The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-09-10
THE GIDDY CoRYPHEE.
Where She Comes From, How She Lives
and What Her Morals Are.

You are lounging in the wings OF the
music hall. 1t is hot and close and dark,
and the familiar odors of size and dis
temper are anything but pleasant. There
is an early "call," and number of girls
are chatting in a somewhat depressed
fashion. You do not hear a laugh or even
giggle. As to the girls themselves,
they are in nowise remarkably different
from similar number chosen haphazard
from any lower middle class neighbOr-
hood. Some few of them wear fashy
garments; others are quieter and even
poorly dressed. But for too generous
Use of powder and somewhat self-assert-
i've oscillation of the skirts the assembly
might easily be taken for a collection of
shopgir1s leavened with sprinkling of
barmaids.
On talking with a we1l-known artistic
you cannot help being struck with the
extremely prosaic character of most of the
girls antecedents. The incidents of
Ouidaesque romance are very far removed,
indeed, from their commonplace histories.
In almost every case the girls have taken
to the boards owing to the examples of
some other members OF their families:
Several of the chief ladies of the ballet"
were trained as children under Madame
Katti Lanner; some few are the daughters
of other ballet dancers; but the majority
are relatives OF stage carpenters, supernu-
meraries. and the smaller fry of the London
stage. With regard to the extra ladies"
it is somewhat curious to notice what a
large proportion of them get the better
part of their incomes as artists models
often being the daughters of mechanics,
small clerks and tradesmen, and quite a
considerable number of commercial ira
vellers. AS to the artistes, the acrobatic
stars, the fascinating duetists" and
charming serio-comics," in nearly every
instance the smell of the f0otlights has
from their childhood found it's way to
their homes.
"And what" you are inclined to ask,
''is the direct effect of this stage life on
the character and condition of those who
adopt it?" The answer is that it has very
little direct effect. 1t is early home infiu-
ences that tell upon the stage girl, just as
III the case of barmaid or shopgirl or post
office clerk. Frequently girls who go
upon the stage in subordinate positions do
not come from over well-regulated house
holds. Their parents are ofGen Indifferent
| folk who, although they would not de-
| liberatelY put their children in the way of
| evil, yet at the same time would be by no
| means particular to remove them from
| every chance of temptation. In all proba-
| bility they have from infancy had q
| rather more than average acquaintance
with the shifts, the weaknesses, and pos
| sibly the vices, of a far from well-ordered
| home.
They have heard fair, or rather unfair
amount of bad language; they have by no
means been brought up with a special
aversion to strong liquors, and from
| listening to careless talk they have be-
| come to a certain extent imbued with
| that particular knowledge of the world
which can at all times be dispensed with.
| 1t is not of course meant that the girls
rEr, frO fn0 hnof.1a a inv r. ah hlv
| children of loose parents. 1t is enough
| to say that the average girl upon the
| stage is far from ignorant of the world
! and its ways when she first appears be.
fore the footlights, and consequently nc
| fine sensibilities are likely to be blunted
| lar notorieties.
AS you are discussing the subject il
sober fashion the name of a celebrity
| (who recently left the stage and this
| world at the same time) is brought for
ward to illustrate the truth of what you
! have been saying and what has been saiG
| to you In this case g certainly somewhat
"assertive career" was entirely caused By
| home influence in the first instance. The
temptations Of the stage" had very little
| indeed, to do with the matter 1t ii
brought to your notice that the kind o.
| temperament which is ambitious of per
sonal display (and very few girls who dis
| ike IL are IOuuu Ou tL6 SGdSSJ Cdu uSf6l
at any time be reckoned as PARTICULAR!
| safe one.
A more than ordinary share of vanit!
| Joined with a nervous excitability is no
! the best steering gear for avoiding
| dangerous shoals. But the stage training
| in some respects at least, may be counted
| on as decidedly advantageous. A certain
amount of discipline always has to b.
maintained; ambition and industry ar
| absolutely necessary for anything lik'
moderate success, and tho keenest atten
| ton must always be given to the busi
ness directly in hand.
With regard to girls belonging tt
''troupes," there is no doubt that the in
cessant fitting about from town to town
| must beget o certain Bohemianism which
| it would be difficult indeed, to eradicate
and if there be any good influence a
home it is weakened when it has to act a
distance.
Young women who go touring on tn,
Continent also perhaps may come Il
suffer from that peculiar spirit of free
dom which sometimes affects those wht
are wen aware that they are altogethe
| beyond anything like supervision. Or
thinking over this, too, some stray mem
cries of the Eldorados and Alhambra;
and what not of Antwerp, Amsterdam
and Hamburg come almost too readily tt
| your mind to make YOU feel over con
fident in the well being of diver
English artists" whose names you hav,
seen advertised on their tiaring bills
But a tolerabiy long experience of tn,
stage in theatres and music halls gen
orally must bring any one to the con
clusion that a good deal of the senti
mental outcry is unjustihed by tn,
facts.-St. James Gazette.
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