, since they have to
pay fancy prices for the services of players, no better than others who
could be engaged at humble rates, because they have acquired a specious
importance by advertisement. The result has been a prodigious increase
of salaries, without any corresponding gain in revenue, for although the
much-"boomed" artist may attract people to a particular theatre, it is
not to be assumed that the quantity of playgoers is increased, or that
more money is spent on the whole by the public because of all this
advertising.

The consequence to the managers, as a rule, is that expenditure is much
greater, but the total amount of receipts remains the same. Yet the
managers as a body are not to be pitied, since not only do they,
unwisely, assist in this artificial glorification of the members of
their companies, but some of them also push the advertisement of their
theatres beyond delicate limits, and by the cunning strenuous efforts of
their "press agents" and others beat the big drum very loudly, sometimes
sounding a false note, as when they publish, in advertisements, garbled
criticisms upon their wares.

There are some in the theatrical world who dislike and disdain the
illegitimate advertisement. Others there are less nicely scrupulous,
perhaps, but not sufficiently "smart" or lucky enough to "boom"
themselves. These suffer. Advertisement is to the theatrical world like
ground bait to anglers. We who, to some extent are behind the scenes,
know too well how many admirable actors and actresses have a hard fight
for a bare living because their places are taken by people of less
knowledge and skill, but more "push" and cunning. Even the general rise
in salaries does not help these reticent players, for a salary at the
rate of twenty pounds a week is not very useful if you are resting ten
months in the year.

It is quite incontestable that we journalists are to be blamed. We help
in the "booming"; we are the big drum, the players provide their own
trumpets. A conspiracy of silence on our part would do much to mend
matters. If for a little while we were to suppress the "personal pars."
and keep out the photographs and only write concerning the theatres
strictly as critics, a great change would take place. Probably the
revenue of the theatres would not diminish sensibly, but the expenses
would. Managers and players would be forced to rely for success upon
merit and nothing else, and as a result the standard of drama and