Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-08-30

try Have Made Fortunes.
Into n room in en- up town Office
building there passed at Irregular inter
walls young women who, after having
spent some time inside, reappeared as
the door and started down the fight of
steps that lead to the street. This hap
pened all day. A line of women was
continually going in ard cut. None of
them staid very long, and none Of
| them left the room with expressions OF
particular satisfaction.
| II don't think there could be any bet
ter warming" said n theatrical man
who had an office opposite the door
through which the girls disappeared,
''to women who think of going on the
| stage than the sight of that string of
women. That is theatrical exchange,
and in and out of that Office they go ev
cry day. Some of them-the lucky ones
disappear after awhile, and they seem
| to have found places. But the majority
como and go for long time before any
| thing is found for them. The best don't
come to the exchanges, you know. Only
those who are not we'll enough known
10 have their services always in demand
are compelled to look for positions
| through the agents. The others can go
| TO the managers, or, in some rare cases,
have the managers come to them.
"Thore never was Il subject about
which less was really known than that
Of the rewards that q life on the stage
bring to q woman. 7 remember to have
seen once an interview with Lotta Crab
tree i'll The Sun in which she said that
the stage gave women more than any
other profession could. Lolita is enc OF
the few very rich women of the stage,
ard 1 am afraid that optimistic opinion
was affected more or less by her own
success. If she had not accumulated
$500, 600 or moro, Lolita might not look
so favorably upon the stage as a means
of livelihood for women.
1.-The ideas that are prevalent about
salaries, tho general idea of the large
amounts paid and the prospects for saw
ing money that such occupation affords
are all based on very erroneous impress
sions. There are, of course, actors that
make large sums, and some that make
fortunes. But there are not many of
them. There are very few people, for
instance, who would believe that the
leading lady of u prominent New York
stock company gets only 500 week
that is, for about 80 weeks of the year,
or maybe 30 at the outside. On the road
she receives $125 a week. a certain
amount is paid by her manager toward
her costumes, but when il happens that
the plays arc not successful and have TO
be changed frequently, the expense of
costumes uses up large proportion Of
what she may make. The most popular
leading woman in American receives
only 1925 a week when she is in New
York and an extra S25 on the road. Yet
as many of the people at the theaters in
which she acts so to see her Us go to sec
tho star with whom she's associated.
But she's to be "a star herself after
awhile, and then she will make enough
to repay her for all the time sho was
building up her popularity, even if she
was not getting rich.
''These women that get the salaries
spoke of arc the best paid in the coun- |
try. Among all the women on the stage |
l doubt if there are 80 who receive as
much as that. One leading lady in a |
New York theater gets only $50 n week. |
The women who act ON the road with |
stars get usually S75 or $50 and in some |
cases 800. But, as said, there are not |
many of them in the last schedule. The |
prices range OH down to $50, which is |
about the smallest salary paid to any |
woman in Il first class company.
when they get TO be stars on their |
own account, the case is different. Usu- |
ally the women stars get certain sums |
ev1-y week in salary and certain |
amounts from the profits. Some of the |
best paid get $500 a week in salary and
oIe-q quarter Of the profits Then they
begin TO make money. One-quarter of |
the profits may equal, under favorable
circumstances. $4,000. That makes the
salary of the actor engaged on the terms
mentioned $500 week. But only the
lucky ones succeed in ever accomplish
ing such success as that. OF course there
are others who take all the money and
merely hire their managers. But they
are still fewer i'll Eumber.
Another thing that has to be taken
into consideration is the fact that a wo-
man has only certain time on the
stage. She must be Il genius to last
much beyond 40, and she is not likely
to become famous much before 30. So
her time is rather short. After a certain
period the decline begins and salaries
begin 10 go down, Just as before the age,
say OF 40, they increased. Think of the
few rich or even comfortably of women
Of the stage. They could be counted ON
the fingers = Lolita, Maggie Mitchell,
Fanny Davenport and Clara Morris.
There may be few others, but they are
mighty few. Compare this with the
long list of women that have heen popu-
lar and successful il their youth, and l
think you viii agree with me that the
women ON the stage are not as we'll paid
as the aspirants think."-New York
Sun.