The Washington times., 1901-09-29

went back. / said: I am Miss Hassett
Mr.. Harris. Did you get my note?'
! I did, he said. but I don't under
stand it..
Did you read it?' asked
| Yes, he replied.
Then you understand. | blurted out.
| He gave me an incredulous stare for n
minute and then said IN talk to you In
| live minutes
| Well, l took the part away with me
and as you see. have 1t yet. II there's
career waiting for me. Mr.. Harris will
engineer IT,
Why did adopt the stage? Because
l ielt that must do something and had
! more excuse for a dramatic career than
Tor anything else. | cannot understand
women who are satisfied to lead "A pur-
| poseless existence. To my mind IL seems
| like placing n low estimate on life. Do
YOU know what you newspaper people do +?
| You invite cSotism. You come along with
pretty speeches and bright smiles and
| turn our heads. Here I've been rafting
| away a1 fearful rate and all about my
| self. Just what you wanted? Well, you're
very good to say so, and I'm sorry that
couldn't give you something more inter-
es5ins to write about, but I'm only year
Old, you must remember-an uniIterest-
ing age. That shall be my excuse
Contrary to first reports. Champagne
Charlie" the new farce in which Peter
F. Daley. the rotund funmaker, is star
ring. is not the great success that was
looked for. The news of the opening at
Boston said the comedian had finally been
ntsed with piece much to his liking. but
the audiences that witnessed the perform
ances during the opening week showed a
tendency to deride the work of Playwright
Thomas, while number of the Boston
papers severely criticised the piece.
Since the premiere Champagne Char
lie has been in the hands OF the blue
penciler with results that are said to be
very gratifying Mr. DALEY continues to
Donald, who Notwithstanding her recent
marriage to young William Winter JEFF
ferson, has decided not to retire from the
stage for the present at least.
Hans Robert, of this city. who was a
member of the musical comedy company
at the Columbia last June. and who later
appeared with the Lafayette stock COM
pany. Is prominent member of the
Florodora company now touring the
Western States.
Gotham has not taken to Richard
LoveIace.' E. ii. So;herns new play, with
any too great kindness. and the actor
has decided to shelve the Irving piece in
a week or so. and present a new romantic
play, probably IF l Were King. which
he has had for some time. and which is
"
jr.. the ex-husband of Cissie Lotus, Mr..
Sothern's leading lady.
''Lovelace" was what is commonly de-
scribed as an artistic success-that is. the
star had a role that pleased him immense
ly, but the theatregoing public failed to
properly appreciate the subtleties Of the
composition as did the chief actor. and
for this reason stayed away from the box
Office.
Phoebe Davies. who continues to play
the part of Anna Moore IN Way Down
East" gives some rather extraordinary
advice TO ambitious stage aspirants in the
Chicago Chronicle" Whenever / get
a letter from a young woman who asks
my advice about entering this business
she says. Il have but one stereotyped
answer: If you're going on the stage
to show fine gowns-dont; II you think
you have talent and are willing to work
hard-do.' And that about sums up the
whole situation in nutshell-you must
Success-that is, the lasting kind-has
never been won on the stage unless talent
and hard work are welded.
But what an opportunity the stage
presents to woman; %aat field where
she can fairly match her talents against
man-meet him on his own ground-rise
superior to him. Take the professions
which are now open to women, and which
are they not practically on sufferance-
the woman doctor, the woman lawyer.
the woman dentist? Men think that
women in those professions are out of
their proper sphere; the reputation ferni-
nine is largely circumScribed to n local
ity, even supposing she does manage by
very superior talents to rise TO the dig
nifty of reputation. But the stase-well,
there at least woman has shown he's
equality-her superiority to the lords of
creation. Mrs. Bracegirdle. Neil Gwynne.
Peg Wellington. Rachel. Bernharct, Ris-
tori. Janauschek. Duse-are they not
names to conjure by? 1t u to the stage
that women should turn today for the ex-
ercise of their talents. for, though Its
hardships are many. it's work arduous.
yet. too. its rewards are In proportion.
and man cannot claim the centre OF the
stage as his sole property. For man Is in
the chorus now-just as many men as
women"
Washingtonians were last week given n
view of what in the future promises to be
quite a common species of stage enter
tainment in THE Liberty Bellies" the
new musical piece that Klaw & Erlanger
brought TO the Columbia Theatre with ex-
cellent box office results. The main diff
ference between this latest product OF the
Harry B. Smith Libretto Factory and the
regulation comic opera or musical COM
edy lies in the TACT that the familiar army
of chorus girls who are of value prin-
cipally as an excuse for the advertising
agent to claim with some degree Of vetity
IA company of one hundred. and to pro-
vide an effective background for the prtn-
cipals in the ensembles Is done away with.
In place of the ever merry-msrry
maidens of the chorus there were In The
Liberty Bellies remarkably good look
ing lot of young women, numbering six
teen in ALL and while each member of the
company did not have lines TO speak.
every one managed to secure al
most as much of the audiences
attention as If she were entrusted
with the coveted speeches" There was
business about the collection Of stage
beauties In the organization, and while
other companies can claim larger NUM-
Der of Young women. 1t is doubtful If
there is ever again seen such a talented
and handsome aggregation OF femininity
as was displayed at the Columbia during
the past week
Some of these Liberty Bellies are inter-
national favorites of the stage. particu-
larly Miss Lou Middleton. who was a
member of the company supporting Edna
May in The Girl from Up There" In the
English metropolis last season. The young
men who find great excitement and en-
joyment lingering about the stage door
of a theatre united In q combined effort
on the last night of the Edna May Com
panys performance and decided that Miss
Middleton was the champion chorus girl
of either the American or the English
stage and showed their appreciation of
ner CndrfnS anu tdleut Dy Lel
with medal, suitably inscribed with the
title of champion chorus girl of the busi-
ness" Now the young lady wears the
piece of leather with becoming modesty
in the last act of The Liberty Belles''
Another member of the Klaw * Erlanger
Company who has a better claim. per-
haps, to fame on both sides of the At
IaEtic is Helen Lucas. who played the
role of the Cuban girl in Harry Smiths
piece. Miss Lucas is not called upon to
do anything much more difficult than
smoke q cigarette. which she does with