The record-union., 1894-01-27
NOT OF NATURES MAKE.
Some of the Limbs Seen in the
Ballet.
Shapely Tights Not Always Filled With
Flesh, Bone and Muscle-A Chat
on Secrets of the Stage.

She sat on hard sort of kitchen chair
in the wings of New York theater as a
reporter for the Recorder entered. 1t was
very incongruous. She should have been
sitting on velvet divan. But she didn't
seem to mind it. She wore tights. They
were tights of pale-something not ex-
actly blue, nor quite lavender; neither
were they salmon pink, but it was color
! that somehow gave adetinite charm tot
limbs they clothed. The rest of the cos
tune makes no difference. Besides, there
wasn't much of it, anyway.
81 suppose said the reporter, "that
tights must be great expense to the
theater."
"They might be,' she said, ''if the
theater had to buy them"
"What do you mean?"
THAT'S on u.s." she returned, picking a
thread from the glistening surface of that
part of her costume which was under dis
cussion.
'Do you mean that all the girls have to
pay for their own tights?"
That's just what [ do mean.
''Isn't that rather low down, to make
pense?"
II don't know. Guess it's necessary.
If the girls didn't have to put up for
themselves they would have them spot
ted before the second performance was
over"
eff it's polite question:" the newspa-
per man went on, II would like to know
how much they cost"
THAT'S all right. They cost different
oil I 4
liam RusselPs cost Sl2 or SIS. These of
mine cost So But the coryphees over
there paid about 81 so for theirs. That's
the lowest price, as far as | know, for
tights. Cheap tights are made of cotton.
These / have on are made of a combina-
ton of silk and cotton-not much silk.
l wear pair in the next act that cost me
the next act? Well, you'll see them.
They are all silk and as handsome as
| ever saw"
Doesn't it make the expense very
heavy when you have to have several
pairs?"
I'VE seldom have to have more than
two pair, because when they change the
costumes they often leave the same col or
tights. That way they can have a good
many changes without taking up tn Q
time of changing the tights. Next week
EXCUSE me"- And she was gone to
take her station at the l.. u. Z.
1t wasn't until she had on the remarka-
BILE IS tights that the reporter saw her
again. "What do you think of them ?''
was the first thing she said.
"Great ~ was the reply.
They were flesh color this time-the
wicked color that makes you wonder
whether they haven't been forgotten alto
gether.
"Do you know, l could swear that you
looked plumper in these than in the
others. That only goes to show how
much color has to do"-
"When you go to buy tights woman
if you are woman-takeS you in tow
and looks you over and tells you where
In that way it is possible to rectify any
of the mistakes of nature.'
II shouldn't have thought" the visitor
interiected. eager to be polite, that you
did need any at ALL"
ayes, any of the mistakes except that
of making you too fat. If you are too
tat there is no help for you. You can't
take slice off. A thin woman is all
right, provided her arms are good. If her
arms are scrawney there is no help for
her, either, for, of course, you can't hide
them in tights and have any excuse for
putting slices underneath. Ii you have a
bad neck or bad arms you simply are not
in it.
"There is another thing would like to
know" She looked up blandly, without
giving any sign as to whether she re-
garded the reporter as impertinent or not.
Her whole manner had a charming effect
of "You're welcome" about it. But the
interviewer didn't know exactly how to
begin.
"What I wanted to know was this:
When a girl is engaged for the chorus is
she obliged to demonstrate her capabili-
tles-not merely as to her voice, you
know, but-that is, must she show that
she is-built right?''
"No-not altogether. Naturally man
ager can guess somewhat when he en-
cages girl, but it isn't the right thing
any more for a manager to want to know
too much beforehand. You see, he can
call dress rehearsal at any time, and
then he can weed out the girls that are no
good"
In other words. every girl is presumed
to be innocent OF being too fat OF too thin
until she is proved guilty?"
Il guess that's it. But Pu have to run
now, the girls are getting together" And
again she was gone.
Wonderful, indeed, are the secrets of
the stage toilette. There isn't space to
tell about some wonderful new corsets
and some even more marvellous wigs; nor
to describe the manner in which ballet
girls adjust cotton in the toes of their Slip
pers so that they may stand ON their toes
with greater ease and success.
After all, it may not be good plan to
tell the outside public too many facts
about the essentially private conditions of
life behind the footlights.
CJD