. Many of them have' been of the type that breeds patriotism and a love of home and country and all of them relied on some new and novel idea in the de velopment of the great sciences for its most striking features. The great events in the world's history have been kept to the fore, and in all this has been an element of education that is too important to be ignored. The conceptions of genius have found an opportunity at Coney Island, and art and science have been, called upon with lavish hands to make every detail ap pear in its best light. The greatest spectacle of modern times was probably the Indian Durbar, at Delhi, when the wealth and splen dors of the Empire of " India was marched in review in honor of the cor onation of King Edward. Thompson and Dundy realized the universal in terest in this event and at Luna Park presented a copy of the spectacle which for completeness in every detail and accuracy of reproduction excited the praise of the artistic world and elicited applause from hundreds' of thousands of delighted people who nightly filled a vast amphitheatre devoted to the spec tacle. ' "' Just what this feature of one season at Luna Park cost its producers may never be known, but they made it pay and constantly improved . and ' elabor ated it during the seasons its was pro duced. Attractions on the order of "Creation" and "The Deluge" cost a small fortune, and the original produc tion of "Fighting the Flames" required the services of a regiment of men, wo men and children. The fire fighting force was led by one of the most famous of New Y ork's fire chiefs, and under his charge a body of trained athletes gave the most realistic and spectacular per formance of its kind that was even given. While Thompson & Dundy's Luna Park and Dreamland have been doing their work in the reformation of Coney Island, their efforts would have been seriously impeded if it had not been for the presence of the number of attrac Uons covering a somewhat smaller space, but embodying all of the elements of novelty and ingenuity that charac terized the best features of either Luna Park or Dreamland. Principal among these attractions is Mr. E. J. Austen's "Johnstown Flood," which has been one of the real features of Coney Island for several seasons. It was first produced at the Buffalo Ex position and later removed to Coney Is The Pure Unsweetened This la nhv Ralnh Felton. son of Mr. and Mm. Kavid r.- i . i i . f . 11 uA Ta 11 nuintha nlil weight & lb -Made ir rou ad health T by Imperial -,mmmmm P pp jpiTW - I" 1 land. Mr. Austen is one of the pioneers among amusement- ' producers '.. of the present generation. " In 1885, he brought out that wonderful and realistic pano- Continued on Next Page For Sabiesand Invalids Makes.har;difirmiflcsh.rl bipod, good boneand mus cle, wthlnoflabliat- TrlaLSIzC2S ctfrat.drugsTstrorJromliiS) FREE. A large sample, five times as larga as this can. enough for aweefr'sjise, togeth er with our belpf ui 32-page book "The Care of Babies" and acute rag doll, will be sent free to any motnarwaoJ name and address, witn ber own.' postal will doi . ?NO. CAKLES"10V (iranum J&S Water St., Hew Tark a-A e ITOOD ' Jab a orks
The News-Herald (Morganton, N.C.)
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Feb. 14, 1907, edition 1
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