Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-03-12

AOoAlA was auuSd " lllG pldnSs aIlGE
which someone suggested that they
also have manicuring parlor.
Eventually the whole four stories
Of the Exchange house will be
crowded with its activities.
The tea room or Stage Door Inn
opened with formal reception re-
Gently, at which many prominent
men and women of the stage APP
peared as the first patrons. Mr.
Il. M. Cattle presented the Inn with
a diamond wrist watch, to be raf-
fled Off for its benefit, while Mr..
William A. Brady was so much
pleased with the decorations that
he Immediately gave the exchange
contract for work on the sets Of
his next two plays. The oak-pan-
eled restaurant, with its great fire
place, cosy wall seats, flowered
cretonne curtains and slender table
vases, is exceptionally attractive,
and the menu IS equally so.
Wait Better Than Mattresses.
The young ladies, in white caps
and aprons, who move swiftly and
expertly about the tables serving
food are all actresses of several
years experience on the stage. Miss
Madge Surtrees, the first to wait
upon a patron, is just back from
Canada, where she appeared in
French Leave" ana the Daven-
port sisters. nieces of the famous
Fanny Davenport are others.
They are surprisingly adept at
waiting table, in view Of the fact
that they have never done 1t be-
fore.
This Is because they are actress
es, according to Miss Hilda Spong,
president of National stage Wom-
ans Exchange. "They can wait
better than mattresses" she says,
because in the first place, they
have the artistic instinct to do
everything beautifully and, in the
second place, they have been
trained professionally to handle
their own personalities harmoni-
ously and efficiently"
With the exception of the cook
ing and the laundering Of the ta-
BILE linen, all of the work in con-
nection with the Inn is done by ac-
tresses. Upstairs, in the room
above the tea room, character
woman, who has just returned
from a long engagement in Lon
don, may be found hemming nap
kins and tablecloths at a sewing
machine, while in another corner
is Miss Madge Corcoran, once pop
ular in the companies of =. H.
Sothern and John Drew, working
on the Brady decoration contract.
The room in the rear Of the sec
ond floor, which at present con-
tains nothing but clothes-line
usually strung with napkins, and
ironing apparatus, is presided over
by another actress, Elsie Cohn,
who was recently located by the
Exchange when she was Ill and
out of work.
Another pathetic case narrated
by Mrs. Hesse was that of a young
actor who came to the Inn the
other night and asked for work.
He was war veteran who had
been in a hospital for several
months. Since then, he had not
been able to secure a job of any
sort, although he was willing to
perform any task that would pay
the price of room and board.
"As he stood in the hall telling
me his story, the smell of fried
chicken waited through the door,
and 1 saw him turn pale and grip
the arm of the divan. The man
had probably not had food for
days. So I invited him in to dim
ner, and later sent him to see an
ex-army officer who might help
him"
What the Exchange Handles.
In the Exchange itself, which is
in the basement, various products
are on SALE There are chic little
hats, some Of which are made by
a very clever milliner who is also
a member of the "Sally" company
here in New York; dainty, hand
made baby clothes, jelly, jam,
candy, lingerie, dolls. slippers,
handmade handkerchiefs, mems
neckties and party favors. Already
the Exchange has been slightly
embarrassed by a hurry order
from one society matron for 81
different varieties Of flower fayors
the making Of which," said the
Titian-haired actress in charge of
the Exchange, will certainly tax
my knowledge of botany.
"The exchange" she explained,
will act as a clearing house for all
those in the profession. Those
who sew, mend or darn, will find
an outlet for their labor through
our bureau. Members of the pro-
fession, who do fancy work, bead
ing, crocheting, knitting, interior
decorating, painting, lamp-shade
making, fancy dress costumes,
art novelties will find our services
valuable in creating a demand for
their work.
"There is also a big demand for
kitchenette specialties, such as
meat pies, plain and fancy baking,
bread, muffins, pies. pastry, cam
dies, preserves, pickles and Jams
and salted nuts. These little Jars
of jam at As cents a jar are going
faster than anything else we have
on hand.
Arrangements can also be
made through our bureau for work
outside the profession, such as
dancing, reading, professional
shopping, for elocutionists, pa
geant and theatrical coaching.
Margaret Allen, treasurer of the
organization, hires herself out as
a social guide for shopping and
sightseeing, and as a companion
for theaters and dinners"
The Stage Door Inn is already
turning guests away by the hun
dred; the basement headquarters
of the Exchange is always crowd
ed, and 1t doubtless will not be
long before the manicuring parlor
Is doing a large business If It
keeps UP this phenomenal growth,
the enterprise should eventually
prove great aid to the profess
sion.