Show THEATIIiaVL h ViaUIlX MVT so MUCH rriour AS TiLE IUD SIC IMAOIM Some who read of payments like 3100 or 200 a week In tbe uewspa prr ccluun wll li are ioHadaji = Jevctixlto tlieatricalgowl t conclude tlat thty trpnscnt tlio ordinary ntimnuratKo to the plajir Such however Wfarfrom btlugth case Even in London Uiero are many theaten well fmiuentitl ly iho brat class of pbygom ttheru no curls high tcrmsarc paid and theiustnn ces are few Indeed whereunto or two such paj menu art found togcthtr on the binie salary HO The vast majority of actors ply their calling from youthto old ago without attaining at-taining and it may be said in niany cases without any expectation Uininc the receipt of tIO a week dutUa more than half tint tumUlI tum-UlI be considered as tho average reninuenition theatrical labor in London apart from the very few highly j oil exceptions while on the provincial board it ranges at more moderate figure tlll and the bIg exceptions are there practically unknown hesLterms moditt as they are comiored wllhjirevalling ideas are no doubt letter than what the rank and file of theatrical comianfts IP town and country received a generation gener-ation Lock but the Improvement has scarcely done more than keels pace with Increased expenditure which the n < v in the cost of living has forced aud continues to force on the most economical housekeeper Moreover the amount of a weekly wage Is but a fallacious test of in como unless we also consider how many weeks in the year such waLt wa-Lt likely to be earned Let noone SUPIJOI3 that an actors yearly receipts are to baarriedat 3iultijJylng hU weekly salary by fillytub the layer Is only paid while he is actively employ and to very few in the theatrical labor market Ia It uuchI ta Hud work all the year round Un luenholauactcr considers or tt r = i eIght U consider hlnnelf lucky if ho finds cnijlojmeutaud omen quontly payme ntdurlnjforty weeks uutoC thu llftytwo sail would cer tnlnly beunul < to indulge in any higher expectations Indeed con Bltledug Ibo uncertain duration of most modern contracts between manager and performer the less an actor takes for granted fI his financial future thu better The most usual form of theatrical engagement en-gagement nowadays Is for tlu < run or the piece Tvhlch as things go may mean anything from one week to two or three years An actor so engaged is always liable to bo thrown out of fmlJOf tnt at a fort hii hits notice or eetv less should r falling l rtiuJptsor managerial caprice cap-rice decreV a charigc in the pro grrnme Under the oU iyttem of eosagemtuts for fLo season the actors jiosttioji uai far more stable lie knew at any rite ajijroxl mately for how long ahead he cotikl cttlculata on the receipt of his current salary and he could in many eapr1 look forward with borne conndencelo the prcpect of re ungageuient for the manigers of Lho o day were not fond of change and frequently realHed the fame performers in their companies for years Against the undoubted rIse in theatrical ularles w e may alto fairly fair-ly I get the fact that the average num beref actors attached to each Ibra Ire is now umaUer than it liMo to be for a manager now seldom Jmsiu his pay more than UIOid be requires for the Dingle p1 y njilcli < ont tutea for the time being file rejier toirennd in which the louisa e not as i rule so numerous at in the pieces of the lost whereas the theatrical the-atrical company of the fait Will bound to be large enough to provide for the castIng of such plays In tlfe repertoire oflliMheatre willie numerous num-erous changes of programme then In vogue brought logethtr In a sin gIOBe11JIdIlttt ltiyue |