Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1875-11-25
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
How Actors Live and DE- The
Literary PeopIe--Moody and
Sankey--Tammany's Extrava-
gance-- ,..s. -.-
New YORK, Nov. 10, 1873
now ACTORS LIVE AND DIE.


There are. of the young men and
women who read your paper, at least q
thousand who have been aud are crazy
to get on the stage. They have heard
of the wondrous costumes the actresses
wear, and of the gorgeous salaries they
all draw, and they suppose that the lie
of player is one unending round OF
pleasure. The few who do ''get on the
stage" find the difference between fancy
and fact in q very short time. r..
1t is the hardest, meanest, most uncer-
tain and wretchedly paid business in the
world. Not one actor in a thousand
makes more than the merest subsistence,
at his best. with the certainty staring
him in the face that at the end-when
he can act no more--of dying in an aims
house, or subsisting on the charity OF
younger ones, who are almost as poor
as himself There are those, of course,
who make immense salaries. Edwin
Booth, for instance, never plays
for less than $500 night, and
Sothern, Charlotte Cushmsn and dog
en- others command quite as much. But
you can numb this class on the fingers
of your two hands. These are the ex-
ceptions, just as Stewart and Clatlin are
among the merchants. The highest sal
airy paid regular stock actors in New
York is 800 per week for a season of
nine mopths Out of this sum the &C
tor has 10 furnish his wardrobe, which,
if pieces change frequently, makes a
terrible hole in i, Then he lies idle
three months ia the year, and what is
worse for his pockets, the very nature OF
his employment makes frequent expen-
diture almost unavoidable. The most
prudent end the year with pothing--
nine-tenths of them are always in debt.
And there is always ahead of them two
ghosts-lack of engagements and sick
ness. Out of employment in his pro-
fession, there is nothing under heaven
for him 10 do, aud sickness means star
walton A noted English actor named |
Belmore, a man who stood first in &C. |
centric comedy in that country, aud |
who was the especial pet of the ''nobIli- !
ty and gentry George Belmore, who |
kept all England laughing Tor years
died last week in poor boarding house
on Fourth avenue, dependent at the last
on the charity of his fellow actors for
the Cruel he ate and the medicines he
took. Not dollar in the world. and
wife and seven children dependent upon !
him in London ...-.. .s5<
Who has not heard of Fox, the pant0
mimist Who has not laughed at his
wonderful antics, his merry qulps and
gssi,-i-s q. . iyia s,,-lless flow of fun Poor
Fox. Paralysis stFuckAh him at lrtyv
two, and he goes with never a dollar 10 |
leave his family One side of his fsGe |
$ paralyzed, bis brain is softening -bard |
work did it-and he goes out a mere (
nothing. Another pantomimist stands
ready TO take his place-the play goes
on-enter Maffit, exit Fox And some
day out Maffit will go and another will
take his place.
Young man or young woman, as the
case may be, if you have any aspua
tions for the stage, crush them out at
once. The life is one in which there are
ten thousand blanks TO one prize, and of
the prizes there is not one in a thousand
that is worth having. 1t is an ugly, uu-
life at the best, and hor-
rible life tor any one who cannot get
above decent mediocrity. Be a shoe
maker, tailor, a farmer, or the wife of
one but never be an actor or actress.
Take the advice Of one who knows,
and don't
And while am about it may as well
'ay something about another class who
ire popularity supposed to roll in pur-
)lc and fine linen, but who don't,
namely,
~.