The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-27
CHILDREN ON THE STAG[.
Large Numbers Employed in
Spectacular Shows.
HAVE SPECIAL AGENCY
Phase Of the Popular Taste That Has
Been Manlfestins Itself In the Last
Few Years--NOt Many Of the Chill
dren Afterward Become Profes.
slonal Actors. ,,sli.a.o.3

"Ben-Hur," some ten years, ago,
with fifty children, and THE Sor-
rows Of Satan" with fifty or sixty,
were about the first plays to employ
children in large numbers, says the
New York Sun.
With the steady increase has come
an agency devoted to the booking of
children alone. II is run by woman :
kind faced, motherly woman, who
has children of her own, and looks
after her charges carefully.
Very few of them are children of
actors and actresses who are playing,
although a few belong to- players who
for one reason or another have left
the stage. Most of them are the chill
dren of very poor people who really
need the money.
Among the 100 children for a
Shakespeare play are five from one
family, in which the father is dead.
Their salaries combined will keep the
family in comfort. and the work Is not
hard. IL Is very seldom that, a play
keeps the children on until the last
act They are usually at home and
In bed before the play is over; and
there is practically no labor In the
performance. %
These extra children never travel
when a big production of this kind
goes on the road-the agent goes
ahead and gathers extra children in
each city Her method is to 20 to
the pricipals of schools, tell them
what she wants and invite them to
send to her any strong, healthy chill.
dren who are able to take part in
the performance ouside OF school
hours without injury, and who need
the money She always gets Ave
or six times as many as she needs,
and at the first rehearsal sifts them
out. In New York she somtimes
goes to amateur entertainments.
school exercises and the like, look
ing for good material.
A hundred extra children In a bunch
Is about as pretty a sight as can be
imagined, for they are always chosen
for their grace and beauty. They
never seem to get their heads turned,
nor to develop stage fever. In fact,
they take the rehearsals as the Eng.
lish are said to take their pleasures.
The necessary discipline is naturally
irksome to childten, and they must
keep still, both as to tongue and feet.
Children are far more easy to
train than adult extras. They are
more pliable. far less self-consclous.
The managers only object is to get
them simply to be themselves on the
stage, when they are sure to make a
bit. Very few of these extra children
remain upon the stage.
Extra children receive. SIS a week.
When they are capable of taking parts
they get $25 Or $50 a week or more.
Children in parts have incre ased as
much as ia the chorus In recent years
and those charming infants In Peter
Pam Mrs. Wigs Of the Cabbage
Patch" THE Prince Chap" and ether
productions are fresh in the public
mind.
Five of the children in the cab,
Dage patch" were from one family
and all had been extras. The mother
OF one of the Cabbage Patch" chill
dren was employed to travel with
the production for the purpose, Of car.
Ing for the children. The yoaugsters
finished the season healthy aud happy,
aad without a days illness.
The FIVE children In Peter Pan"
had none of them been extras. An
started with parts. The two IittIs
girls in THE Prince Chap" were
coached for their parts by the chill
dren's booking agent,
1t Is a curious thing that child
actor aiv ays does well. There are
no sticks among them, But the
charming children Of the stage are
seldom heard OF afterward The ex.
quisite naturalness which makes them
delightful all disappears as they leave
the realm Of childhood. and they have
to learn all over again bow to be a
grown up actor.
A sponging with a solution OF one
part ammonia to 10 parts OF water ia
said TO brighten the colors in fad
ed carpet.