Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-13

II he De q suI
a. GENTLY conscien
tious reader of the
newspapers he will learn all of their &c
centricities. including their preference
for ham and eggs and the NUMBER vi
hours they sleep. But of the super nse
and fall. of his ability or his shoItcoIi-
ings of his life and experiences the a'-
erage reader knows but little.
The supe is the human scenery eHeci Oh
the spectacular play. He is the OUTSIDER
not connected with the company-who
for a certain stipulated sum Grapes Nun
self about the scenery in costumes pc
fitting the occasion. Occasionally he mas
something to say, but not often. Supe
comes from super. which In turn Is ue-
rived from supernumerary, the "hole
thing meaning that the supes are not
necessary to any show although any
stage director will tell you that no spec
tacular play is complete without them.
X
Four theaters of Washington employ
supers, and quite number of men ana
women earn money out of the various
performances requiring their assistance.
The girls are the more fortunate, ire
quently working In as ''extras" for TWEEN
ty-five out of the thirty-two weeks com
prising the winter season Tne.e Is q
a certain fifteen easy rules in stage man
ners. that these young geniuses master.
They learn to know a cue when they see
It; also they appreciate after time tne
difference between the stage ana pii-
lizard variety.
They say at the local theaters that the
super is gradually getting better: mat
he is improving and developing an 1nte!ii-
gence unknown to his Xix two decaoes
ago. This they ascribe to the fact that
every youth belonging to a high school
Shakespearean society or a college dra-
matte club burns. simply burns. to get on
the stage and rub shoulders tpoetlcaily
speaking) with the great and shining
lights of the legitimate drama. These
lads have gradually supplanted the Old
time "hoodlum." as he was called. ana
with their entrance the super has become
a creature Of brains and ability for &C
ton rather than Il sullen animal that
marched about liStleSsly with spear ana
yelled "Oh hail,' or He comes!' In
tones which encouraged the supposltlon
that he INTENDED numbering the person
about whom he was yelling as soon as
that individual should put In an appear
ance.
When the heroine says "Ah. would be
aloner' and fixes her cleaning eyes upon
them they accept the delicate hint with an
intuition almost wonderful 1t is lmpos-
sible to deceive stage super on matters
Of this kind. He knows that when the
stage heroine says she would be alone she
wants to be let alone and he speaking In
the aggregate) exits right and left with
haste that must make the poor girl dizzy
until she gets used to It,
The super of these latter days has a dis
t.nct advantage over his predecessor. the
"hoodIum." in the matter of drinking
songs. Drinking songs used to be the
bane of the 'hood um's'' life. He was
usually a convivial soul and there was
something about waving an empty tin cup
and singing the praises of amber ale or
beautiful beer and then drinking a long
draught of empty air that used to pail
upon him. The latter-day super does not
drink. or, If he does. he keeps quiet
about 1t.
At one of our local theaters presided
over by a genial soul named Sherwood.
they have forty Supers constantly OH tap,
so to speak. When a show comes to town
with a big battle scene or an ahattoir In
action Mr.. Sherwood presses a little but
ton.
'Supes' he says to the man who ap-
pears and half an hour later his forty
tried and valiant college youths are before
him, ready for the first rehearsal
Every time he says "supes' Mr. Sher-
wood chuckles and tells of a man en-
ployed by him several years ago. Mr..
Sherwood. it seems. had rung the bell and,
as usual. had said:
''SupeS."
What kind. sir inquired the man.
"Oh, the regular bunch" replied Mr..
Sherwood. waving the man out.
Three hours later Mr.. Sherwood was
petrified at beho d ng three tired walters
marching into his office bearing on their
trays numerous steamng and savory
bowls The regular bunch consisted of
vegetable. consomme. turtle, chicken,
something roya e. something n Ia some
thing, and few plain ordinary varieties.
-fnr, rtt of hn mt low
terial for the extras is garnered from
the colleges. the lads finding the fifty
cents per performance with an extra al
lowance for rehearsals quite an addition
TO the home allowance. The remaining
fourth is found among the nondescripts
of a great city. men who work at any
thing and stick to nothing. Carpenters.
draymen, discharged stage handS-al! go
TO make up this heterogeneous remaining
fourth.
The college boy Is an interesting super
Coming fresh from the platform in his
school, where his recitation of "Hamlet's
soliloquy'' or Mark Antony's Grafton has
won him fame, he finds the real stage
with it's blurred, impacable, ominous
mass Of white. upturned faces a thing OF
terror. He feels that every eye in the
theater is conferred on the fourth man in
the third row-himself. He fumbles and
trembles lest he make the one mistake
that will ruin the effect. If he could only
realize how small and insignificant the
fourth man in the third row really is, ht
might be cOmforted. but-and more's the
pity-the ego is strong in every man anC
each while on the stage believes that hi
alone is the cynosure of all eyes.
The young college man is glad to get thu
change, but IL is rare. extremely rare. tina
he is required to subsist on ii. Many o.
~xt-I- -as,r oy%lye