St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 58

Standing Offer to Pretty Girls by the Musical Shows Has Tempted Many Here This Fall The Almost All-St. Louis Chorus of "The Royal Chef" r. aw mbJl NY pretty girl nowadays can get employment with a musical theatrical company -while the company is playing in St. Louis. This as -St.

Louis and Chicago and the Solution of the Problem of Touring the West. de i) surance given by the theatrical managers, and it is reaching the -7 IJH.il.. 4 1 She is a erv vounc and rrettv cirl. and season. try.

Their class makes them quite independent, an 1 wlien they refuse to come West with the shows, the managers are compelled to bring out girls who do not always meet with the West's approbation. Nothing so quickly hurts the business of a musical piece as an unattractive chorus, and more than one musical engagement in St. Louis has been unproductive for no greater reason. The managers have found this out, and the result is the standing offer to engage my pretty Western girl who presents herself at th UJI-, then i-n ter. was at the Oarrick Theater last and were of a group of eight St.

Louis girls to join the troupe within a week. Others were Misses (I race Dasner and Gladys Moore. And these are not all the M. Louis girls in this Shuhert chorus. Mioses Wilma and Eleanor Albers, sisters, joined the company when it was here last month.

If "The Royal Chef makes many more visits to S-'t. Louis it will be entirely made lip of St. Louis talent. Miss Marguerite Cody of 3139 Lucas avenue is a new St. Louis recruit to the stage.

Miss ody is but 19 years of ape, and her voice is regarded as a discovery of great promise. She is a girl of exceptional beauty, having posed as a model for Miss Nana Conkling, a St. Louis artist, for some time-, and winning second prize at the recent Physical Culture her dancing and singing have delimited many St. Ixiuis audiences at amateur performances. She is a member of the vaudeville team of Cull and Johnson and recently made her first professional appearance in her native city at the Columbia Theater.

Miss Bertha Shalek, a St. Louis girl, made her appearance upon the Eastern stage last month a one of the principals in "Happy-land," I)e Wolf Hopper's new musical piece. Miss Shalek is a niece of A. A. Aal, who has enjoyed for many years the distinction of being the first St.

Louisan named in the directory, by reason of the initials of his name. Miss Shalek will be seen in St. Louis during the season, and she has many friends here who will wel her. theati A pt 1 -ical IA i dim I IP I Mi I Wit -t Ml Sty. i 4 S9 4 QZADYd Miss Claire Noelke is another new St.

Louis girl upon the stope. She went out this season with "The Shogun." Her home is at-1220 North Market street and numbers of friends came down to the in managers have their irie chorus uirls, and EL it Sr': appreciation of them is such that their lot is not half so arduous as one might suppose. During the M-ason of opera at Delmar Harden last summer a Pars of SO many young -women that number of St. Louis joined the chorus. everv visiting musical troupe takes a St.

o1 them were without stage experience. The stage manager tried them out, and at the end cf the season about four of them graduated as chorus of the frst cla. One of these was Miss Ella Cochran. She came near being the prize chorus girl at Delmar. She was pretty, and she continually invited favorable comment upon her work.

Her success wns always certain, and when the Delmar season ended in September joined one of the big road companies. They were glad to get her. With Miss Cochran went Miss Irene Wat ham, another St. Lmis girl who did her tirst chorus work nt Delmar last summer. Mis Wat ham is a pretty girl of exceptional Ltouis recruit away with it.

The presumption is if a girl is pretty she can qualify in other respects, whereas if a girl is only clever and voieeful these will not blind the audiences to the fact that she is not pretty. The open offer for pretty drls is made by all the managers, and there has never been a time when so many St. Louis girls adopted a stage career as are now signing Avith the visiting troupes. Most of them go as chorus girls the beginning fo- all stage women in musical shows. Ei- nil v4l Miss Ida Weeks, a St.

Iouis girl, joined the Johnny Comes Marching Home-' company when it was singing at the Olympic Theater last month. Sh is a member of the chorus. Doubtless, time will advance some of these St. Louis recruits to the eminence and success enjoyed by some others who preceded them. There are few names in American stage letters today so much enied as that of Grace Van Studdiford, a St.

Iuis lady whose voice and beauty command a salary with the Shul erts. Miss Ida Stanhope of the "Prince of company is regarded as one of the most successful of the younjjer singers in musical comedy. She is a St. Louis girl, now of several seasons' experience, and is the prima donna of the troupe. Miss Stanhope's real name was M)s Ida Shinke, ami she married Frank I).

Randall of the Savage opera forces. HE Shuherts now have more St. Louis "iris in their employ than any of the other licul mannpers. When "The Koval Chef was at Ade-Lmiers comedy, and she was chosen among many. In addition to this chorus work, she is understudy for two of the principals.

Her ass. cia tion with Col. Henry W. Savage is regarded Ly hei friends as most auspicious, for Col. Savage has de veloped more St.

Louis singers than any other im presario upon the stage. It was he who brought to the front such singers as Josephine Ludwig, Sophie Brandt and Ida Stanhope, all of whom began their professional careers during the Squar days which Col. Savage gave St. Louis. There were two new St.

Louis girls with "Th-Tenderfoot'' company when it opened the Centurj Theater in September. ne of these was Miss Helen Wash, who is understudy to the prima donna, Ruth White. Mis Wash's home is at 3914 Cook avenue, and she is considered one of the most promising young singers ttpon the stage. The other members of "The troupe from St. Louis is Miss Janet Harney, a member of the chorus.

Misses Minnie Merrill, Aggie McLean. Grace Nile. Katherine BIy Brown and Agnes Minto, all St. Louis girls, are members of "The Royal Chef mxe. v.

the Garrick Theater last spring it took a bevy of Sr. Louis girls into iis rank, and when it returned last month it signed more of them. There are more St. Louis grills in the chorus of the Chef than there are girls in it from any other city, and. with a St.

Louis comedian heading the cast, it comes nearer bein an all St. Louis show than any other upon the stage. The producers of musical pieces are trying to "tone up" their productions with western gir's. The fortunes of the musical comedy have been showing a strong inclination to wane, and persons seeking the cause have concluded that one reason is becaus' the choruses which come west are wanting in fresh girlish leauty. The better class of choru-i jirl-- in the Kat do not much like a road tour out in this part of the conn- I.

Pierpcnt Morgan is a big an in ccry wy. Ibick of chest, with a big set close down on burly shoulders, features large, nn extraordinarily prominent keen gray ees, dicp ot limit" heavy brows, a high, firm forehead, a square, bulldog chin, he at once impresses one as a large nun. lie is six feet in height and weighs 210 pounds. For a man of his age and size he neems unusually acti', ovitig about with almost nejous alertness. II a man of few words, always si.ortly and fcharid spt ken.

aiiily and drollery. She was much admired at Delmar, and was about the youngest member of the chorus. She is a brunette, as is Miss Cochran. They were signed by the Shuberls when "The Royal hef" returned to the citv last month. contest held for the purpose of sending a St.

Ixu.s representative to the beautiful woman contest in New York City. Miss Cody will sing in vaudeville. Miss Flossie Johnson of St. Ixmis lx'came a professional performer upon the vaudeville stage this. 'entury Hum the North End to sec lief the we Oct.

Misg Noelke is a girl of much attractiveness and a pretty singer. She won her position in competition. She was one of a great many girls examined for a place with the sing-song girls in the These girls joined the Chef when the show chorus. Thackeray's Highest Art of Living Is Achieved by Edward McGue, a St. Louisan.

a great many people. I have always tried to be square and kind, and the result is that now I am old and unable to provide for myself, my friends ee to it that I have the comforts I need. "I became a sporting man early in life, and dealt faro bank a great deal on the river, in the city and out West. Pretty much everybody used to gambh; along the river in the days before the Civil War. Why.

I ofien made faro bank for Gen. U. S. Grant hen he was here in St. Louis.

He was mighty fond i i I What It I las McGuos Friends to Maintain Him EDWARD mastery of the real art of living has cost his friends considerable money since he was injured in 1S75. The following table is nn approximation of it: Three meals daily for 1" years, at cents per meal 14 years of this time at Milford's restaurant $1,575 Twenty-five years of barl ering, S.l yenrs of this time at the Meyers ehop, estimating one have per day and one haircut per month, at 13 and 2." cents each 1.0O0 Boom rent at $1 per week for year Clothes at per yesr for 2" 1.2.VJ "but I suppose there is nothing for which to be ashamed, either upon my part or that of my friends. I was generous with money when I had it; and now that I haven't it, others are generous with me. I have eaten at William G. Mil ford's restaurant a great many years some fourteen.

I should say. Mr. Miiford has been a good friend of mine. He said years ago he would feed me as long as 1 lived, and he has always done it. In what little way I can I repay him.

I do little errands for him about the restaurant ami the city, but I am too old and too feeble to earn my meals. He is my friend and he gives them to me. "My room? Well, 1 live at The Rest, 105 North Broadway. My rent there is paid by Mr. John Wahl.

President of the German Savings Bank. I met. him one day and he asked me how 1 was getting along. He particularly asked me about my ex penses. 1 told him all that bothered me was paying for mv room, lie said he would see about that, and since then he has paid it every month.

"I shave at the barber shop of Mr. Alfred D. Kleybauer, at till Chestnut street. I hae been shaving there some twenty-three years. Mr.

Kley-hauer's father in law, Mr. Meyers, was a great friend of mine, and he always looked after me there. Since he died, some three years ago. his son-in-law has given me the privilege granted me by Mr. Meyers.

1 have sometimes given them a little money, but not much. "My clothe are given me by Mr. Kennedy of the Schwab Clothing Co. He gave me this suit. He is slso mv frd.

WHAT Ihackeray described as the greatest prt in life has been achieved by Edward McGue, a St. lyonisan. It is the art of living well on nothing a year. McGue is 77 years old. For 20 years he has enjoyed a remarkably ystematic maintenance by his friends.

He lives at Broadway rooming house, and every month his bill is paid by a St. Louis banker. He eats at a Sixth street rest-urant and the bill is on the proprietor. He shaves at a shop on Chestnut stre't, nd there in no charge, lie dresses neatly and comfortably at the coet of a Washington avenue wh b-sale clothing merchant. OM.

unchang'ng. Ldward McGue has live 1 well for a score of yea; a on nothing. He has outlived strong men who thought him dying. He survives doctors who numliered his days. His case argues the un-reitainiy of life and the charity of men.

In 137j MctJiie. who had leon a gambler all his life, receivl a Mow. He ti made tciiii wr.ir.Jy blind ami -e'jle. Men thought li. woiiM not live long.

He tho ighi himself. W'iu he complained, friends Noer mind, we'll that you don't want for anything while you live." McGue hs ouCived their expectations by almost a score of years, but they Uave kept the promise. In his era plenty, M5ne cast a great deal of bread upon the waters. He says he gave away liiiuh money. He succored the needy, and he a-wayx had a bank note porous plaster for a bruise of hard luck.

This is McGue's explanation of his exceptional of living for nothing today. It i eominp back to hi.ii the bread. "I don't much liUe to talk about this Ut of the game, and he wasn't afraid to take chances vith his I made him quit otie night when he had lost $'20O0. I told him his luck was against him and if he kept on he would go broke. He took my advice and quit.

"I was a strong, healthy lit tie man tint ill 875. when my misfortunes began. A man I had often befriended struck me across the face on Christmas l)ay of that year and I was blind for two years. It was then that my friends volunteered to see that I did not want for anything, and I haven't." McGue's appearance is nothing short of spectral. He has an ahcn-yellow- cast, as one just stepped from the grave.

He is slight to a shadow. His eyes are half closed and he seems an old man upon the verge of the tomb. He is a familiar Ague in the Broadway district, and people who have known him for 20 years say he has been changeless in all that time. He looked like a dead man almost quarter of a century ago. and people thought they were bidding him good by every time they saw him.

But the little old Tebow's heart was too merry to cease lea1ing. lie lived on and on, and still lives, and he has attended ihe funeruls of many that expected to go to his. "I always go to funerals," he says. Manv hundreds of jeople know him by his nickname of "Kelly." He Valks every day the short paces between his room, his restaurant and his bar-ler shop. He has the quality of likableness.

and doubtless there are many who would 1 plea-ed to help him did tlw-f who look after him ceae to do so, "Kelly never asks for one of them say. "He doesn't have to ak. Kteryb'viy kn him, and he has that sort of nature which people like to befriend. He is sure of a good living in St. Total Ixmis ss long a he lives." The little old man has had a life full of eri-ences.

He "made faro tank," as he terms it, from M. Louis to the Pacific Coait in the days of th Fort -ninet s. He was a member of the old Volun tn-r Fire Department in St, Ioni. He was identified with the nrt racetrack built in St. Louis, and knew the racing game here when holes always ran tun, three and four-mile heat in a race.

He di- not. cnider hi career ended by a "reat deal, and, plans to c0 to Cuba with the M. Louis traikmca who Are projecting trark at lUvaiia. am an old tinier in St. Louis.

I know Only seven non-couiii issioned officers in the Hrit-ish Navy are un.tti to Mt fofcigii orders. Four are gunner, two boatswains md one carpenter. Page Seven Sunday Magasint -ST. L0UI3 FOST-DIsmTCH-October 22, 1X05. J'.