St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-19
FREEZING IN TIGHTS.
Burlesque Limbs Shivering In Their
Silk Hose.
OPERA QUEENS COMPLAIN.
Why Tights are Hard to Wear-.Some
Actresses Find Them Quite
Cosy.

Cosy.
New York World
Lillian Russell drew attention to
very important and interesting subject
when she complained that she could
not wear tights because they were too
chilly, and made that ground for the
breaking of her contract with Manager
James c. Duff. She made supple
mehtary statement, to the effect, it
will be remembered, that the only way
to make tights comfortable was to pad
them with lambs wool, and that so far
as she was concerned she would not do
this because her limbs had now arrived
at just the proper condition of rotund-
ity, and if garmented in this cumber-
some way their slightly and graceful
outlines would be destroyed. She elab-
Grated on the subject, of course, in con-
versation with such enterprising jour
nallstS as called Oh her, and asserted
Vehementiy that if the tights were
worn without the comfortable lining she
named rheumatism would soon double
up the supple joints and twist the
desirable rheumatic contortions. How
interesting the subject is, the ground
for which Miss Russell thus broke, does
not seem to have been understood and
appreciated, and it really deserves some
slight measures at least, of thoughtful
study and consideration.
Look at it from physicians point of
view. Ii the tights worn by the beau
ties OF the burlesque and comic-opera
stage really afford so insufficient pro-
lection as Miss Russell AYERS, and there
is distinct and traeeable connection
between these attractive and various
Iy-hued garments, and so unpleas-
ant commodity as rheumatism, or
so dangerous an affair as pneu-
mOnla, the medicine men are certainly
placed in most unique and advantage
Gus position. And they may repair to
the playhouse and look upon the tights
when they are red or any other color
perfectly safe from the approaches of
their wives or the repreacheS of their
friends, if they have any who are
inclined to indulge In moral dis
courses. Whatever the thoughts of other
men may be, their examination of tights
is attended simply by emotions of pro-
fessional exhilaration. But of course
when the matter is looked at from the
point Of view of the manager or the
audience it takes on even a more seri-
Gus aspect, and it is seen at once that
if Miss RuSselI's statements are
sincere and that the facts in the
case warrant what she says the.
situation is freighted with fatal Signifi-
canoe. so far as the burlesques and
comic operas and the SpectaeleS of our
country and their future are concerned.
In other words, the logical outcome
would be that these forms of dramatic
diversion would have to go. And what
| would the JohnnieS do then, poor
things?
Consider the situation for moment.
Managers won't have thin girls and
won't engage them for their burlesques
and spectacles, but they will take girls
VINO are not too fat. And there must
be scores and scores of maidens who
are precisely In the situation that Miss
words, they have got to that
point of embonpoint where they are
just right if the matter is left to the
Judgment of artistic taste and the eye
which Graves for physical beauty. And
they have reached the point that if any
thing is added to their graceful limbs
Will take on an appearance of toe con-
siderable bulk. In this condition they
!. would go to the manager, chilled
through and with their teeth cfattering,
and declare that they must have thicker
and warmer tights or use the friendly
lambs wool. And the manager would
object and the girls would choose be-
tween rheumatism or pneumonia and
relInquIShIng their employment. and
/ they would Telinquish their employ
ment. The manager would of necessity
put plump girls on his blacklist Just as
now he puts the thin girl and gradually
the spectacular stage would become de
populated. and the ranks of the spectac-
ufar army suffer defamation and all the
glory and gaudlness of these entertain
ments would vanish.
The bare possibility of any such de-
velopment is of course unpleasant. and
expressions of opinion have been sought
f1om queens of comic opera, burlesqHe
favoriteS and others whose experience
is quite as extensive and has afforded
them quite as many opportunities for
getting at the truth of the mat
ter as that OF Miss Russell. Marie Hal
ton, of the Duff Opera company, who
took Miss Russell's place on her retire
ment from that organization; Miss Isa-
belle Urquhart, of the Casino: Miss Kate
TART and Miss Lily Post speak in a very
frank and straightforward manner and
set forth the merits of the discussion
with eandor and impartiality. They
do not all of them seem to agree
with Miss Russell to the length she
reached in her controversy with
Mr.. Duff, and Miss Uranhart especially
rather pooh-poohs the possibility of
rheumatism or pneumonia attacking
people in tights any sooner than people
who don't wear tights. In fact, she
rather resents the aspersion and cham
pions the tights, and declares that up in
tho far Nnrth with ha
ter lowering around zero, and OCCASION
ally dropping below it, she suffered no
Inconvenience thereffom. Perhaps the
contributions of these fair singers and
tight-wearerS to the discussion will not
settle it, but they furnish good deal of
material which, in case of Mr.. Duff
bringing suit against Miss Russell for
breach of contract. might be used to adj
vantage in the court room.