When a Chinese Theater Company Rented Tester’s Hall

It seems to us that an unconscionable amount of fuss is being made by a morning contemporary over the leasing of Tester’s Hall for a week to a Chinese theatrical company. There is hardly a town on the Pacific coast as large as Seattle which has not been afforded a similar exhibition. It is a novelty, a curiosity to very many people who have recently come among us from the Atlantic states, as well as to a good many people here. It is not contended that there is anything immoral in the play presented by the Chinese actors, nor that inducements other than those legitimately proffered by other theatrical companies are held out for attendance. In fact, we fail to see any reason adduced why the hall should not be occupied by this company, save only that it is composed of Chinese people. It is not so very long ago that a company of Japanese jugglers and acrobats were hailed with acclamation and their wonderful feats applauded by crowded houses all over the East. The Chinese theater in San Francisco is visited by multitudes of white sightseers, and no one becomes stage-struck after sitting through even one performance. It really seems that our contemporary is making “much ado about nothing” in this matter. The building is old, will soon be torn down, and the owners expect to have a new theater. If Mr. Teetor can get a few dollars rent out of it without public desecration, it certainly is his inalienable right.