The San Francisco call., 1904-03-06
Little Ones Study
Early and Act
at Night.
All Do Well, Many
Earning Good
Salaries.

Of famous old Drury Lane Theater or
OF any one Of a dozen other London
playhouses at present would be likely
10 stumble on a scene that would as
tonish him nightly. In the last place.
il one would think Of looking for it, he
would find a children's school in full
blast-maps on the walls, blackboards
here and there. a sedate teacher on the
platform and a hundred children, more
than ordinarily bright and graceful,
bending their heads over their desks
just as II the strange paraphernalia of
pantomime all around them and the
children themselves were not a part of
the show.
The anomaly is due to the fact that
Parliament has taken a hand in the
atrical mana cement.
At the beginning of this year 27S0
children under IA years were employed
in the English theaters. chiefly in pan
tomime. But Parliament decided that
such employment was a bad thing for
the children unless their education
could be guaranteed, and refused to
grant the necessary licenses unless the
theatrical managers undertook TO see
that their youthful actors and actresses
got some schooling in other branches Of
education than mumming. All these
children who are under H." said the
paternal Government, must spend
three hours day in school,
THREE HOURS OF STUDY.
At Drury Lane Theater, the worlds
headquarters Of pantomime. over 400
children are employed for the present
run Of Humpty Dumpty,' and 13O
come within the school attendance age
and spend their three hours every
morning in the schooIroom, which is
fitted up at the back of the enormous
stage whereon so many great actors
have played in past generations. This
room is provided with all the acces-
sories TO make il look as much like an
ordinary day schoolroom as possible.
and the system Of education is similar
10 that Of an ordinary school The
children are divided into grades ac-
cording 10 their educational attain
ments. and they have their lessons set
them by a certffcated schoolma' am.
Their hours are from a. m TO p
and four DAYS week are devoted to
reading, history, writing and arithme-
tic. The remaining days are devoted
20 special subjects. such as geogra ply.
map drawing and English literature.
The rudiments Of music and physical
drill are not taught TO stage children
by the school board authorities. as
they receive instruction while rehears-
ing their parts in these departments
Of education.
Very few Of the children at Dr,Irv
Lane have speaking parts. Most Of
them take the parts Of toys. birds and
insects in the ballets, work for which
they receive. for an afternoon and
evening performance daily, a sum rang
ing from So 50 TO s. a week
ALL BRIGHT AND CHEERFUL.
At the Vaudeville many of the chill
dren hare more important parts to
play, and are accomplished miniature
actors and actresses. They are all
vel dressed and look clean, happy,
strong and well fed. Both boys and
girls are remarkable for their good
looks, for only pretty children have any
chance Of being engaged on the stage
The educational authorities report that
the attainments and general knowledge
Of these little stage folk are quite equal
20 children Of the same age who at
teno school al day, and W o are not
otherwise employed. 1t is a strange
experience to hear children of u and
IS talking with grave professional
air of their engagements, the news
paper notices they have received and
the celebrities they have met The
girls. in particular, are precocious. as a
rule. although well behaved, and seem
,like young women Of %. with the bodies
Of little children. The stage, however.
has no effect, one schoolmistress sor-
rowfully remarked, in changing the ma
ture Of the boys. They were as trouble
some. noisy and mischievous she said
as the ordinary variety Of small bov
The keen observer, however. can de-
tect a difference in the boys deport
ment when they are at play. Instead
n having games Ike tag" ball and
tops among themselves. they dance
very gracefully and assume poses and
DOW 10 ca n other in q most courtly
style.
PROUD OF ACoUAINTANCEs.
one little fair-haired girl named
i'osls Campbell. aged Is years. told the
writer she had been on the stage for
nie Years. during which period she had
acted With Mrs. Patrick Campbell
Forbes Robertson, Seymour Hicks and
hii2line Terriss. She was once at a
command performance" Of Dickens,
i7crooge' at Sandringham and was in
;roduced to Queen Alexandra ~
shook hands with her and gave her
basket OF fruit Another u.+io =,