New-York tribune., 1900-05-06

having it when there was pay for anybody
Then. sometimes, they threatened make it
uncomfortable for Mr.. Rice. They threatened this
in his absence In his presence he readily per-
suaded them that when it was not in his power
pay them they gained nothing by making him
uncomfortable It has been said that chorus
girls who went to threaten legal and other an
noyances have actually lent Mr.. Rice money be-
fore coming away. For chorus girls good
hearted lot, with all their faults, and they al
ways liked Mr. Rice. who employed them when
ne needed them and paid them when he could.
AN EXAMPLE OF FRUGALITY.
And Mr.. Rice knew the chorus girls and knew
the right Of money, when he did not
have the money whereWith to illustrate his
understanding. There is q story which proves
this. One day he standing with a friend
rear the stage door, as the chorus girls were
coming out. after matinee. One came out
VINO was richly dressed, and she got into a car
riage that was waiting for her and rode away
Another came and hurried away not even
waiting for a car, and carrying, in bundle
under her arm open at both ends, some sewing
that she had been doing in the waits. DO you
see those two grls?" said Mr. Rice. What a
lesson that is They get just the salary,
s14 week, and yet one Of them has her own
carriage and the other has to 90 extra work.
other cannot? Because she saves her money and
the other spends hers"
Mr. Rice understood theatrical finance as well
as ever Henry =. Abbey did. Once MIR. Abbey
had a partner, with whom he wanted to launch
into some vast enterprise. But they had no
money, and the partner, who was not great
genius in such matters. said: How are we
going to pay for all this?"
I'VE win give our notes." said Mr.. Abbey.
1,,a ila said
the partner; what going to do them:
why. give some more notes. said Mr.
Abbey.
Colonel Mapleson also understood these things
what time he directed the opera at the Academy
Of Music and since then. When the whole opera
company completely despaired of getting its
pay It would give him a benefit. That promoted
general good feeling, and nobody could then be
so ungrateful as to ask for pay.
Nobody could ever tell when Mr.. Rice
making money and when he was losing it. With
some managers it is easy to tell. Some of them
get cross and disguised with the world and
castle about life and the decadence Of art when
they are losing money. Some, the other
hand try TO be particularly jovial and overdo
II. There used 10 be manager in New York
who was rather careful of his money when he
was making piles Of it, and always began to in
yite everybody within sight to drink cham
pagne with him when he was losing money. The
more money he losing the more champagne
he insisted people drinking and the more
Of them he insisted should drink it. His inti-
mate friends could tell within S1O0 week how
much he was losing by the amount of cham
pagne that he bought. once in a very bad
season, he had speaking tube fitted up between
his office and a neighboring barroom. He never
spoke through the tube; he simply Whistled
through it. and then, when the whistle an
swered. he gently tapped on the end of the tube.
The number OF taps indicated the number OF
persons present and in q moment-a waiter came
in with that number Of glasses and the needfuI
quantity of champagne.
YOU NEVER CAN TELL.
But Mr. Rice is not like that. He buys what
eyer he thinks that he and his friends need to
drink but nobody tell his financial stand
ing by it, Sometimes the theatre where one Of
his companies is playing is crowded to the doors
all the time and at the end Of the season it Will
be found that it has lost money straight
through, all the people present having been
deadneaGs Then again the theatre Will appear
10 De almost empty, but Mr.. Rice viii prove to
anybody who ventures to offer sympathy that
house full upstairS that the fireman
the only trouble being that the play is q little
the heads of the class Of people who buy
the high priced seats.
AIr. Rice is a natural musician Just as he is
natural nrancier He Will sit at the piano and
compose music by the hour playing it as he
goes along. The most OF the airs that he com
poses in this way are, Of course, never heard
again, but II he happens to be particularly
pleased with the sound Of he will play il
again before he forgets ii, write il down and
keep IL. and time, when he is putting the
music 10 a new burlesque. & VIII be handy. His
first great success, as everybody knows was
''Evangeiine" He says that he composed over
eight hundred melodies for that piece, and from
that mass the ones finally used We're selected
1t is not likely that anybody who was so prodi-
gal Of airs that would be small in money
matters.