New-York tribune., 1885-03-31

daughter he confessed that his experience gave
force to his acting in the most pathetic o.
the play Are We to that s ss1ns was AID to the
actori Bannster said Of John Kem9le that ne was
that when deeply moved he found himself makins
rapid and fugitive observation on the alteration OF hs
rOce aud certain spasmodic vibration IL contraced
in tears Has not the actor who thus make his feel
inas part OF his art AN advantage over te ACTOR
feelings Of othersi is necessary to this art that the
mind should have It double consciousness IN
fall swing while the actor is ali the time the alert
for every detail OF his method II may be that his lay
the actor who combines the electric force Of strong per-
sonaty with mastery OF the resources OF his ART must
have greater power his audiences tnan the pas
soness actor who gives most artistic stimulation OF the
eniotions he mover experiences.
THE IMPORTANCE Of ELoCuTIoN.
row. In the PRACTICE of acting, one most important
point the study Of eocuon; and in elocution another
great difficulty of sufficient force to be gener-
ally heard without being unnaturay loud, and without
acquiring stited deliT The advice Of the old actors
that you should ss pitch your voice so as to be
hsed by the back OF the galleryno easy task to
accomplish without offending the OF the front row OF
tho orchestra never ki, actor who brought this
art to greater perfection than the late Charles Mathews
whose utterance the stage natural that 1t was
surprising to ind that he was really speaking In very
whose eocnton one always listens with tbs utmost
joyment-I mean Edwin Booth. He has inherited tns
IT,
heard t said, that always insisted thorough use
Of the instruments -by which he meant the teeth-ln
Some wholesome advice on this point we find in the Life
of Betterton' one of the greatest OF actorsi
This still uniformity Of voice s not only m tb 70
the but disappons the effect OF the Q" he
pronunciation has every where in every word and every
syllable, the same sound It must Inevitably render az
Level! so that the power OF the reasoning part the nstre
~ fha n mar
tone IL 1at and nspid. and lost In supne or At least
S anS s ue 90 bs because
spoken all alike WITHOUT any dstinoueE OF variety
On the question OF pronunciation there is something TO
be SAID which think In ordinary tsachng Is not I'M
Unaeced but not always fashioned gdy according 70
dictionary standard No less authority than Cicero
10 ss S ss
broken with varying direct sound and that
from witch draw variations Take the simplest Illus
tration-rhe formal pronunciation OF All is All OF
sion of emotion Ike this. These ordinations are
words OF one syllable but the speaker who is sounding
pronunciation by the dictionary rule. 1t Is said of
Edmund Kean that he never spoke spch calculations
nS, Nv Desdemonal Oh, oh, oh' Words are intended
to express feelings and IDEAS not to bind them In rgd
feters; the accents OF pleasure are different from the
accents OF pain. and II feeling s more accurately OK
pressed as IN nature by variation OF SOUND not pro
vded by the laws OF pronunciation then such imper
feet laws must be disree arded and nature yndtcated
The force o. an actor depends OF course upon his
physique. and 1t IS necessary therefore, that good
deal OF attention should be given to bodily training
Everything that develops snpPen,ess elasticity, am
yated and In ths regard your admirable gymnasium is
Worth volumes Of advice Sometimes there Il mae %
young actor with striking physical ADVANTAGES must pc
That way folly lies, and the resut may
be too dearly purchased by the fame OF
vary there can be no military standard OF proportions
on the stage Some great actors have had 70 struggle
against physical disabilities OF serious nature. Better
ton had an face so had lie Kain. John
Kemble troubled with weak asthmatic voice, ana
by his aud the force OF his PERSONALITY ne was
able 10 achieve the greatest effects In some lses
superabandant physique has ineapactated actors ol
all the gifts OF mind and all the advantages of person Is
very rare the stage but talent Will conquer many
natural defects when IT Is Sustained by energy ana per
severance.
GESTURE AND BY-PLAY.
With regard TO gesture shakespeares advice Is all
enbraeng Suit the action to the word the word to the
action with this special Observance that you oyertep
not the modesty of nature. And here comes the
consideration Of q very material part OF the
actor's business y-pay. This is OF the very
essence Of true art. Il is more than anything
else. Significant OF theI extent to which the
actor has identified himself with the character ne repre-
consider how the whole interest OF the situation depends
GUS suspicion in stiIled into mind Is depleted
IN look AND tone slight Of 6St az ~
OF actor is his capacity for listening. Byplay
be nnObtrusiye the student should remember that
the minute expression attracts attention; thht
nothing lost that bypay Is mtsehevous hen IL Is
injudcious as 1t Is effective when rightly conceived and
that while tes make perfection, pefec lion Is no tine
II most important that actor should learn that he Is
figure picture, aud that the least exaggeration de-
stroys the harmony nj the composition All the members
OF the company should work toward a common end
with the nicst suborlination OF their individuality TO
the general purpose. without this method play when
acted Is mt best and ncoherent piece OF work
instead OF being harmonious whole. like the line per-
forinance OF an orchestral symphony.
The OF the matter tDa the actor must before all
things form definite conception OF what he Wishes 10
convey IL Is better 10 be wrong and be consistent than
to be right yet hesitang and uncertain ms why
Will do the wrong thing with courage and
which make the error all the more strikingi although
necessary that actor shoud learn to think before he
speaks Let him remember rs that every sentenoe ex-
change OF mtonation secondly that the thought pre-
cedes the word or course, there are passages ia when
emotion and completely mtermngled But more often II
will be found that the most natural the most seem
working OF the mind is before the tongue
givesi words This lesson was enJOlned ON mo when
otte Cushman I remember that when she played Meg
McTies east for Henry BelfTdrs on the principle
Sly atIed for singing part It was my duty to give
Meg Ars piece OF money aud DID II after the ira
dtona fashion by handing her large purse full OF coin
OF the realm in shape OF broken crockey which was
generally used In financial transactions on the stage pc
when the yirtuOus maiden rejected with scOrh tue
OF the ordy bertne and threw his perncious
brbe upon the ground the cater OF the broken crockery
CasGman n the course of some kindly advice said to me,
Instead OF giving that purse, don't you think 1t
would have been much more natural IN you had taken
number OF coins from your pocket and given ne the
smallest That is the way one gives aims TO beggar
and IL would added greatly to the realism of the
scene" have forgotten that lesson Tor simple as
IL WAS t contained many elements OF dramatic TRUTH
ou Will that the limits Of actors studies are very
wide To the technicaes OF his craft TO faml
arze his mind with the structure the thm ana the
soul OF poetry to be constantly cuuvatng Ills peIcep'
tions OF life around him and OF all the ars-paintng
music souptnrefor the actor who devoted to MS pro-
soundto do all this is TO labor in very large field OF IN
dustry But all your training bodily and mental Is sub,
servent To the two great principles In tragedy ana
cOmedy-passOn and geniaiity Genality In comedy Is
one OF gfts Think OF the rich junction. OF fa
staff the mercural fancy OF hercuo the witty yvacy
and manly humor OF Benedick-thnk OF the qualities,
natural aud acquired that needed for the portrayal