The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-28
ENTERTAINING.

or any other accurate statistics. But il
is about true. isn't it?
In a class of twenty or so girls who are
graduated from high school. isn't there
always one who takes the lead in parties
and entertainments just as naturally as
a duck takes to the water? She is the gin
| who revels in getting up the class play.
banquet or OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES like a
trip-hammer on the committee. knows
how TO manage other people. and then.
when the great event comes off. plays
her role. makes ner speech, or says her
piece" winningly. So in the class at
college the church organization the
working girls club or lodge, there is
| generally one in twenty who stands out
| as an entertainer.
| If you are born entertainer. why
shouldn't you become a professional en-
| tertainer? At this profession You can
work little or all of the time. and earn
anywhere from YOUR pin money to many
! thousands of dollars year. 4 very few
| of the professional entertainers who are
| always in demand in the societys draw
| ing rooms began as professional elocu-
tionists or actresses. but by far the great
/ or number got their first lessons in the
home circle. the school. or in church
| work-GettinS up cnarades at the youns
| peoples parties. Introducing new ideas in
the yearly bazaar. doing any of the en-
! PERTAINING things that every young wom-
an has chance to do everywhere.
! One voting woman. who had been hid
! ing her talent for entertaining in a nap
, Kin tnOu-ht-when she unC. -. teddy hau
! to turn and own her Own bread and
\ butter--that she was hopeleSSl,. i'lt apab!t
of doing anything. She dGu't know
enough Of the three RS to leach school
i She didn't have an idea of business or
! office work. she couldn't sew. As q
last resort. she advertised in daily
| paper for job as ''invalid's companion. =
She could. at least she thought to her
! self, read out loud and be agreeable.
I Her advertisement brought her after
! noon work reading to a society woman
who was slowly recovering from p long
illness. But the young companion did
more than this. She brought into the
sick room all the bits of cheerful gossip
she could CLEAN outside-the news of the
shops. scraps OF childrens prattle she
heard on the street. bulletins of the ever
changing sea- sons. and occasionally. when
she had been to play. she would. by
means of an active memory and knack
of mimicry. make the actors act again
before the eyes of her invalid employer
Under this treatment the invalid re-
covered speedily. and her first step
back into society she decided to give an
at home" Quite naturally. she asked
the clever littl" companion" to take
charge of the affair and by her clever
repartee to make the afternoon a sue
cess.
The little companion unexpectedly made
tn" nit Of her life. Everything. from III"
!andw iChes which she had made with
her own hands II IN. drolI and pat little
stories that she had at her tongues end.
added 10 every ones entertainment. At
another at hom'" she still further dis
.ungushed herself.
Her reputation as an entertainer was
established No longer needed as a com
! nanion. she gladly took charge of at
! h"Incs'' and teas for other society
v-cm H. This Eird Of work now keeps
. he. time full and she has no trouble in
r~Nacting a fee Of $40 al afternoon. Four
81 ave Il MA -emou:s week keep her
,.rre :a'l. to-. in order to keep up to her
, sfanda ri # cI"v"rnCss she must go two
or three times a week to the opera or
. Ia.,:. must visit tn" shops and eXhibi-
: t:uls. must make little trips to places
/ of interest. and by regular outdoor oXer-
! IS. must '.~,, herself full of sunshine
! ard aninl1ti0n
4 church Entertainment served as the
I professional debut Of another successful
d, n-crtIiner. She did just what thousands
/ or Young women Ar" doing all the time
! yl;o ErdeE:oos tn" responsibility Of man
( aging a large "hiIdren's carnival which
! was given To help remove a thousa nd
dollar debt "u the struggling church to
which Sh" belonged. She went at the
work tooth and nail. directed a dozen
committees ta"1fulj; and firmly. drilled
Il corps If UndSciplined children until
: til. took their parts like professionals.
rIt enthusiasm into the ticket sellers.
! kept accounts. and. finally. ON the night
: uf the entertainment. stood radiant. cool
.rl,d beautiful with thu burden Of tho
V mole performance IN her shoulders The
B. f..>r,t vas thai when the accounts were
: ca.;t III" church treasury was about $l.cnn
: {" 10" good.
! News of tbs success spread and whom
ia" hospital in the neiChhoring town
wanted to raise s1.@NN for an up-to-date
operating loom. sOmeon" suggested
similar carnival and G. mmttec of the
hospital managers offered the young
woman 500 if she would undertake to
run their entertainment. \ glowing sue
Z cess here led to other offers. The young
woman went to the big cities to get
ideas for other sorts OF big entertain
nents and now, five years later. her
services are always in demand from
cities within a radius of forty or fifty
miles Of her home to take charge of
money making entertainments Her fees
vary from 500 to 500 or 5000 enter
lament and her yearly income. not count
ing her travelling expenses. is near the
400 mark.
There are women in every society col
ony and big city whose speciality is child
rens parties. In order to he successful
in this line. woman must of course,
he able to hold the attention of children
must he abb" to tell stories. to lead in
simple childrcns dances and games. and
either be able to sing with them or ac-
company their songs on the piano. She
must also make frequent trips to the toy
and game shops. keep up with the latest
ideas in ChildrenS dances-in short. she
must spend quite as much time looking
up ideas for these parties as she does in
actually filling her enEa gcments.
Such entertainers usually have a roper
tory of a dozen more possible parties
season-for instance. a Mother Goose
party. a Teddy Bear party. Twelfth
Night party. May day party. an indoor
garden party, etc. and for all these the
entertainer must known just what decor
atoms. refreshments. favors. music and
other accessories should he had. and have
a program for the afternoons entertain
ment worked out in every detail.
woman who began fifteen or twenty
years ago taking charge of childrens
parties among her, own acquaintances is
tertainer in one of our large cities. and
by her close view of the inside Of the
folk in that city. This woman's time is
summer. when she fills many engage
IN, and 9th of -p1-