Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1882-08-26
NORTHERN TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY AUGUST 26. 1882.
Burdette. Beecher, TfltOn ana Philips
as Victims of Stage Fright.


as Victims of Stage Fright.
went the other evening and caught
Robert j. Burdette in the ante-rOOm at
Chickering Hall just before going upon
the stage with his funny lecture.
"A-h!' he exclaimed with tremen-
dOus aspiration. SWELL, but am glad
you've come! Now talk to me! Talk to
mep' and he continued walking up and
down the floor after shaking hands.
"What'S the matter! What ais you?
What do you mean?" said. "Are you
rehearsing? Have l interrupted you?
Do you want to be alOne?"
mo, nor he exclaimed eagerly, walk
ing up to me, Don't leave me. Don't
go away"
"What ON earth is the natter" I
asked.
Scared" he said, with querulOus
laugh. When l laughed. "YOu don't
believe me; it's true, though. Pm afraid
to go on the stage"
'Pshaw, manp' said, "why you are
joking; you have lectured for years."
Yes-seventy-five times this winter
but it don't make any difference. l
have to go through this absurd expert
ence every time. There's no getting
used to it,"
How does it make you feel?"
"Feel? Light as a cOrkl If I was
outside could fly right over this build
ing. Honestly and seriously, if l knew
L had got to die tonight, should pray
that the Lord would take me- just before
went on the stage"
"Many have the same experience.
That's some satisfaction" l suggested,
''if misery loves company"
"Yes, he said, Il told Beecher about
my troubles, and he said, Il can tell you
one thing for consolation; you'll never
get over it, | suffer every time go be-
fore an audience, and am afraid of my
own congregation But his experience
doesn't give me much comfort"
docs your fear vanish when you get
on the stage?"
"NO, it lasts some time, usually.
poke around among the audience for a
familiar face, and when | find friend
1 lecture right at him and don't notice
anybody else. Cough tells me that he
does the same thing. He says he often
finds himself talking to some sympathet.
ic and responsive little grOupe in one
corner, telling his stories to them alone,
as if they were in little room togeth-
er."
He looked at his watch. "Its most
time to go on the stage. If it was re-
spectacle I'd run away. The notion of
feigning sickness often comes over me
as it does over school boys who want to
play hockey. Are you my jailer?" look
ing up at gentleman in swallOw-tail
who seemed waiting for him.
"Yes; you have four minutes yet"
Cant get reprieve?" asked the
culprit, forcing grim smile.
Not this evening, or any other even
ing. You remind me of Theodore TiltOn
When he appeared he, though he had
1ectured five hundred times, was so
frightened that we couldn't get him on
the stage for long time. The hall filled
up, the audience clamOred, and he, hest
Eating to face them, walked up and
down this room, deaf to entrt les, wash
ing his hands Gin invisible soap and in =
perceptible water. Finally we got him
through the door at $780,"
told Burdette that Wendell Phillips
assured me once that he had similar ex-
perience; then slipped around into the
orchestra. The funny man came on the
stage, began in a tremulOus voice, and
his troubled eye wandered over the audi
ence till he found his friends, with whom
hequietly settled down and made him
self at home.