Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-12

who leave, still have the use of our rooms.
and every Thursday afternoon a special
meeting is held for their benefit.
ais not the existence OF your society
rather in the nature of reflection on the
theatrical profession
Mr.. T.-Not at all. We are simply
doing in systematic and continuous form
what the London City Mission, with the
cooperation of .heater managers, has been
doing irregularly for a long time. We
gather these girls from the streets and sur
round them with moral safeguards. They
frequently come out of curiosity, and they
like US SO well that they get into the habit
of coming. A few evenings ago couple
of giddy things came in for the first time,
and after staying awhile, they remarked
that they just came for lark, but it was
" SO awfully jolly" they intended to come
again. When the theatrical passion for
powdering the face had been gratitied in
front of one of our mirrors, they were ready
for another street promenade, and departed
with feeling toward our mission which
will no doubt cause them to be frequent
visitors.
What is your observation as to the
morals of these girls p
Mr.. T.-Well, really, you might call
our work mission to the fallen, though
we keep that idea in the background,
What could you expect from these girls
with the example they have, in the loose
morals of many high in the profession, and
with the exciting and irregular life they
live? | find, too, that many have the
loosest possible notions in regard to what
common honesty means. For long time
several visit DTS have supplied my wife with
bananas, and we learned finally, to our
great modification, that the fruit we rel.
ished SO much had been obtained in not the
most honorable way from Covent Garden
market. Still, many of them are strictly
virtuous, and such as these, considering
their surroundings, deserve all credit l
know, too, that IN all ranks of the pro-
fession there are young women who are
true Christians-who live cody and de-
vout life. They stay on the stage because
they have sick or aged relatives dependent
upon them, and they must earn money.
81 strive for success" one OF them writes,
mot for myself, but for others
"Are replies received to many of the let
tars that are written"
Mr.. T.-No; hardly any are answered.
Many of the girls are uneducated, and they
are all very Indifferent on religious SUBJ
jects Not one in hundred goes to church
The ladies who do the writing sometimes
get discouraged and stop, and very likely,
when the letters cease, some response IS
evoked, which shows that the recipient
liked to read, though she did not answer
them. All these theatrical girls are re-
msrkably intelligent. Intelligence, indeed,
is the watchword. 1t is more in demand
for the stage than either beauty of face or
comliness of form, for both these can be
made up.
care the patrons of your society pa
irons of the theater also?"
Mr.. T.-Our managers are not, but no
doubt among our 700 lady letter writers
there ale many who go to witness the best
class of dramatic representations.
As to the feelings entertained for the
Theatrical Mission by the lessees of the
leading London theaters, MIR. Todd said
that some were for and some very much
against it.
ITS MOST UNRELESTIEG FOE
Is Augustus Harris, of Drury Lane. Mr..
and Mrs. Kendall, and Mr.. and Mrs. Ban.
croft were excellent people, Mr.. Todd re-
marked, and they naturally favored any
effort to benefit those in the lower ranks.
HI spoke also in the most eulogistic terms
of Wilson Barrett, of the Princess The.
alter. None of these, he said, had as yet
been asked for money, but as the work ex-
tended, they no doubt would be. Mr.
Todd seemed to feel that the London stage
though patronized so extensively by the
clergy, was degenerating. Sunday re-
hearsals are now quite common, and he
fears it will not be long before plays are
produced on that day. In this, however,
l did not agree with him, as l had not
previously agreed in the low estimate of an
actor and actress who are now in America.
Speaking of America Mr.. Todd informed
me that large numbers OF young English
girls are trained in London and shipped
every season to sustain ballet and chorus
parts in the theaters of the United States,
and he added that most of these come
back ruined. He was not aware that there
was any theatrical mission in New York
city, but he certainly thought there
was need OF one. H. T.