The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-03
CONCERNING CHORUS GIRLS.
Mr. Harley Takes Exception to Mr.. Bar
nabeo's Remarks ON This Suhjoct


Mr. Harley Takes Exception to Mr.. Bar
nabeo's Remarks ON This Subject
To the Editor of THE INDEpENDKxr: Will
you pardon me, if take exception to the re-
marks attributed to Mr.. Il. G. Barnabee, of
the Bostonians' opera company, in yesterday
mornings issue? He complains of constant
trouble with his chorus girls. The unfor-
tunate chorus! They are ever the under
dog in all theatrical troubles. They are
made to saddle bad business, they are the
cause of bad criticisms, and they are the
defenseless head upon which the irate man
ager vents all his spleen and showers his
reckless and, generally, totally unjusti6able
abuse.
The chief fault lies with the manager
himself. He is little bit too apt to look
upon his chorus as pack mule, as an au-
tomaton which should never be sick. never
weary, never complain; which should have
the brains of highly educated human be-
ing with the strength Of horse, and the
hide of pachyderm. That the chorus
should be treated as ordinary women is as
distant from his thoughts as is the earth
from the moon. I write of the average
manager of of opera companies. There
are happily for the theatrical profession
captions. And if he be quoted rightly Mr.
Barnabee has no place among the excep
tions.
He saws the Bostonian chorus girls get
$19 to $40 per week, and should save easily
a few hundred dollars season. They re-
ceive no more than the ordinary salary paiG
in tirst-class companies, And they can nc
more save few hundred dollars season
than few hundred millions. There is no
thing abnormal about the chorus girl. 1t il
very human. In nine cases out of ten the
chorus girl has to send home every week to
mother, sister or other relative every cent
she has over and above her board and wash.
ing !.;r,, - .,o ,,uo.. .,.;,,;,o,,, .,,,., - -,
in seeing this great country from ocean to
''Fie! oh ie! Mr.. Barnabee! The chorus
is not travelling for pleasure. Scenery is
not exactly substitute for bread and but
ter. In short this remark is pure rot. And
moreover, you know it. Or, if you do not
take quiet holiday some day, and devote
yourself to the abstruse calculation as to
stracted from the remainder of $18 pei
week, that amount being multi-divided in
to the prosaic details Of living, clothes
washing and other items which come unde1
the head of necessaries of life; added semi
occasionally to WEAKNESS, illness, poverty
ana other lnc1dentalS.
Now, Mr.. Barnabee, I must contradict
you fatty when you claim you treat youl
ohorus girls better and pay them higher
salaries than they receive in other com
panies.
I'm the first place, you should pay then
better, for the Bostonians have a repertoire
larger than any company now singing il
grand or comic opera or playing in bur
lesque. This entails more expense to tn,
chorus. 1t means harder work.
"In the second place, If you did treat
your chorus we'll you could not possibly
have the constant trouble You complain
of. It is just as easy to discharge an OBJ
jectionable chorus girl as it is to discharg'
a servant who fails TO give satisfaction, anl
generally much easier.
"All frst-class companies have been in tn.
habit of giving the chorus sleeping borthl
free on the trip from Denver to California
You make no point here, Mr.. Barnabee. In
fact, if the remarks attributed to you ar
really yours, You display spirit that in Al
organization like the Bostonian is unex
pected and to be deplored.
In conclusion, MIR. Editor, let me apollo
gize for having taken up so much of you
space on what may seem an unimportant
matter; but our profession is 10 much mis-
represented and misconceived among those
on the outside that it is impossible for m,
to resist throwing little light on misrep
resentation when it comes doubly stron,
from the inside. Very truly yours,
John +. HARLEY, =
Agent Rice's Evangeline Co"