atic commercial monopoly, and to _not_ doing more than own
a building. The next step toward surmounting these difficulties would be
to give the shell a substantial kernel. It is natural enough that in an
age as much disposed as ours is to give the dominant place to financial
support that the most obvious and superficially practical thing to do
was done first. It is natural enough, too, in the working-out process,
that its superficialness becomes evident.

Pittsfield comes next both in date and significance of its step toward
financial support for the community of a theater.

To Mr. Edward Boltwood, a member of the executive committee responsible
for this step on behalf of the town, I am indebted for the following
account for which I asked of its initiation:

'A corporation of thirty citizens bought the local theater ("The
Colonial") last January (1912). We are professional and business men,
maintaining no academic theories, believing in a practical way that a
protected and well-conducted theater is as sound a municipal asset as a
good public library is. We have not printed any report.

'After cleansing, re-decorating, and re-equipping the house, we shall
install a resident stock company, to open May 20, under the direction
of Mr. William Parker, who is at present producing manager at the Castle
Square, with Mr. Craig. We have no very definite plan, except to make
our theater a place of entertainment for intelligent people.'

Among the comments of the press involved in stating this item of news at
the time, the way the 'Nation' put it, and the way the 'Outlook' put
it, are fairly representative of public opinion of the need and value of
this civic step.

Said the 'Nation':

'Some of the leading citizens of Pittsfield, Mass., being dissatisfied
with the commercial management of the principal theater in the town,
have bought the house with the avowed purpose of conducting it upon
lines more worthy of intelligent support.'

Under the caption 'A Community Theater' the fact was recorded in the
'Outlook' in a news editorial (Feb. 10, 1912), from which the following
sentences are an extract:

'Pittsfield is ... a community which represents the best of old and new
New England. A very interesting experiment is being tried there by the
Pittsfield Theater Company--a company of gentlemen--who believe that
in a town like Pittsfield the theater justifies a consideration not
dissimilar to that with which we regard our public