Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-07-29
ACTORS AND AUTHORS.
WHAT SOME OF THEM RECEIVE FOB THBIR
WORK.
Enormous Salaries Paid to Some Of the Publics
Payorita Popular Wrisrs Of To-Day
and What Their Wiring
Brings Them.
Haae G. orpAta.

ing theatrical managers Of the Unitet
States. The subject Of actors salaries
came up, and the manager told me the!
are on the increase. "All classes Of per
sons connected with the stsge," said he
ARE getting higher salaries now than the,
have ever had before, and / think tina
many of our actors are paid too much
We have to pay $500 . week for any kint
of a leading mar, and . good second 1
worth $50 q week. IL actors would saw
their money they would make as
rule more than the managers
and there is no reason why
great actors should not amass fortunes
Look at Patti with S., 600 a night! Note
the e~xtravagance of Sarah Bernhardt, and
You can see where the money goes To-
There is too much competition in manage
ment, and il is competition that raises the
price of salaries. I have had actors al
500 q week, who were dear at that, and
who were paid $500 q week by another
manager, and I have had actresses, whom
I paid $50 q week, taken from me by
ether managers, who would offer them
$500"
"Are the managers, as . rule, making
money!"
'Some are, but not many. Ldon't think
more than one-third Of the management
have come out ahead during the past year.
and if these havemade an average Of over
$50, 900 apiece they have done we'll. As
for me / will come ont behind, and have
q very fair troupe"
"What women Of the stage get the best
salaries"
''The great singers, of course, though q
great actor of any kind is well paid.
I Judge that Scalchi gets at least
S., 900 . month, Campanini $1,000,
and you know that Patti receives
5000 q night by contract. Look
at the immense sums taken in by young
Joseph Hoffman. But an actor or actress
is worth Just what she or he will bring.
II she will bring $1,000 or IS, GOO a night
she is always worth SIS, 900, and if she is
only the side light to a big play she may
not be worth $50 q week. The average
theatrical salaries run, I judge, from $50
to SIS q week. Rose Coghlan used to get
$3.50 a week. Miss Jewett had br a time
$500 O week, and Emma Abbott started
out with 81, 900 q year, and now gets 500
q night for q concert. Gerster gets 81, 900
q night, Sembrich can make 81, 900 o night
and Mrs. Langtry has gotten u big fortune
out of her beautiful face. Modjeska has
her own troupe, and usually does very
well. Maggie Mitchell makes lots OF money
and saves il, and Kate Claxton is always a
good card"
"How about the balletP
''Tbe high kickers are, of course, paid
we'll, but the ordinary ballet wall-nower
gets barely enough to support herself.
The wages range all the way from So a
week upward, and good utility women
command about $40 q week. As to the
ballet. I think the days of great dancers
are past. You should have seen Fannie
Ellsler when she made the tour of this
country. She set the people wild with
her dancing, and it was 30 with Taglioni
In Europe. Jennie Dnrand died in Den
yer about four years ago, and she was one
of the first ballet dancers of this country;
she was a great ~favorite in the mining
towns of the West, and she made q great
deal Of money. Taglioni got Sc, 600 a year
as q salary, but she was not q money
maker, and rhe setired from the stage when
she was still in her prince"
s;RS SSp think stage life i " ns"''Af'''
TT depends on how il is used" was the
reply. MANY of the actors of the past
have lived to a good old age, Macready
died at so. and Charles Kemble, the father
of Fanny and Roger. lived to the age Of
70. Brougham died at 20, and Charlotte
Cushman had passed her SEVENTEEN year
when she died. Kitty Olive reached the
age of "A, and Fanny Ellsler, the noted
dancer, lived to be IA. Sara Siddons died
at rs, and the Wallscks are a long Lived
race. Henry Wallack, one of Testers
u%ncles, lived to be 70, his father was
70 years old when he died, and his
grandmother died at 80. Thomas King,
the original Sir Peter Teazle, lived to be
"a, and the noted Colley Cibber lived to be
| 81. There is no reason why an actor should
not live as long AZ the average man, pro-
vided he does not drink or engage in other
dissipation. 1t is true his life il an exciting
one, but he has his summer vacation, and
he has as much time to rest as the ordinary
man, and it is the same with actresses"
/ met Professor N. E. Dawson here yes
terday. He is the man who acted as
Grants private secretary during the writ
ing of his book, and 1t was to him that
General Logan con6ded many of his papers.
The immense amount Of money already
received for Grants book is bound to
bring q number of valuable papers TO the
front. The money in literature is causing
leading men to look carefully over their
papers to see whether they have not the
material for a book. Il wa Grants sue
cess that started Logan and Sheridan to
work, and / know Of a score Of statesmen
who are planning volumes. / know of
many who work for magazines, and ] know
of an instance Of one Senator who
was asked what amount he would
charge for o short article on the
tariff. In reply he said he could not do II
for less that $500, or about 10 cents q word.
/ know of one Senator who got $500 for q
short article for the Forum, aud the news
paper men Of Washington have gone into
the magazine field, and are making money
out Of it. George KEENAN, has made a good
reputation and nice pot of money Of the
Russian articles which are being published
in the Century. / have already told you
about the goose that lays the golden eggs
for John Hay and John G.. Nicolay, and /
know Of another magazinist. who il also q
newspaper man, who has 80 articles in the
hands Of magazine editors, for which he
got from 500 to $500 apiece. Thelesding
newspaper syndicates will DOW pay from
$40 to SIS q thousand words for good mat
ter, and the literary demand seems greater
and greater every day.
/ have been collecting for some time
items in regard to the amount of money
made by authors. 1t is q very fascinating
work, and it is interesting to know that
George Elliott received $50 900 for "Romu.
ls;" that Scott got over $500 for "ws-
verley," and $4,000 for Woodstock"
Wilkie Collins "Armadale" brought SIS.
600, and poor Goldsmith only got $500 for
his "Vicar of Wakefield" "Rssselas''
brought Samuel johnson only $500, and
Dickens made about $50, 900 year during
his latter days ct his writings. The for
tune received from Grants book, which