The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-10
PARL0R Entertainments.
A BUSINESS THAT HAS GROWN TO
GREAT PROPORTIONS.

Paid, and VaudeviIIers welcome
the Fashion as Helping Out Their
Incomes.
New York, Dec S.-"The oldest child Is
6 years" said the lady.
Hmm" purred the agent, land you
are sure you don't want a magic lantern
exhibition"
I'VE had one last year, and want
something new"
q The agent stroked his beard thought
fully. They are too young for ven
triloquest or a magician. Let me see. l
have il. Wen give them Punch and
Judy show with the shadowgraphs and a
theatrical exhibition with marionettes
The whole show will last an hour. How
will that do?"
"Capitally. What will it cost?"
-''Seventy-five dollars. Are your parlors
large enough for the marionette theater?
It's complete theater with a stage like
a Broadway house"
''There will be no trouble on that score"
replied the lady and the pair were soon
deep in a discussion involving locality.
dates and the other details more necessary
than interesting.
This Is the way one children's birthday
party was planned last week In the office
of the most enterpTising agent in that
line Of business. This agent arranges for
entertainments for ali occasions, i'm
churches, drawing rooms, clubs. lodges
or public halls, for receptions, weddings,
parties, balls and concerts.
Within the last twenty years the art OF
Al Inn, a
recognized branch of the amusement bust
ness. Before that time there We're no agents
employed especially 10 promote IL. The
grand opera companies occasionally loan
ed'' their stars 10 persons giving social
functions and sometimes "a famous lecturer
a pianist or Vioiinist appeared at private
entertainment by special request. But of
late years the demand for amusement at
dinners and receptions has been. so gteat
thai a score of agents have established
themselves to supply 1t. The various mus
ical and vaudeville performers register
with these agents and hold themselves
i'm readiness 40 appear whenever and wher-
ever they are called upon, provided 1t does
not interfere with their public engage
ments These entertainers are classified as
follows: Head-lners, meaning persons Of
great reputation such as Calve, Eames,
Edouard de Reske and the like; vaudeville
ers and lyceum people. The latter are reel
tationists, magicans shadowgraphists
and givers of monologues.
II am almost sorry" said the agent, ar
ter the lady had gone, that didn't sug-
gest a circus Of performing dogs and mon
keys. ] can lay my hands on one next
week. But never mind, she is satisfied and
/ ought to be.
1--WE nave some cdd requests" contin-
ued the agent "One of these occurred a
few days ago. A lady desired to celebrate
vuh
the anniversary of their wedding She
had already provided for a very elaborate
dinner which was to be served In the
dining room on the same floor as the
drawing room, the house being very large
and commodious. she engaged a lot of
special talent and arranged with me that
they should go to the house and enter
by the basement door so as not to be seen
by her husband or the guests In rooms
set aside for the purpose they donned
their costumes and made up in profess
sional style and as the dinner reached
the coffee, first one and then another
appeared in the drawing room in full
sight and hearing of the guests and gave
mis- or her speciality. One was clever
darkey performer, another funny Irish
man, a third paror acrobat who per-
forms in conventional dress, "A fourth
a pretty serio-comic singer and fifth
a grotesque dancer The affair proved
a very happy surprise and both husband
and guests were delighted. The expense
came to about $3.50 A similar surprise
was produced by well-knOwn clubman.
He belongs to- a group OF old friends who
meet at regular intervals as the guests
of a dinner given by one of their num-
Der. There is a rivalry among them as
TO who shall give the oldest and most
picturesque banquet. One of the dinners,
| for example, was given on the roof of a
downtown sky-scraper, another on a
barge in the middle of the bay nnd q
third in cellar where great blocks of
| ice and mounds of cracked ice initiated
the Arctic home of northern explorers.
Some of the Great Prices Paid.
lis much money expended in matters of
this sort?"
"A great deal, the amount depending
upon the class to which the performers
belong The prices paid to great musical
stars is very large. This is mainly the
result of European customs Celebrated
| singers are invited TO perform before the
| crowned heads of Europe, and receive
| either a check for a big amount of money
| or else some superb piece Of jewelry. /
| am told that the Gar has never given a
performer gem or Jewel worth less than
$500. In this country the practice Is to
| give a check. Madame Calves received
81 900 for. singing at drawing room func-
ton. Ysaye. the violin virtuoso, gets
81 800 The Vanderbilts paid Edouard de
Reske $1,000. Campanini, at the hight of
| his popularity, received from New York
millionaire $1,000 for four songs Max
| Heinrich. the lieder singer, gets $3.50.
| Victor Maurel, the baritone, receives $1,000.
Plancon, $500 and Emma Eames $1,000.
"The vaudeville people do not get such
fancy prices, although they are steadily
rising In the social and financial scale.
| In the old years they were known az va
riety actors or serio-comic and were rarely
invited to parOrs. They are known n0w
as vaudevillers and are popular in nearly
every drawing room. One curious fact has
been remarked. and that is the persist
ence Of the old prejudice against variety
actresses. Many wealthy men hire vaude-
VILE performers but will not allow a wo-
man artist to cross their threshold.
don't understand It, because the women
are Just as clever as the men, and in many
instances are much more attractive. One
Of the most popular vaudeville women is
Alice Anterior, who receives 800 for her
famous laughing song"
"How do lecturers and readers make