The morning times., 1896-12-26

without the family gathering in TIE even
ing would scarcely seem Christmas TO most
people, yet such a Christmas is passed
year in and year out by certain classes III
Washington.
Among them are the actors, never for.
getting what the old lone Christmas was
like, and always signing for it. They can
IooX lack TO the day spent year after
year III hotels and TO wonder they air
their woes when they have n chance.
christmas" said the author manager
of "A Contented Woman Charles w.
Hoyt. In the lexicon OF acting there is
no such word, unless it be synonym for
the hardest kind OF work. What with re
hearSaIS, matinees and evening perform
ances. the poor actor has scarcely lime
enough 10 get outside of a sandwich, &c
say Lothing OF celebrating the glorious
day in a manner beftting its Importance.
Even if there is no morning rehearsal,
there is n performance the night before.
From this the actor returns about IL
O'Clock and naturally he does not arise at
a surprisingly early hour. Then he has
Ia report for the regular Christmas matinee
at / O'Clock. From this he is released
sometime after @, with the prospect of re-
turning 10 the thcatcr at for the evening
performance. Pleasant way OF spending
Christmas, isn'tit? How much celebration
do you suppose the luclless actor is able
10 sandwich in lretwecu that program?
Public Must Be Pleased.
''But TIE public must be amused, so let
the curtain 20 up as often as il can. The
time for theatrical folk Ia take their huIi-
days, if at all, is the week before Christ
mas, when audiences are as light as the
most farcical play This, l remember, our
company did last year. We were playing
A Contented Woman in BOSTON, and The
members of the east notified Mrs. Hoyt and
Ia ysclf a short time before the holidays
that we were expected 10 attend Christ
mas dinner When we were III the midst
OF the banquet we were surprised with "A
gorgeous silver loving cup. You may be
/ sure tnat the inside of that cup was not
allowed TO become dry for lack OF cham,
pagnc that night
Vivacious Lucy DAILY, the ever popular
! soubretrc of the Gay New York com
| pany, was found in the MIDST of her faml :
| In her room were her mother, her husband /,
Hop Ward, and her brprhrr-inlaw and
sister, Mr.. and Mrs Harry Ward. Sh,
said:
This is the happiest Christmas eve
| have passed since | entered the profession
| but tomorrow viii he n CheerlcSs Christmas
indeed, for they all, except my mother, VIII
leave ne tonight TO fill an engagement IL
! E9ston, Pa. That is the worst OF our pro
! fession. One might almost as well have
no relatives as To be separated from them
| at the very time when one wants then
! most.
ITO he sure, ! have been remembered
| literally" and she pointed 10 fhe presents
strewn about the room, but that doeSn'
compensate a girl for TIE absence OF he
| nearest and dearest relatives And wher
/ think Of going through my part twice
tomorrow with my heart as heavy as l
know il will be, l gruan in spirit
His Christmas Tree.
When Ne,l Burgess was sighted he was
experimenting the passage of large
| Christmas tree through the lobby of the
| Regent
Take it up into the loom next 10 mine.
he said to the porter, ''and if you let
| that boy of mine get sight of ii tIll III urtlcl
you
You see,'' he explained to the re
porter. IAN actor during the season has
| no home, so ] try to make an apollo gy FOL
| il by carrying nay family with me. Our
! little party consists OF my wife, her mother,
my little boy and myself, and the women
folks wouldn't rest untl l had done some
thing to show the Child that tomorrow IS
a day to be distinguished from other days
| Se like his more fortunate brothers who
| have real homes, he VIII at least have
his Christmas tree.
IAN actors Christmas is strange affair
| anyhow. Usually he is remembered by
his friends at home with presents and
| letters, but it is very rarely. indeed, that
| he gets these remembrances on the day
| for which they were intended. Often
i have had Christmas package follow
me around for two weeks ! remember
when / was first in the business and
was doing one night stands, my mother,
! Godbles her, sentme by express generous
share Of Christmas turkey. Well, sir,
| that turkey seemed TO reach every towI
! just the day after 1 had left it. 1t got
| 10 me about two weeks after shipment and
/ leave you to imagine tie condition it
was in when / received it,
| Eugene Blair is the only happy Thespian
in town.
This is a chance poor actress doesn' I
| have once in dozen years. she said
! "the opportunity of spending Christmas
Day in front Of her own fireside, and with
her nearest relatives around. i wouldn I
swap my booking in Washington this week
for a weeks box office receipts
Lonely Hotel Clerks.
The hotel clerks also gave vent to thpi
| opinion that they are a much-abused sci
OF men.
Christmas is the day. lugubriously
said the usually smiling Eddie Eene
dict, at the Arlington, upon which the
hotel clerk realizes what it Is to bt
without 4 home. 1t wouldn't be SO bad il
there were guests about to talk to, but
when he secs everybody who can buy
borrow or beg the price, going home Il
celebrate the day with his family, while
he has to stick TO his irksome post, the
poor guardian Of the register realzet
that his lot, like the policcman's, is no
happy one.''
Every year at Christmas time" sal
BILLY" owens, across the desk at tn
Raleigh, Il am tempted to throw up m,
job and start on beeline for my home
And / believe it is the same way with a.
of my calling. The holidays are known a
the home sick period by all hotel clerks, VIII
are then in a position to say with Franci,
Wilson, BE it ever so mortgaged, there
no place like home
$50 all you folks who have comfortabl
homes in which to spend your Christina
give friendly thought 70 us poor home