The Penn's Grove record., 1882-04-15
Stage Fright.
How Many Eminent Lecturers are
Afsotad by Ii

Affected by 1t
/ went the other evening and caugh
Robert ]. Burdette, of the Huntington
HdWkeye, in the ante-room Of Chick
ering Hall, just before going upon tn
stage with his funny lecture. abr
he exclaimed with a tremendous in
spiration. "Well, but I'm glad yoU
have come. Now talk to me! talk Il
mei' and he continued walking VI
and down the floor after shakinG
hands.
whats the matter? What all,
you? What do you mean" 1 said.
Are you rehearsing? Have l inter
rupted you? Do you want to he left
alone ?u
mol nor' he exclaimed eagerly,
walking up to me don't leave me.
Don't go away"
What on earth is the matter ?" l
asked.
Scared !" he said, with a q~uerulous
laugh. Then | laughed. "You don't
believe NE. It's true though. Pm
afraid to go on the stage"
"Pshaw man :" I said. "Why you
are joking. You have lectured for
years"
"Yes-seventy-five times this win
ter-but it don't make any difference.
| have to go through this absurd x
p%erienee every time. There's no get
ting used to lt.n
"How does il make you feel ?"
Feel? Light as a cork. If I were
outside I could fly right over this
building. Honestly and seriously, it
[ knew had to die to night I should
pray that the Lord would take me
just before | went on the stage"
MANY have tie sane experience.
That's some satisfaction !" I suggested,
'if misery loves company"
Yes" he said, ~ told Beecher
about my troubles and he said, Il
can cell you one thing for your con-
ISOLATION you'll never get over it. l
suffer every time l go before an audi
ence, and I'm afraid of my own con-
gregation.' But his * experience doesn't
give me much comfort"
"Does your fear vanish when you
get on the stage?'
mo; 1t lasts some time, usual y. !
poke around among the audience or
a familiar face, and when | fuG a
friend Ilecture right at him, and don't
notice anybody else. Cough to. Is me
that he does the same thing. He says
he often finds himself talking TO some
sympathetic and responsive little
groupsin one corner, telling his stories
to theun alone, as if they were in a
little o together"
He looked at his watch. Its most
time to go on the stage. fit was re-
spectacle I'd run away. The notion
of feigning sickness often comes yer
me, as it does over school boys who
want to play hockey. Are you my
jailor ?' looking up at a gentleman in
a swallo wtail who seemed waiting for
him.
"Yes you nave four minutes yet"
Cant | get a reprieve? ' asked the
culprit, forcing q prim smile.
mot this evening, ANY other
evening. You remind me of Theodore
Tilton. When he appeared here,
though he had lectured five hundred
times, he was so frightened that we
couldn't get him on the stage for a
long while. The hall filed up, the
audience clamored, and he, h~esitating
to face them, walked up and down
his room, deaf TO our ~entreaties, wash
ing his hands with invisible soap in
imperceptible water. Finally we got
him through the door at half past
eight.n
l told Burdette that Wendell Phil
lips assured me once that he had SINH
lar experience; then l slipped around
into the orchestra. The funny man
came OH the stage, began in a tremu-
lous voice, and his troubled eye wan
dered over the great audience till he
found friends, with whom he quietly
settled down and made himself at
home.