Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-12-03
cLARA MORRIS.
Tho Actress' suErerinRs and Hard
Work--AbouI HRer Llse.

Miss Clara Morris. who WINS heard at the
Opera House Friday evening, Is known in
| private life as Airs. II. o. Harriott She Is
| about 35 years OF age, and has been on the
stage about 2S years, combining her work
| chiefly to the larger cities until her
weakened physical condition demanded
that her journeys be shorter and the stop
4 pages in travel more frequent. Miss Morris
| has been q confirmed invalid for several
| years, and has been treated for an incurable
| spinal afiiiction by the most eminent physi-
| clans OF this country and Europe. The
medical attention afforded her only tempo
| rary relief and served to prolong life, and
| mitigated to some extent her sufferings,
which are most intense, and of late almost
continuous. In the treatment of her disease
1t is necessary every few months to scar the
base of her spinal column with an iron re-
duced to white heat, an operation as may
be imagined as painful as it is heroic.
During the interval she is heavily dosed
with drugs, which are administered as a
tonic to her nerves and to maintain her
physical strength. A correspondent tersely
describes Miss Morris as a bundle of the
most sensitive nerves and sufferings, heroic,
persevering and kept alive and on her feet
by the sheer force of her remarkable will
power" Entire lest, ordered by her ply
sicians as a possible cure of her ailmenty
was taken, but this not ayailing the actress
returned to her profession, finding that
working takes her mind on her suffering
for the time, even though it weakcns her
general health. She has, therefore, returned
to the stage to escape the pain from which
she Is never entirely free. On the stage, il
may be said she is entirely lost to every
thing else, and for the time lives but the
character she interprets. This power, which
was gained by hard, patient and tireess
work and natural ability, is the great secret
of her success.
Wbilp 1r,vplinU nVary fnaane Of SAourinu
her the greatest amount of comfort and
freedom from fatigue are employed. Her
journeys are made by IL Pullman car pro-
vided with IA kitchen attachment. In this
the llttle actress makes her home during |
ner starring season never leaving ii except |
to 90 to aiid from the theatre. Here she is |
attended 10y her nurse and maid, and cook |
provides such plain food as she can partake |
Of. Her husband, who is Il large stout man |
1f middle age, travels with her constantly |
and is seldom from her side.
Miss Morris leaves her car about O'Clock |
in the evening, is driven to the theatre, |
where she takes nap, and is awakened in |
time to dress for her entrance. Her maid i
has q most difficult task. The toilet has to |
be made as the actress sits or reclines on a |
sofa and assisted to change her position /
when necessary. The length of time neees-
sitated to change the costumes is felt by the
between the acts, which interval |
is unusually long. Frequently, when par
ticularly fatlgued, Miss Morris snatches
few minutes sleep between curtains, |
Though weak and seemingly powerless to
walk alone Off the stage, an unnatural
strength bears her up when before ihe foot
lights, and no one would imagine that the |
artistic who can SO readily move her audi
ence to tears, and by her work exact the
closest attention is almost as helpless as a
child as soon as she passed beyond the
range of vision among the scenes. After
the performance she is given nm hours rest,
frequently nap, and is driven back to her
car, where she Is put to bed, seldom leaving
the latter until time to prepare for the per-
the next evening.
Such martyrism to suffering has made
her irritible and exacting from members of
the company. II she notices any irregu-
larity in the performance she Immediately
corrects il while on the stage, thereby
directing the audiences attention to the
defect, to the great chagrin of the actor or
actress to whom the rebuke is directed.
Her word is law in the company and with |
managers, and but few have ever had the
hardihood to attempt to induce her to
swerve from an expressed purpose. Those
who have been so daring will probably
never repeat the vain task. She plays the
pieces she feels that best suit her mood
when there is any choice, and the company /
frequently assemble in the evening not
knowing with any degree of certainty what
tne presentation Will De. Whatever Sne
does, however, is always acceptable and |
there is but little to find fault with in the |
end. Miss Morris season is but 20 weeks |
duration, a longer period it being feared |
might prove such strain upon her weak |
ened, physical condition as to render her |
helpless and without strength to leave her |
bed.
In personal appearance Miss Morris is
very plain. In fact homely. Her face is
strongly intellectual, her mouth large and
singularly expressive. She is very slight n
mere skeleton of medium hight, and her
face clearly shows the sufferings she under
goes, which evidences are however con
cealed when on the stage by her makeup.
AT intervals of l5 or 20 minutes when awake
she takes dose of most bitter, nauseating
medicine, and on the stage this is admins
tered from goblet out of which she drinks
as II taking sip Of water, which she swal-
lows with concealed dislike.