Arizona republican., 1909-07-01
AN INJUSTICE TO
STAGE CHILDREN
The Drastic Illinois Law, a Proposed
Amendment to Which Has Failed.

amendment to the law of Illinois Whlcn
prevents the appearance of children on
the stage in cities of that state has
failed, but II is to be hoped that the
movement looking to this end will be
persisted in until relief is gained from
the illogical enforcement now insisted
upon, especially in Chicago. Agita-
ton should continue until the people
of Illinois have full knowledge of the
injustice of the present law and de-
mand its repeal or modification.
New York has fully protective law
concerning stage children, but in that
city special provision is made to per-
nit the appearance of children in plays
in proper circumstances under license
by the authorities. In Illinois children
under the age of 16 years cannot APP
pear in any circumstances. Strangely.
however. this prohibition is not due to
the spirit of the law itself, but to a
technically in its phraseeology that
is invoked by the interests that have
been active in its enforcement. The
trainers of the Illinois law. il has been
developed in test cases, fully intended
to permit the appearance of children
on the stage in proper circumstances.
but this technicality invoked by GER
tain active religious elements. by So
cialistic workers in the settlements,
and by labor interests, which act upon
narrow theory which would prevent
children from competition with adult
labor, has arbitrarily prevented young
actors from performing gin all circum-
stances. The results in Illinois have
been destructive of dramatic art in
plays requiring child impersOnation,
PLAYS in which children were legiti-
mately cast having been made gro
tesque in representation by the sub
stitution of adults in children's parts,
to say nothing of the unfairness in
volved as to the young actors them
selves who have been deprived of a
legitimate vocation.
Mrs Fiske recently expressed her
views of this matter in the Chicago
Evening Post, in an article advocating
an amendment of the Illinois law. She
set down her ideas as to what nom
amendment would mean thus:
1T will mean for one thing, that
many of the plays Of Shakespeare, ID
sen. Hauptmann, Maeterlinck. Suder-
mann. d'Annunzio. Pinero and Barrie
will be banished from the local stage.
1T is impossible to believe that the
thinking public of Chicago will tOler-
ate such a belittlement of ideals as
they concern the nobler dramatic lit
erature. The Punishment of plays by
these masters surely would not reflect
the spirit of Chicago.
1T is said that this law, as it affects
the child actor is the result of some
blunder However that may be. the
energetic, enthusiastic, well-meaning,
but uniformed persons who demand
its enforcement are mischievous. AS
result of their activities it was
thought that the Grand opera house of
Chicago would have TO be closed and
the engagement of the play Salvation
Nell discontinued there. II the Grand
opera house had been closed nearly
100 persons would have been thrown
out of employment Only a few of
these persons receive large salaries.
Most OF them are dependent from
week to week upon their earnings
Many of them have people dependent
upon them for support. Thus the clos
ing of the Grand opera house would
have been a calamity. Admitting the
humanitarian spirit of those persons
| eager to apply the law. it is question
whether that spirit would have been
large enough to make good the losses
of those who would have been the vic
| tins in the situation. / doubt If it
would.
1.-The writer has been actively en-
pioyed in the theater since before the
age of 3 years. Therefore. there is no
impertinence in claiming a better
knowledge Of the life of the stage than
any knowledge that could possibly be
| possessed by persons who know the
theater only from what they hear about
| it,
Il have not found that the people
| Of the theater are better than other
people | have found, however, that
they are equally good. AS matter
| of fact, the tone of well regulated
| dramatic company, or of a well man
aged theater, is superior to the tone
that prevails in many classes Of So
ciety In the years l have lived in the
| theater and among its people / have
never witnessed an act of indecency.
nor have / observed one instance of
| looseness of conduct. SO far as one is
able to judge by outward manner, l
have met only self-respecting men and
| women II Is true that few times l
have encountered men who dissipate,
but these unfortunates are to be en-
! countered in every walk of life. In
deed, | have observed less dissipation
| in the life of the theater than in the
| life of other places. Actors, more or
| less, have their ideals, but We are a
businesslike people, and the greater
portion of our time is givevn to attend
| ing to our business
That there are forms OF theatrical
| entertainment in which children should
have no place all intelligent men and
women will heartily agree. That there
are theatrical organizations utterly per
nicious and demoralizing we are all
aware. Children should certainly be
protected from association with these
organizations It should be unneces-
sary to say that with this part of the
theatrical world the people OF the le-
| gitimate stage have no connection.
Admitting ,as l certainly do not ad-
mit) that the legitimate stage career is
a menace to the moral development of
the child, the present law of the state
is Intellectual in working reform. The
law of Illinois can only prevent the
child from appearing in this state. Ii
there is to be a permanent enforcement