Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-07
Poverty Corner in London and Its
Remarkable Characters.
STRUGGLES OF THE FIRST BOOTH.
Letters Showing How He Existed on Eight
, Dollars Week.
HE CANE NEAR LEAVING THE STAGE
rcoRREsPoNDENcE OF THE D1sPATcH.I


cred between the end OF the bridge and the
railroad station, not halt a mile beyond.
Along the streets of this locality there are
rooms for rent in nearly all the houses, ara
men and women who are a study live in
them. Now and then member of Parlia-
ment who has little money has room in
this locality with his breakfast cooked over
an oil stove for pound week (S5), and is
quite comfortable.
In other words, this section is peopled
with that range of humanity with whom
economy is a necessity and the actual wants
of life are often missing. 1t is just such a
community as Dickens would revel in
while in search of picturesque characters or
quaint doings, if the London of Dickens
still existed, but it does not.
FULL OF CHEAP GROCERIES.
Poverty corner is the center of this local.
ity and is filled with strange beings. The in
tersection of York and Waterloo roads form
the corner. There is gin mill on the tip
of each of the four corners and many more
In the locality where those who congregate
there divide their pint of bitter with the
less fortunate OF their kind or drink it alone.
Under the railroad bridge just beyond "the
Duke of York." swell gin mill, is fish
market where the children of the very poor
gather after the days sales are over, ask for
2 pennies worth OF fish and get all they can
carry home.
"Poverty Corner" is, therefore, the re-
sort OF many, but it is chiefly and popularity
known as the meeting point for the humber
class of actors, who are seeking places in the
music halls and the lower occupations on
the stage. There are a dozen or more
theatrical and musical agencies in the
vicinity where these actors and actresses
gather, hoping often against hope for even
chance to show what they can do.
NEVER A PROSPEROUS ACTOR.
They are poor, many very poor, not worse
off than in many other avocations, but the
| fight tor place is very hard. There are no
conditions or surroundings like it In the
United States; but just after the season
closes, Union Square, about Fourteenth
| street, will give one faint glimpse of it;
but it is very faint, because just beyond
| Waterloo bridge the poverty of the stage of
London seems to gather, never relieved by
! the sight OF a prosperous actor or actress, as
is often found on the Rialto in New York.
About II o'clock this singular crowd as
sembles. They sleep late when they sleep
at all, and with or without breakfast the
conditions are the same. They frequently
divide their last penny worth's of beer with
each other, and keep in wonderfully good
spirits, considering what they endure.
Among them there is every sort of talent
chorus man, song and dance, ballad singers
| and specialists of every class. Sometimes
hundreds can be found there, and especially
just before the holidays, when the Christmas
pantomimes are being put on.
THE BEGINNER's TROUBLES.
The beginner is prominent and unique
character among this throng which does the
minor work of the boards His lot is very
| hard one, and he waits and begs for a chance
to show what he can do, and those chances
are not numerous. The agent hears MIN,
and if he thinks we'll of him goes to a man.
| ager and asks for hearing for his client
This is done in the music halls bv what is
| called an extra turn" The ambitious
young person is put on for trial some night,
and the fact announced BY big placard.
This is notice to the audience that it is to
| decide his fate.
If the verdict is favorable one he gen.
orally has q sure road to an engagement; Il
it is unfavorable he is hissed off the stage
and his career generally ends in the chorus,
on the street or doing the provincial towns
Naturally, many unique characters are
| found among this class, and much talent
| comes from the curious throng that take in
"poverty corner" OF course they are an
improvident lot and their earnings at best
are small.
ONCE ALL WERE VAGABONDS.
Hard as is the life that these humble peo-
pie of the stage and would-b stars lead, it is
| a vast improvement on the years ago when
all players were looked upon as vagabonds,
liable not only to poverty. but to all sorts OF
indignities. The days have long since
passed when they had to be called
His Maiesty's servants" to protect them
from outrage. Some of these poor people
people find here may some day represent a
still higher advancement of stage lite than
we are even now knowing. The happy-go-
lucky seeking of to-day may make the be-
ginning of many good, if not great careers
/ am reminded, by looking over these
strange people, that J. B. Booth and many
other great actors, sprung from the most
limited conditions of lie, and, even after
they had shown their quality, were willing
or were forced to work for pittance. Some
interesting "reminiscences of the early stage
life of some of the great actors who used to
circulate about here are recalled while lis
tening, in "The Duke of York" to the talk
among the talent gathered there of their am
bitions and prospects. Story and song help
to enliven the occasion and the world is
made brighter to them by their racy view OF
it.
THE OTHER SIDE OF STAGE LIFE.
Just across the Waterloo bridge and
within gunshot of the queer place and the
queer people who have attracted nv atten-
ton is the Lyceum Theater, the home OF
Henry Irving and his superb company
none of whom, I believe, ever knew or al
least felt the exactlons or knew the pleasures
of Poverty Corner. Not far in fact only q
few turns, from where Mr.. Irving and Ellen
Terry represent the very highest advance.
ment of the stage in this day and do much
for the humble people who labor upon it, is
Covent Garden Theater, toward which nv
tide OF the Thames. It is surrounded by a
great market house, where every mornine
the people of London flock to buy theiI
flowers, fruit and vegetables.
The surroundings are most ungainly. bu,
its history is filled with the stranpest ro
mances and some of the grandest achieve.
ments of the age. Were it in the United
States people could not be induced to visit il
but here traditions count for so much that
although it holds some 4, 1000, it is the home
of grand opera, the swell concerts and large
audiences.
It is handsome after you get inside. and
that is all, but Covent Garden has grea
past and may have great future.
JUN1Us BRUTUs BOOTHS SALARY.
seek here only to use Its traditions t.
show how, in the long ago, even the greatest
actors received very small compensation fol
their work, and their road was as rough a,
some of those of whom have been writing,
Among some old manuscripts in the posses
| -. E.. 1.lI