fight, is the result of the writer's careful thinking. The
flirtatious couple who stroll out on the stage to make everyone
in the audience envious, woo Cupid through the brain of their
author. And the musical comedy, with its strong combination of
nearly everything; is but the embodied flight of the writer's
fancy. In fact, the writer supplies much of the life-blood of a
vaudeville show. Without him modern vaudeville could not live.

Thus, much of the present wide popularity of vaudeville is due to
the writer. It is largely owing to the addition of his thoughts
that vaudeville stands to-day as a greater influence--because it
has a wider appeal--than the legitimate drama in the make-believe
life of the land. Even the motion pictures, which are nearer the
eyes of the masses, are not nearer their hearts. Vaudeville was
the first to foster motion pictures and vaudeville still accords
the motion picture the place it deserves on its bills. For
vaudeville is the amusement weekly of the world--it gathers and
presents each week the best the world affords in entertainment.
And much of the best comes from the writer's brain.

Because mechanical novelties that are vaudeville-worth-while are
rare, and because acrobats and animal trainers are of necessity
limited by the frailties of the flesh, and for the reason that
dancers cannot forever present new steps, it remains for the writer
to bring to vaudeville the never-ceasing novelty of his thoughts.
New songs, new ideas, new stories, new dreams are what vaudeville
demands from the writer. Laughter that lightens the weary day is
what is asked for most.

It is in the fulfilling of vaudeville's fine mission that writers