The San Francisco call., 1899-05-07

four smart gowns and the many acces-
sories that accompany them. Two
hundred and fifty dollars is a small al
lowance for these, particularly in New
York, where dressmakers' and mil
liners bills are ruinously high. Then
it must be remembered that the aver
age theatrical season is of only thirty
weeks duration, so there are apt to
be twenty-five weeks of inactivity in
the year. By little mental arithmetic
it will be seen that, although the young
woman may actually receive $500 dur
ing season, her running expenses
amount to just $1,000, and allowing $500
for her private wardrobe, she only
saves $500. This is not saved after all
If she is entirely dependent upon her
own efforts, as it must tide her over
the summer. Then the stage dresses
may need replacing during the season.
There is much wear In the hurried fas-
tening and unfaStening of a gown eight
times a week, and perhaps trailing
it up and down uncarpeted stairs.
The actress has little time for social
life The more successful she is the
less leisure she has and the greater in
roads her work makes upon her time
and strength. 1t is often a genuine re-
gret to have to decline much of the
delightful hospitality extended to her,
but this is denial she must urge upon
herself, according to her own good
judgment, whether it must always be
work first and play afterward. She has
no right to come to her evenings work
tagged and tired from round Of teas
and calls. She Injuries herself and her
art, and she is not dealing fairly with
her audience. She is up late every
night, and although 1 do not believe in
wasting a whole morning in bed, she
cannot have more than sufficient sleep
rk, lr,A, 20 Hte NJ r.1 l..
wise she will take a res. before her
early di lner. She must remember that
her health and strength mean every
thing to her.
During the run" of a play her days
are her own for study, exercise and re-
creation, cepting matinee afternoons
and an occasional rehearsal, but before
the production of a new play she is
probabl called to rehearsal at II and
may not leave the theater until s in
the afternoon-a hard days work, and
such will be the order of her days dur
ing the three to five weeks of prepara-
ton which a play requires before pre-
sentation.
When travelling she is not so much
the mistress Of her time, as a great deal
of it is spent on the cars. Travel be-
comes the bane of an actress life At
first the girl who has never been a hun
dred miles from home will enjoy the
new cities and new sights. But after
a season or two living in couple of
trunks grows decidedly monotonous,
and she halls with delight the stand
of a couple of weeks when she can
really shake out her skirts and settle
herself for little sojourn. The actual
travelling is made as easy as possible
in class companies.
1t will be, l am sure, easily seen from
the foregoing that there is no royal
road to honest and genuine success or
the stage other than that Travelled by
all who have achieved distinction in
any f1eld-hard work And the recon-
pense is the honor and fame which her
art brings her and the satisfaction of
having accomplished something for her
selfAanu for others in this big. busy
world Ladies' Home Journal.