The Washington herald., 1907-07-28
CHORUS GIRLS USUALLY Wed
The Merry-merry Has a Hard Time
in the Summer.
Marriage Is Mostly n Failure, and
Many support Their Husbands,
Losing Their Beauty.

Unmarried chorus girls are becoming in
creasingiy scarce, says the New York
Telegraph. Within the last year or so
there has been a surprising demand
for youth in the marriage market. and
/ the dearth Of suitable-and single-yOung
women with which to fl the choruses Of
the various companies now being organ
lied for the coming season Is driving the
managers frantic. out Of more than 800
applicants for positions in the choruses
of half a dozen road companies that one
opera company has under way, only few
less than 100 confessed they were single.
The majority of those who applied gave
the necessity OF supporting children as
their principal reason for wanting po-
sition
The business manager Of the company
says it is one Of the most difficult things
IN the world 10 get enough pretty. and
single girls 20 make a chorus For
various reasons, the managers prefer sim
gle girls for the chorus. they say: but
since Cupid has made such inroads on the
ranks OF the coTyphees 1t is becoming
next to impossible TO get them For one
thing, the chorus girl loses her beauty TO
a certain extent after she assumes dones-
tic cares, and that is the principal rea-
son for the managerial prejudice that ex-
lists against them.
The greatest enemy OF the chorus girl. ="
says the manager, ''is the good old sum-
mer time. The girls get along all right in
/ the winter and then just as soon as the
sentimental season rolls around they get
married. At least half of the marriages
4 they make turn out TO be failures, and
/ IN not few instances the girl. who be-
/ fore had only herself to lock out for, is
/ burdened with a worthless husband. In
many cases the worry and care Of domes-
/ tic life distracts from the beauty as well
as the ability Of the girl. They are all
acquiring husbands as rapidly as they
/ can, though, so there is nothing left for
| the manager 10 do but employ them or
/ cut out the chorus.
! Each girl applying for a position in the
companies was required to leave a short
memorandum of her career" and from
these il was learned that most Of the
1 girls who were not married, either had
/ been through that stage or We're engaged.
/ Upward Of 200 applicants wore wedding
rings, and an even 400 declared they had
| been married One hundred and twenty
cne admitted they had been married
/ twice, and there were a few scattering
/ ones who confessed to a record that was
puncuated by three husbands. The man.
/ ager gave it as his opinion that these
/ figures were little high, for the reason
/ that most Of the girls. being anxious TO
get the offered positions, were trying
] to strengthen their claim. by making il
! appear they had a family to support
/ one Of the girls stopped the manager
| as he was walking across the stage one
night after the performance. with a re-
| quest to be allowed to leave the house
/ by way of the front door, which then
was locked. He asked her why she want
| ed to leave by the. front door.
Drawing near, she whispered that her
/ husband, whom she knew was broke.
was waiting for her at the stage entrance
in the hope that she would buy him some
| thing TO eat. She also said she didn' I
| have n cent to her name.
Then what difference does II make
which door you leave by?" she was
| asked
Her reply nearly Jared the manager
( off his feet. 1t was to the effect that
/ the man 10 whom she was engaged was
waiting for her at the front door. and
she had hopes he would buy her a supper
What! married to one and engaged IA
| another the manager asked.
/ Sure, she replied blandIy. I'm going
to get a divorce from this fellow in the
alley as soon as I can scrape enough
| together to hire a lawyer"