The Indianapolis journal., 1896-06-14

Cost of Making Society Actresses.
1.-The Belasco-Fairbank suit brings no
| new information about the cost of prepar-
| ing society women for the stage" says
| Hillary Bell in New York Press. ''These
ambitious ladies are the most expensive of
| luxuries. If any one wonders that the
price of Mrs. Leslie Carter's art is assessed
| by her teacher at s65, ,000 we can astcnish
| him still more by declaring that it cost
only $1,000 less to place Elsie De Wolf in
| her present position. The expenditure was
| about the same, but the results are diff
| ferent. Mrs. Carter has been made sue
| cessful star, while Miss De Wolf receives
only SIS a week.-Mrs. second woman at the
Empire Theater. 1t was said that Mr..
Lor:llard was Elsie's backer, but tobacco
| is evidently not SO potential as pork. The
/ snuff man spent $4,000 in pushing Miss
/ De VOLTS claims to fame in 'Thermidor,'
/ and SO, 900 was expended on her starring
| tour in Joseph. That money and both
/ plays are now gone into limbo, and Elsie
| is still renowned for her Paris gowns. But
| her fate was not so unhappy as that OF the
/ Baroness Blanc. who cost her patron $4o,-
| 600 and has nothing except supplementary
1 proceedings to show for 1t. In one short
season Buffalo Bill spent $4,000 in starring
Catherine Clemmons, and now sne mas
| gallant scout to whistle for his lady and
| his money. We understand that certain
sentimental gentleman OF this town spent
| $780, 900 on Elita Proctor Otis. 1t is not too
| much 70 say that during her nine years on
| the stage the sum of 100000 has been spent
by various managers on Cora fotter.
| These lovely women are so engaging that
| a man of proper sentiment is ready to
| stake his last dollar on the argument that
the public will admire them as l much lash as ne g
| actress who has paid expenses from the
first. She never could act, nor ever VIII
| act But the fame of her beauty, the glory
I.0f her ia SpiendOr
scandals have attracted audiences since her
| debut on the stage.
these expensive performers with the act
| resses who fought their way unaided by
protectors, patrons, pork men or snun man man
| ufacturerS. Nobody has ever spent dollar
| on Sara Bernhard for her first sweetheart
was a poor artist who had not quite ended
his honeymoon when he was dispossessed
for rent and he and his inamorata had to
| part in the streets of Paris, each to hnd
| fortune in different way. Eleonora Duse
had no so foW WSo
through her earnings and disappeared, leav-
ing only debts and child as legacy 10 his
wife Ada Rehan's first salary was $40
week and throughout her. career she has
never received penny that she did not
earn. Georgia Cayvan borrowed 5000 to
that Indebtedness was eventually repaid.
Nobody has helped Viola Allen Fanny
Davenport and Clara Morris have been
rudiments of their art in Days Rose
Coghlan, rumor says, recelved many vaiu-
| able presents from William X. Vanderbilt,
and there are whispers that other beauti-
full performers have not smiled in vain on
certain of our millionaires But, generally
| speaking the actresses who can make
money for themselves have relied on their
own abilities, and no pork man, snu1 man,
| Frohman or Hayman can say tnat ne con-
tributed materially to their fame or Ior-
tune. -oh,.,,,
of who banged Bernhardt! Ine tesumohy ,
| cavt la
good actress cannot be made except by
travail and woe. Six months at hard labor
wenf nf'h,re ihreush before she could decide that
curfew shall not ring Tonight experts
have sworn that her treatment was essen.
tial and efficacious. SO now we know ina, @
| the Latins were right when they said AIRS
Tonga vita brevis,' and that art and arnlca
go together. Who then. banged Bernhardtl
| Who knocked Duse down and thumped heI
into perfection? Did Henry Irving tear the
hair of Ellen Terry to teach her comedy
Nine. Rejane is pupil OF ,, her husband, anq M
Parel for cruelty before he taught her
skill? Who gave Peg Woffington those 1--we two
%snrce 'Gssly e'aes Gray ayss privately th1mp Nine
Calve? Has Viola cause for action In as
sauIt and battery against Charles Froh-
man? Is 1t Canary or Lederer that will un.
| dertake a matutinal beating of Lillian Rus
sell and leave that lovely lady In tears with
her golden hair ahansing hang g. DOWN nn ner mack naek
port? Lives there a man with soul SO dead
that never to himself hath said thaf he
| thumped, banged and battered Clara Nor.
ris into fame? This is interesting
theme. We intend to write a play called
sMassagec Into Melodrama: or, How Belas
CO Beat Her Into the Belfry, in five acts
| and prologue, showing the system. Copy
right applied for and none genuine without
| our signature"
London Theatrical Gossip.
LONDON June 13-Such was the success
of the production Of Romeo and Juliet
by the Misses vesa and Esme Beringer. a
few weeks ago, that Sir Augustus Harris
has arranged for series Of performances
| of the play by the same artists at Drury