Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-01-11
Charlotte Cushman. the Actress.

The biographies of great women are
not always encouraging. Sometimes
they are depressing to ambitious, YET
self-distrustful girls. "Why should
study and seek, to initiate such a char
acter?" is question that rises in the
mind of one whose talents are medic
Gre and opportunities for culture linn.
tied.
The hopeful possibilities of girlhood
are clearly Illustrated in the career OF
Charlotte Cushmab, who did not allow
herself to be crushed by circumstances.
To have surmounted such obstacles as
beset her path is to have become q
beacon, lighting the steps of the weary
and despondent who adopt her alluring
yet dangerous profession.
DR.. Ba1tol speaks truly of this illus
trious and irreproachablo actress when
he says that "she made the connection
of genius and virtue"
The "reminiscences of Charlotte Cush-
mans earliest days IN Boston open
with the sentence, I" I was born a tom
boy" One of her biographers (her
friend Emma Stebbins, in "Charlotte
Cushman, Her Letters and Memories
of Her Lite'0 explains the epithet by
saying that in those days it "was ap-
piled to all little girls who showed the
least tendency toward thinking and act
ing for themselves"
Prejudice and constraint must at one
time have pressed heavily upon the
strong, free nature of one who was in
every way SO original in her thoughts,
and independent in her actions.
''My earliest recollections," she con-
tinued in her memoranda, "are of
dolls heads ruthlessly cracked open to
see what they were thinking about.
was possessed with the idea that dolls
could and did think. [ had no faculty
for making dolls clothes, but their fur
niture could make skillfully. I could
do anything with tools"
To acknowledge that the needle is
not favorite implement, requires less
courage on the part of girls to-day,
than it did when Charlotte Cushman
was young. Cutting out pieces of cali
CO and sewing them together again
with the cover and over" stitch has
given place to quite as useful and far
mere artistic employments. Piecing
blocks and darning stockings are no
longer exacted. The model girl is
quite apt to do the things that her
brother does, greatly to the advantage
of her mind and body. The day has
passed when pursuits that used to be-
long to bayhood alone, impeach her
fem1ninity. The bounds of propriety
and decorum must be observed, but
girls may think and act for themselves.
No disgrace is attached to individuality.
Probably few girls will care to be ex-
tremists in the exercise of their free
dom, as we suspect Charlotte Cushman
was when she says: Climbing trees
was an absolute passion; nothing
pleased me SO much as to take refuge
in the top of the tsllest tree when af-
fairs below waxed troubled and inse-
cure. | was very destructive to toys
and clothes, tyrannical to brothers and
sister, but very social and great fa-
vorite with other children. Imitation
was prevailing trait" Referring
again to her initiative faculty she says:
" Besides singing everything l exer-
cised my initiative powers in all direc-
tions, and often found myself instinct
lively mimicking the tones, movements
and expression of those ABOUT me. Pm
afraid [ was what the French call
I'm e,Ja1t terrible in the vernacular,
an awful child; full OF irresistible life
and impulsive will; living fully in the
present, looking neither before nor af-
ter; as ready to execute as to conceive;
full of Imagination"
She left school when only thirteen
years Of age, the necessities of the
family obliging her to assist in hel own
support. Repeated failures seem to
have been the real foundation of her
wonderful success in the profession
she finally chose.
Surely, in reviewing the life Of Char
lotte Cushman no girl need utterly de-
spair because of obstacles in her path;
no girl need shrink from being true to
herself for fear of the worlds opinion.
A great, grand woman, from whose ex-
ample many fainting spirits will draw
fresh inspiration, has proven that a girl
need not be wholly conventional ia her
life, or even have much reverence for
old-fogy notions of 'twoman's sphere"
in order to be at once admired, esteem
ed, honored and beloved. Not confor-
nifty to custom, but character is de-
manded of the girls of to-day.
Charlotte Cushman who, as a woman
and an actress moved and melted the
hearts of multitudes, also possessed
genius for many other pursuits. When
2 girl, she "could do anything with
tcols." Let those who hate to sew take
heart Perhans there are other fhinos