The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-11-26
A TEST OF VIRTUE.

cent letter from Paris to the Chica-
60 Times, says:
How can one tell whether a Paris
ian actress is virtuous or not? Moth
ing is more easy. Their characters
can be read in their garments. The
salaries paid by Partisan managers
are very small. Mile. Agar, for in
stance, when a pensionnaire of the
Coincide Franchise, only received
$3.50 a month. And yet she was an
actress of standing and reputation,
and was engaged at the greatest the
atre of Paris. OF course the &C.
tresses who are jut starting in their
professional career receive.still less,
aud out of these small salaries they
must furnish their own dresses for
society plays, or any drama whereof
the scene is laid in the present day.
And some of them manage even to
dazzle even the Partisan public, &C
customed as that is to gorgeous dis
play Of dress in public, with the
magni6cence of their toilets. have
sean the audience at the Vaudeville
thrilled into positive excitement by
the ball dresses of Mile. Bartel or
Mile. Massin. Worth knows some
thing of these extravagant creatures,
whose orders are without limit and
who never look twice at their bills.
Talk of the extravaganza Of dress on
our American boards! There are
actresses in Paris Iwho never appear
before the public in anything more
trivial than a dress fashioned By
Worth or Felix at a cost of from
$500 to $500. The value Of their
custom is we'll understood, as may
be shown by the following incident:
An American lady was in the act Of
being fitted for q handsome dress at
one of the largest establishments on
the boulevards, when the head of the
house came in, andin a state of great
excitement, took the filter away in
the midst of the operation to wait on
Mile. Croizette. The American lady
was forced to sit there with her
dress half fitted, and she was kept
waiting in that uncomfortable posi-
tion for nearly as hour. Naturally,
she had no more dresses made al
that establishment. / remember
when pretty Angelo Moreau first en-.
tered the company of the Porte ST.
Martin she received very advanta
geous offer from the manager of the
Vaudeville. But she refused it say.
ling: Il cannot afford to pay for the
dresses I should require for the so
ciety plays at your house out of my
salary, and I will not consent to pay
for them in any other manner"
Last year one Of the actresses o.
thai theatre had to play the part o.
a very young girl, and according te
the rules of French society bel
dresses ought to be very simple
But she got ahead of all social and
theatrical rules by having the walk
ing dress in which she appeared ID
the first act made out of Indis
shawls of the very finest quality
There were ten of them used, ant
they were worth $500 apiece.
So when / see lovely Marie lie
ganlt and pretty Jeanne Samary 60
ling around in rusty black straw hat'
and ill-ftting costumes of blacl
cashmere, wearing thread gloves ant
riding in cheap cabs, / know what i
means, andI honor the brave littl,
girls from the bottom Of my heart
I honor, too, sweet Celine Chaumon
in her simple white silk dress in tn,
"Review at the Varieties, when i
would be SO easy for her to dress il
point lace and diamonds. hear o
an offer being made to her by one 0
the wealthiest club men of Paris of
hotel on the Champs Ulysses, and
settled income Herewith. The offe
was made in writing. The fair &c
line quietly tore the note into pieces
and twisted up some cigarettes GU
Of these fragments. The next da,
her adorer called to see her,
'sThanks very much, Baron" sail
the sparkling actress, "for the sup
ply of cigarette paper you sent n
yesterday"
| -SELFIsHNEss is the mother O
sorrow. When one is on the stretcl