The Washington herald., 1919-07-05

New York. July 4-Never In the
history of Broadway have 20 many
musical shows been on the boards
a. Just now. Consequently the
Lobster Belt 10 fairly overrun with
ladies Of the chorus. It has proved
boon for the cafes and for the
smart shops up and down the RI
alto For the chorus girl knows
now to coax money into circula-
tion-not their own money, Of
course.
From Forty-second street to the
Winter Garden corner on Broadway,
the pave Is fairly bulging with
chorus girls-blondes, chemical and
otherwise. brunettes.f slim ones. fat
ones. and the tall and short. Some
well dressed. Some over dressed
Many walking along with eyes cast
down in maidenly shyness. And
others tripping along. buoyantly
bunned and roguishly rouged. with
the ever present cud of gum.
The majority are Just one year
away from the mill or kitchen but
have Jumped into the first row of
the chorus. They seep over to Fifth
avenue around o'clock and imi-
tate Elsie Janis or Elsie Ferguson
In the shops they pull the hauteur
stun and say "deah" and "eyether"
and "Plahza" and How extraw-
dineeryw
At night over their terrapin and
champagne at the Claridge. they
chortle over the antics of certain
producer who receives his friends
in a sweater and cap and who re-
Gently gave the King a nickel cigar
when he met His Majesty in Lon
don. They call all the millionaires
by their first names as II they knew
them intimately.
Life is made up of putting over
the Big Bluff They live in the
cheap boarding houses and shady
hotels in the Forties and lunch at
noon on sinkers and milk and at
they dress in their best and start
out foraging for food, which usually
winds up at a choice table under
the palms close to the orchestra In
a swell Broadway hotel. 1t all
seems to be a gift.
OF course there are many serious
minded girls in the chorus. who will
be future stars. They work hard.
study all their spare time and never
see the bright lights-but the pro-
fessional chorus girl Is generally a
professional leech
Nearly all Of the necromancers of
the great hotels encourage the
wearing OF evening dress in their
dining rooms The Biltmore and
Ritz have dining rooms where the
rule may not be violated The
whole idea Is psychology. The
hotel managers know the mental
| effect which dress clothes exert
They have. 1t is known. a subtle
value in making a man behave him
self. The average person. for in
stance, who would carry on" in
business clothes would not do it in
his evening dress. He would not
want to wrinkle or break his dress
shirt or soil his lawn tie. He feels
the decorum that is expected Of him
in his braided habiliment. So, dress
psychologically. for better manners.
idea in "Sartor Resartus' many
years ago.
A gentleman from the Middle
West, who has been too busy build
ing a fortune to see the gayer side
of life. was in New York this week
and at night his New York repre-
sentative took him to a wild mid
night cabaret IN the heart of the
| Tenderloin. 1t was the Middle
westerner's FIRST glimpse of the
"shimmy." He saw a red Tipped
young Diana in a nickers worth of
clothes come before the spot light
and have one chill apparently after
another After she had retired in
a burst of applause. the New Yorker
asked his guest what he thought of
the girl.
WELL" he said refectively, "she
certainly shakes a wicked verte-
brae-"
A s2.0oo.0o0 skyscraper is being
erected in the heart of the Bowery
and the old Atlantic Beer Garden
known far and wide-is being con-
verted into the largest movie PAL
ace in town