The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-09-15

| the way Of garments. IS supplied by the
manager. Think of 1t, the elder Coquelin
and the younger. the great Got. and Paul
Mounet. Lambert Fills and the rest of the
celebrities-all apply to the director when
they want u change of clothes, with this
restriction only: The requisition must call
, for promenade, visiting or evening dress.
But then you can easily smuggle in a
%loungtng suit or two under these heads.
Is 1t to be wondered at that Couquelin had
saved up a snug million and that all his
| elder confreres arc worth considerable
money? Your John Drews. Favershams.
Millers and Hacketts could all afford sea-
going yachts. no doubt. If their managers
were as liberal.
| This happy state of affairs was born sew
eral hundred years ago by the Kings de-
sire 10 see his actors clothed becOmingly.
First only the moderately and ill-paid Thes-
plans were thus favored. and as late as
twenty years ago no member OF the
! Coincide receiving above 1900 francs per
month was entitled to the privilege; but
discrimination gradually fell into disuse and
now all male actors connected with the IN
stitute enjoy the benefit Of the old Kings
liberality.
OF course n third-rate walking gentleman
cannot aspire to the same amount or style
of everyday clothes as the leading man;
and the professional stage dandy is naturally
Permitted greater luxury than the heavy
tragedian, but as a general rule all are
well looked after, and downright abuse Of
the privilege is seldom heard Of. 1t hap
pens. however. now and then an actor re-
quiring a certain garment for the stage
and having its equivalent in his trunk.
appropriates the stage dress for everyday
Use, substituting the other. But II FOUND
out a considerable fine is imposed and repe-
tition of such dishonest practices Is fore
stalled by more rigorous inspection
STAGE CLOTHES.
After saying that much it's hardly neces-
sary to dwell on the fact that the Comedie
and other Paris theaters furnish their peo-
pie with stage clothes. AS a matter OF fact
actors Of the Coincide. Odeon, etc., needn't
buy a collar button or a Shoestring; every
thing needed for their toilet, from socks to
tie, is furnished, and in the very best quali-
ty. too, whether the play be modern or laid
in distant centuries. The clothes used OH
the stage are taken in hand by the theater's
officers after the performance. but the ac-
tor is permitted to keep the laundry at his
own house. AS the regulations give him
two dozen shirts and an equal number OF
underwear of all sorts, he need never
bother about buying linens or goods of that
kind, particularly as his manager is care
full to follow the fashions in respect to fur
nishings.
THE LAONkDTtIs
At the end Of each month the actor sends
his bundle of soiled clothes to the theater
laundry, which returns II in due time. prop
erly cleaned and gotten up. an arrangement
Offering considerable opportunities for petty
frauds.
The INSCRIPTIONS man may slip In his
wife's or his children's clothes and then
square the laundress for q trifie. while she
does 20 or 50 francs of work at the expense
of the theater. which pays by the number.
but not by the character or size of gar
ments.
The case of Mile. Reichemberg shows how
the trick is done, though. Of course. l don't
want to say that she had a hand in the
business. At any rate the managers have
now combined to stop it and to do SO will
hereafter examine every bundle when 1t
comes from the laundry. that is. unless the
actresses protest against exposing their
lingerie to commercial, male eyes is even
tually needed. Worse still, the managers
will not be satisfied with this peremptory
examination, but, as stated, insist upon the
abolition of the free laundry privilege al
together. saying that 1t involves an unnec-
essary expense which the players ought to
take upon their own shoulders, the same as
other professionals.
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