The times., 1899-12-24

sales for tomorrow's matinees Will be re-
quired to give these unfortunate ventuFers
appetite with which to gobble the festive
gobbler.
The actors themselves are likely to be
even more uupleasantly situated. The final
six days of the year rarely are brimful
of joy for the strolling disciple of Thespis.
There is a small number of lucky digni-
tares-Roand Reed and Sol Smith Russell
among them-whO make practice of going
| home for Christmas, but the average in
diyidual seldom boasts either Of the means
for such a vacation or of the destination.
Never is that Bohemian life that exists
chiefly in the minds Of would d-be-wild
young men, and on the pages of fash mag
/ azines so barren and comfortless as at pres
ent. There is a vast difference between the
short-skirted girl with the fixed smile and
the brainless 'masher," pictured so regu-
larly in Town, Topics" or the Standard,
and the shabby inhabitant of the hall room
in a theatrical boarding house.
These hall rooms by the way, are the
very slayers of anything approaching
Christmas cheer. They are occupied by
majority of the lower grade of profession
als"-by so many that one is inclined to
imagine that the architects of such hostel
ries may have OWNED the uses to which
the buildings were to be put, and have
constructed them in several series of
dwarfed hall rooms. The furniture of such
apartments always is the same There is a
window commanding a bird'seye view OF
neighboTng ash bins and garbage barrels.
Stuffed into the corner made by the Joint
ure of this easement and the left wall is
a single bed. intinitesimal IN its proper
tions and adamantine in quality. The
heaviest actor would have difficulty in
mattress Then there is a cracked wash
basin and an ever empty pitcher on a stand
behind the door. The stand invariably is
unipeG and inclined 10 drunken wCbblug
In the space opposite must be a scratched
dresser with mirror that prevaricates in
the most insulting manner. chair that
reminds of school conspiracies and a print
depicting a child wandering across pow
dered glass storm scene completes the
equipment, unless the proprietress of the
edifice is religious and takes tC auction
sales In this case. there sometimes is a
God Bless Our Happy Home or a The
Boys Best Friend Is His Mother sign
thrown in for good measure \ Thespian
PickwicE could not spend a cheerful Christ
mas in such surroundings. She were
marvel who. under the circumstances.
could summon the energy to sit on top OF
the aforesaid dresser or to go through the
other exhibitions prescribed by the stand
ard.
OF course. all stage people are not con
fined to The back row of the chorus at Sl2
a week and there are big uptown hostelries
for the better favored men and women.
But the stiff formality of these lodgings
is hardly less pathetic than is that Of the
described hall room. Some variance as re-
CARDS size and a little sOftness as regards
CCuches are the principal improvements
sfrqra
the inevitable hotel trunk with its elO-
quent placards; the identical lack of chairs
like those that mother used 10 buy. the
same sorry pTeteuCe at temporary deCOra-
ton. Nothing is more suggestive of lone
illness than are the photographs and souve-
Mrs one finds loosely placed about an aC-
tors walls. Wife and baby smile straight
ahead from the bureau, where their posi-
ton against the glass admits of hurried
removal when packing time comes. Two
or three f0rmcT-Or ter-sweethearts are
impartialy distributed over the mantel-
piece and several portraits Of the player
in yariaus characters line the table
programme or a verse, reminders of some
past triumph, would finish an inventory.
The whole thing merely is a fragrant pre-
tcnce of comfort; an imitation of quarters
held dear to memory; a bluff" at care
lessness.
The average stroller begins his celebra-
tion on Christmas eve. after the perform
ance, by getting himself into a semi coma
tose state. Occasionally his season has
turned out well and he becomes intoxicated
on champagne; more often he borrows
money and gets drunk. His following
move is largely matter OF temperament
He may retire to a corner of the writing
room and there brood over his sorrows or
he may take the lobby loungers into his
confidence regarding the manner in which
way back Inlet m shee-shev nty -shix'
Billy Florence or Ned Booth said to him
"s'-shays'e, Zhack-hic-m boy, you're
n acter firm tn groun up n tn greatest
trag dyun, shays'e, 'shince David Gar
rick shays eni Failing either of these ap-
proved methods Of making a nuisance of
himself, he may recall an unfavorable no.
lice of three years before and go forth to
kill the critic, In any event, popular sym
pathy aud wholesome respect for blue
coats keeps him out of trouble, and, finally,
gets him into bed.
Because he Is tired and because of habit
and because, after all, there is no reason
for emulatng the little bird that had worm