The morning news., 1889-04-22
IT PAYS TO SPOUT.
Large Fees Which Are PAID to Public
Readere.

Copyrighted lssal
NEW York, April 20. What emolumeuts
do public readers and drawing room enter
tainers receive.
] sought an answer to this question from
a well-known manager. He said;
"They are generally well paid There is
Mrs. Scott -Siddons, for instance, she makes
more money than anyone else in the pro
feSsion and has just returned to Europe
with $40, 600, her net receipts for this seasons
readings. She receives from 500 to 500
night.
MIR. Locke Richardson gets even higher
pay He is a platform and society reader.
For course OF SIX readings be would re-
ceive about 81 900. When he reads be fore
one of the clubs he gets from 500 TO $500
Sydney Woollett h6.: the same repertoire;
he. too, is very busy man.
The demand nowadays is not so much
for professional readers ms for authors who
read from their own works Gable, for in
| stance. is a great success. He never gives a
reading for less than $l00 He is in great
demand for young ladies' schools and sem
inares.
"Thomas Nelson Page is also great plat
form success; he never goes for less than
500.
"A most charming reader Of his own
stories, which are always clever ones, is
Richard Malcom Johnston. Mrs. Margaret
Custer Calhoun, a sister Of the late Gen.
Custer. is always in urgent request when
ever an army or navy post gives an enter
tainment. Mrs. Cowell-Le Moyne, the in
terpreter Of Browning, and Mrs Harriet
Webb, the well known elocutionist and in
struotor, each receive from $25 TO $50 for
reading. Bill Nye and James w. Riley,
the Hoosior poet, have met with a success
unprecedented in the annals of the
lyceum."
In a recent talk with Marshall p. Wilder
on this subject, he said
''The first fee that | ever received as an
| entertainer was 80 cents, | remember that
well. When | was about is years old,
went into Bradstroet's Commercial Agency
at Sl2 month. | studied shorthand and
became a stenographer, and after a while
| got $50 a month. had a good many friends
| aud used 10 be invited out 10 parties and re-
| ceptions until 1t got TO be the case nearly
every night. BY and by they began 20 pay
me something in return for making them
| laugh. Then | commenced to have a price
| everybody has, you know-and / was get
ting 50 a night. Then came the question,
should l be a stenographer or humorist! |
chose the latter.
| "Wetl, Iprospered from that time Then
I went TO England. | reached London with
| S45 in my pocket and return ticket, and
| took lodgings down by the Seven Dials.
| had reduced my capital to about $l6 when
secured an appearance at the Savage Club
and commenced to make friends. Before [
| left the club received an offer of $25 for
my appearance at the house of prominent
! nohleman but declined, for my price was
$50, and | wasn't cutting rates even if had
| only GIG. We'll, a short time after that
| Perugini, of McCaulls company, intro
duced me into the Lyric Club, and after
making couple Of dozen appearances | re-
turned to Americl. When ] went TO Lon
don the second time ] didn't take apart
ments in tho Seven Dals quarter. l always
| stop now at the Victoria hotel Whom the
steamer touches at Queenstown | mail my
cards, and by the time reach London !
find letters awaiting me. For instance,
Baron Rothschild sends me an invitation to
| dinner. try TO entertain his guests and to
make them laugh. The next morning | re-
ceive a check from his secretary.
| "In England, the entertainer il visiting as
| a guest only the hour for him TO arrive Is
mentioned and he frequently goes to two or
three assemblies the same night
81 have found that whenever ] have en-
| tertained people at place where the Prince
of Wales was present, my invitations in
| increase. In this way, one night with
Wales materialized 500 for me. Now,
that would indicate that the prince is rather
| a good fellow, wouldn't itf'
| Next season MIR. Wilder expects to go
west at the head of his own company
| "'rhe Marshall p Wilder Concert Com
panyn will be the name
but this looks as though you were go
ing TO desert New York;
| "Oh, no, shall be here for the society
season."
| In Washington, the humorst found peo-
pie too busy, as he said, to listen to anything
10 his line.
''lf / should attompt TO describe Wash
| ington society" continued Mr.. Wilder, "in
| q semi-humorous way, | should say ii was
something like this: How do you dol
What, goingl have enjoyed this FIVE
minutes Of your company very much.
| Good-byp"
Mr.. Wilder was charmed with Mrs.
| Cleveland and was invited several times to
| Mrs. Whitneys, but on the whole 1 don't
| think cares again 10 find himself in the
maddening whirl Of Washington society.
| How do get my ideas so as 10 avoid re-
peating the same thing too oftenl My
| IDEAS; why got them from everybody, and
| every idea get / work out in my own
way. / meet people who suggest ideas to
me, overywhers-in tho horse cars. on the
street, in a railroad trip, or aboard a
| steamer. Then ] take up some popular sub
jeot Of the day, for instance IL Marriage
| a FeilureP"
"And Robert Elsmere, suppose, sIg-
gosts something that you could make use
| off' said |.
"No, for never touch upon politics or
religion. / try 10 be funny without being
vulgar or sarcastic; never tread on any
ones toes which l suppose is the reason /
have so many friends everywhere. Just 30
| give you an idea Of the variety Of my on
Ragements, to-day / have a Sunday school
to entertain. tomorrow a church, where
must keep under bound although Inever say
anything that can offend. Whenever give
a church entertainment the minister is al
ways sure 30 come b. me and say: 'Now,
| Mr.. Wilder, | know you will be very care
| fol- etc, etc. This always puts wet
blanket on me. They ought to give me
| credit for common sense.
Then a lady gives party for some little
| children and | am invited 10 entertain
them, or twenty or thirty young ladies as
temble at a friends house and / am expect.
cd TO make them laugh. Often they have
no chaperon and this seems rather queer 10
me- Again ! am asked 10 bs funny for the
| nswsboys, or TO entertain The idiots on
Wards islands, or the sick in tue hospitals;
| but Of all audiences ! like the newsboys
| best" !" FRANCES STEVENS.