The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-03-03
The WOuld-be Actors
and Actresses.
Experience and Profit of EIo-
Cution Teachers.

The New Nork Sun has the following:
There are some queer persons who try
to learn eloeution" well-spoken professor
said. 1T is really surprising to see with
what persistence those who are positively
disqualified will strive to acquire the de-
clamatory art. Public school education is
responsible for good deal of this. Take a
class Of college boys: they are almost men.
Their tastes and capacities are thoroughly
marked. Lie 10 obvious that some of them
have no aptitude for elocutien. Their
voices are inadequate, their action ia ire
trievably bad. Yet the Curriculum re-
quires that they should declaim regularly
No amount of natural disqualification relevs
them from the duty. The result is, they
only furnish sport for their companions,
and go through the college course with
only a pereunetory performance of this
part of thier duties Of course, this is in
direct conflict with the most advanced
thought on the subject of education. Both
com nonsense and science dictate that it
is o waste of time to try to teach some
persons some things Vast sums oil
money and long periods of time might be
saved by refralning from attempts to per-
form the impossible in teaching.
But there are some funny instances of
UGTSOUb Va yC0AS bAyiuR "
learn elocution. Persons who have had lit
tie or no education iu school. who can
neither read nor pronounce, to whom a
proper name is an lnsurmountable obstacle
and q word beyond the commonplace a
rubicop, think they can be fitted to shine
in elocution. TENSE persons always trip
up on pronunciation. Theymake the most
ludicroas blunders without the faiptest
conception Why they are laughed at. You
may say that VS. ought not to try to teach
such persons. You might as we'll say that
dry goods merchant should not sell un-
becoming goods. Here is young fellow
who is doing moderately we'll in business.
He goes into company and finds that elo-
cution is all the rage. He sees others
brought into prominence by readings and
recitations. He thinks that he can make
his mark. and he comes to me or some
other professor to get Instructions had
a young grocer who took notion to read
lShakspearian pieces. Ho ,ripped over
every unusual word; he stumbled over
every proper name. and he absolutely fell
down on the point of memory. 1t was only
by oiDt of hard hammering that could
get him drilled into one twenty minute
reading Finally | got tired taking his
money, and had to send him away.
hGI 4 hA0 q A1As t0ccJ IIttAG lCIiOWs
who took notion to play Hamlet with a
dramatic association. | told him frankly
that his physique was not fit for the
character. Imagine the melancholy Dane
with paunehl | had big butcher once
who wanted to play Claude Melnotte. He
was better fitted to lug a side of beef than
to toy with Pauline. 1t seemed wrong to
take bis money, but [ was afraid to tell him
| the truth. | believe the audience cured
| him at his hrss@and last attempt. But the
climax OF absurdity was a little bantam
| fellow, who took fancy for heavy parts.
| He wanted to play Corioanus or Richard
| I'LL. or other parts that required voice Al i
action | never saw him trying one OF
those characters without king OF the
| fable of the toad and the OK His tragedy
was always very funny. When | frs,
| began teaching | used to try to get those
fellows to listen to the truth. | got nc
| thanks for my honesty. and only lost my
customers. Now, when any one comes te
NE to be taught | do the best can tt
teach him. | never get tired taking
their money as long as they don't gel
| tired paying.
| Some of the toughest customers We
have are the young women. They think
| that If they are healthy and good iookin,
| tGGJ AASC u E0oA JoPkAGI ava AA0 ctosS
AS a matter of fact, some OF the most sue
cessful actresses have not been by an,
means good-looking women. Charlotte
ICushman was by no means handsome
and Sarah Bernhardt has been the butt o.
ridicule for her lack of what are usual,
called personal charms. But there are hue
dreds OF young women, with capital Il
back them, who think they can be httet
for the stage in a few lessons, They hav'
no previous education or training. The
are trying to read without learning thei
letters. They can only look pretty. The.
can not comprehend why a word can no
be pronounced one way as we'll as another
They take a correction as a persona
offence, AS for the proprieties of tim
place and circumstance, they know then
not. These young women are the bonan
Zas of professors of elocution. Ever
season finds them in the field. They ge
their admirers TO hire neglected theatre
and give them a chance. They struggl
manfulIy or womanfully with Pauline 0
Ophelia, or some one of the characters i
society plays. Each part requires specis
teaching. OF course il we should advis
them as we know, we should say to them
You had better abandon the stage aut
save your Money AS il is we merel
say, Great is Diana of the Ephesia ans, 70
by this craft we have our wealth
"Other pupi 8 are the iuiapt pheno
mena They are the most vexatious.
Lis we'll known that if a man is tall he trie
to appear taller; if woman has a sma
foot she tries to make it smaller. So
wealthy persons have a youngster VIII
shows a talent for spou,ing they try I
develol it. 1t always makes me sad t
see stripping spluttering and struggin
with some terrific effort .ot deciamatio
wheo he ought to be playing tag or he
| scotch, But there would be 40 use in n
telling the parents thai. They would on
60 to some uther professor. 80 | jus
pocket the money and reflect what
blessing il is to some poor folks that rlc
folks will spend their money foolishly.