The Lake Charles echo., 1879-07-26

Ln6y are ali On bHe shnlt pihltc VI tcn01
acter, and act accordingly. He has the
vantage ground of position. Then TO
bristle up and do the indignant grand
is to make an enemy and Inquire your
own chances of getting forward. The
gauge of conduct under such circum-
stances is not that of other society. j
speak here as one without friends or
outside influence opush enc ahead. Its
the custom of the place. It's behind
the-scene custo n handed down for gen
terations from the English stage, where
every woman in the profession was os-
tracieed by society and where the whis-
pered verdict at all events was that 1t
wss hardly possible to be an actress and
virtuous woman. Stage managers
sometimes prove great trials to the
humber girls. Some are coarse in de-
meanor and rough in language. When
out of humor they will use big DIS and
little DIS very plentifully. They lose
respect for women. They see too much
o. them. A manager arrives at last to
that condition of mind and habit as to
regard his stage as many married men
regard their homes--a place granting
full liberty to fume, fret and bully.
They have some cause. a crowd of
chattering, empty headed girls lis try
ing charge for any man."
You have seen the stage stripped of
its illusion, them" There are other
things besides scene painting which are
illusions. The lovely couple of sisters
in front may not have spoken to each
other for, weeks behind the scenes. ]
have heard q lady who played the sweet
heart to famous comedian considerably
past his prime bemoan herself before GO
ing on that she shsuld ever be Obliged to
play with that 'old paintad bag of bones
/ have seen young actress, whose head
was turned by success and aduIation to
that extent that she deemed herself
beyond any of the common restraints OF
the green-room, roundiy scolded by her
mother for her hoydenish ways. ] have
heard q brilliant star, after the play,
bluntly reproved by the gentleman who
supported her Tor blurting out before a
street-car full of people some OF the in
cidents of the play, seemingly with the
design that every one should be made to
know who she was. Sometimes gentle-
men are more sensitive than ladies IN
this respect Certainly it was 30 in this
respect, for MIR. -, at the first oppor-
tunity, fatty told Miss not to talk
stage-bltsiness with him in horse.car
again. Then 80 many Of the ladies be-
come infected with certain stage slang
and stage familiarity with each other.
It's on q fHolloa Jackp and tHolloa Jiml'
basis. They have certain over-familiar
rough, slangy stage way among each
other which seems very unpleasant at
first to beginner. 1t is tnis style 90
common to many green-rooms, which
becoming, as it were, the custom of the
place, which grants vulgar man certain
privileges of approach.
"a certain proportlOn-indeed large
proportion-of theatrical people live 80
much among themselves as TO forget
there's any outside world except that
seen nightly from the footlights. Their
talk is all with each other and of each
other and about their peculiar business.
i heard an actress once remark that she
had bsen twice round the world, and
about all she had seen of it was steamer,
the inside of hallway cars, the inside of
hotels and the inside of theatars. Some
people living such lives become filed to
ovelfowing with tconceit, and deem
there's little outside the dramatic world
worth consideration. IT'S wonderful,
considering how much more attention
and admiration theatrical people of
prominence receive than thuse in other
walks of life.
i don't know of any place either
where 30 much pure Satanism is brought
together and acted out in 20 small a COM
pass as behind the scenes. I've been son'
many night, when in q company of
forty people j never heard q good word
spoken .or anybody. 1t seemed all hatred,
jealousy and backbiting. The star swore,
because one OF his support pleased too
well and attracted attention from him.
1T was his piece and wanted it played