Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-12-02
REBEcCA'svMAA
BY FRED. W. LoRINe.


cording to the Y American principle of
Theatrical management In the Phoenix,
therefore you see few favortes from time
o.. 70 70 TINE, ard many who are not favorites.
II Mrs. Aggs, who Is one leading lady,
plays JatiG, in :" The Hunchback" Miss
BaSgs, who is the other leading lady, can
tiot be induced to play Hsleh. In the same
way, when Loves sacrifice is put up for
the nextweek, and Miss Baggs appears as
Margaret Ea,ore. Mrs Aggs Is heard calm
ly to remark, that she SHOULD like to see
anybody make play HeI7ainie de Vde,dl
mont, Ivlneaning that she should not like to
HFfN gee anybody make esher play the part alluded
This state of affairs, though yexatious to
the manager, and disappointing to the pub
lic is beneficial to the soubrettc, who is
not only left in possession of the impossi-
bly, pert chambermaids, and boys with
ii'' curly hair and feminine contours (two
classes of characters, | may here remark,
. ~ found only on the stage-and never in Ma.
SIH ture) but at times has chance to sparkle
III through the light comedy parts disdained
"a by the Aggses and the Baggses of our
theatres. So Rebecea Pottlesey took all
she could get from the manager in the way
sof business and all she could get from the
em', pubicin the way ofappause, bouquets and
presentations Heartease Il Hobb, the
florists, whose store is in profitable prox-
unity to the theatre, have so realized the
blessing that Miss Pottlesey has been to
them in the way Of business, that ON her
last annual benefit they presented her with
,Toadow, making twenfy.sGyan in ALL that the
,. victorious Rebecca received on that memo
rable occasion, which number was five
more than Miss Baggs received on her
benetiti and eight more than were bestowed
upon Mrs Aggs, when that worthy and
deserving artist was beneficiary.
<sfi "Eliss Baggs, said Miss Pottlesey, took
occasion to say, in her spiteful way to me-,
that, since my benefit came later in the
tlxa..1 flNtt .aI,a
7 which might account for my having more
- bouquets than she did; but my only an
swer to this outburst of spleen was con-
temptuous smile, which | am sure she
= felth il
Now, Rebecca Pottlesey had one seri
..f- ous drawback as an actress. She can sing,
she can dance, she is not troubled with
dif1dence. She has versatility. Wnc1
you hear her declare, on Thursday night
that she is poor orphan with no protector
.,- but Heaven, you are moved by her
sweet ingenuolsness by the plaintiff tone
of her voice, by the graceful way in which
her brown hair flows over her shoulder,
that you cannot realize that she is the boy
in stylish coat and trousers who smoked
cigar, said You bet" and "0ld horse@
and winked in fascinating manner, dur
= ing the progress of the rafting farce of
81 "Wednesday. With all these qualities of "A
a - successful actress what can beithe def
cheney of Rebecca Pottlesey? My answer
is brief but telling She has no mother
Here pause for the purpose of allowing
the kind hearted to say, Poor girl The
stage is indeed a terrible place to be in, or
- on, without mothers sympathy influence,
- - and protectiol." The Kind hearted peo-
pie who say this are right But it is not so
much on account of these things as in a
- business point of view, that tRebecCas lack
- of a mother is to be regretted. Miss
% "a Baggs has mother. Miss 1Caggs the
walkingrlady has mother. Even the
- ladies' of the balletare accompanied from
the theatre by dingy-looking females,
whom they are heard to address as Ma ~
The use of a mother 10 a popular ac-
---------tress is -.obyious.-~Who can urgently
and indefatigably besiege a manager with
applications for the privileges and per-
quisites which every actress desires? Who
.4. r. can so well guard the tender flower from
, - too close observation? Who can so well
watch in the dressing-room while the per-
~ 7 formeris on the stage? And who can so
well discourse on the artistic merits and
TT general popularity of an actress as the ma
@ of that actress? The first time went be-
IS hind the scenes at the Phoenix was in the
morning Unused to the place, stopped
at the green-room door, wondering If that
was where the rehearsal was, and if there
E'1'a should find the manager, with whom had
business to transact. -Four ladies, elderly,
dingy, and of severe aspect, were wildly
gesticulating. / supposed it was a scene
'' from the new piece, and stood observing
- them. ta-
lS IA " How impressive" ]" thought /, dis this
devotion to art These women, absorbed
in their characters, forget the existence of
the outside world and do not notice my
presence, absorbed as they are in tue
ideal" = -
GA 1t was at this moment that the door,
~ -- keeper touched me, and said:
II d Grhe m4n'gSrs thus way at tr rehearsal
i.1 2a. I,' Why said 1, in. some surprise, isn't
mo, SIR" said the door-keeper with
.YI!T Iapils; ., .,,..,
no thought surely they were acting; they
f.l seemed so earnest s. sG.
The doork keeper grnned, " Them"
said he IA is mas of different ladies in the
company and they're going on about their
z, ,r,s daughters, They almost always does when
" 80 they gets together" 2 't'a rFFF
H1G N ltwas then. for the first time that
realized how much a mother was to dra-
matte performer The life of the stage is
"a "a terribly fun of temptation and quite as
I ,5, likely to destroy feminine modesty and re-
serve as a course oftashionable society hlr-
Rebecca Pottlesey was shrewd, sensi-
50" BILE, and energetic girl. 'lShe enjoyed her
.sa7' profession, and worked hard at it. She
,, was, however woman, and alone IN tne
., world-a 'disadvanlageous position, which
: .ushe fully appreciated She felt that she
-,. ~. must have a protectfess ut least, and on
~ l. one night, when Miss Baggs made some
-.-s spiteful remark about girls VINO mao no one
,..a So TO look after them--no pa nor ma-belng
~ $50 deserving of pity rather than blame, Re-
'. becca, raging inwardly, replied: =
,,,,.. :" l quite agree with you, Miss Baggs;,
.,,t +, I've thought so, all along this season; and
/ wrote to Ma, last week, telling her she
: r =. must come and stay with me-
.I... In dismayed astonishment, Miss Baggs'
~, stared at Rebecca. why" said she, Il
20 20 didn't know you had motherP
ft .y.5s @Itrustn said Rebeeca, 81 don't need to-
'1' % carry my ma with me all the time, as GER
i''"a 'tihcate of character"
And Miss Bags, crushed and defeated,
'' could only console herself by the thought
-...,r that she had now something in the way Of
a- news to tell her companions; and before
.t-t u1 an hour had passed, the very walls OF the
dressing.room re-echoed With the words
. 51 y" Rebecca Pottlesey has got ma .
~ This conversation@took place On Satur-
iaD ~ day night. The next fortnight waseAe-
voted to o piece in which Rebecca did not
appear, Taking advantage of this fact, Re
becca went to New York, and there Sc