The Washington times., 1920-01-25
THE PURPOSE Of
THE ACTORS FUND
How Memorial Day Would In
sure Members OF Theatrical
Profession.
ny DANIEL FRoHMAN.


.Thirty-eight years ago a group Of
prominent actors. among them A. M.
Palmer, Lester WaIlack. Edwin Booth
ard Joseph Jefferson, met at the old
Wallack Theater and decided that II
behooyed them 10 look after their
less fortunate colleagues. For this
purpose they founded the ActorS
Fund OF America and appropriated
SI4, 900. a sum which they thought
more than ample for their annual
needs. Little did they realize what
demands would be made upon the
fund and that even yearly budget
OF $4,000 would not be sufficient.
The great demands which are nor
mally made upon the yearly Income
OF Actors Fund OF America can be
easily understood by anyone familiar
with the theatrical profession. ana
the conditions under which its mem
bers work. The head OF the ordinary
business can guarantee his employees
nfty-two weeks OF steady work each
year Such An arrangement IA
physical impossibility for the theat-
rical manager. whose ability 10 con-
tinue his men and women in ms EN-
ployment depends entirely on the rate
with which his productions meet
when put before the public. The
stars-men and women we'll known TO
the public-sre prosperous. III any
engagement does not succeed their
rate OF pay is such that they are In.
sured against the idle PERIODS ano
their standing Is such an to insure
them Immediate employment In SOM
other production; but there are l2'ooo
men and women-yes. even boys anu
girls-in the rank and ME OF the
American stage whose living liz pre-
carIous. TO put IL mildly. Weeks OF
unemployment may follow short
season of work. and the ordinary ac-
tor is never in a position TO save ior
the rainy day.
OuIy Oae Issaranee.
what then is to stand between such
members OF the profession and their
eriods of unemployment. OF Illness
OF old age and destitutionH only one
form Of insurance has yet been pro.
yided for these artists-the Actom
Fund of America. This fund looks
after the actor when he Is sick. when
he Is too old to appear on the ooArus
any longer, when he is unempioyea,
when he Is the victim, in fact OF any
of the numerous misfortunes TO ~hicn
human being are heir. The Actors
Fund in such cases gives it's relief
PROMPTLY; II does not permit members
OF the theatrical profession to suner
from tho delays OF red tape; II pro-
yides a homo in Staten Island Tor
su superannuated actors and actresses,
il sees to II that the sick are placed
in hospitals under competent care; II
guarantees its beneficiaries against
want and poverty.
Yet ever since its inception ana un-
til our participation in the great war
the Actors Fund has been struggling
-r,nsrfh cXiRf(nCe.
which never provided II with those
reserve funds without which a move
ment of that sort Is always precari-
ous and insecure. This was partly
due 10 the fact that the public had
never learned to look upon the stage
as an integral OF important part OF
the national life
stage Comes Int Own.
During the great war. however. the
stage came into its own. On the dec
laration Of war. every member OF this
profession, in common with the rest
of the country, volunteered his or hef
efforts for the common good. Twelve
hundred men and women went to the
front in their professional capacity,
to cheer the boys and maintain the
morale, which prove- after all 70 DO
the great source of victory. Those
members OF tne poricsSioh VIM SoutN
not get across, came across on this
side-in fact, over $500. 900. 900 can be
traced directly to their efforts for the
Liberty loan, the Red Cross, and other
war activities. Whenever the coun-
try needed relief. stimulation or in
spiration. il turned to the members
OF the American stage.
Now comes the pleasant and totally
une1pected boomerang. The business
man. in order to show his apprecia-
ton of the war work of the American
stage, has set aside January ~ as
Actors Memorial Day here.
CJlp your Liberty Bond coupons and
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