Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-11-05
HOW SOME WOMEN BEGAN LIFE.

Clara Morris mother was a cook in a
restaurant in Cleveland when Clara was
lanky girl of Is years of age. Manager
John Ellsler advertised for scme extra
girls for the ballet in pantomime he was
getting up. Clara applied for place in
The extra ballet. She wore an old, faded
calico dress. much too short for her long
legs, a thin shawl and ragged wooden
scarf wrapped around her head. When
the extra girls were no longer required
Clara was retained for small parts. That
was the beginning Of the career of the
great emotional actress, Clara Morris,
who, by the way, is of English, not Anne
rican, birth.
The sweet poetess Lucy Larcom was a
mill hand.
Pretty Maude Granger, with the gold
brown eyes and shapely form, first earned
her Ii velihood by running a sewing ma
chine.
Sarah Bernhardt was dressmaker IS
apprentice; so was Matilda Heron.
Adelaide Nelson began life as child's
nurse, and Lady Hamilton as a house
maid.
Miss Braddon, the we'll known novel;
list, was utility actress in the English
provinces, performing principally in pam
tomime.
Christine Nilsson. was poor Swedish
peasant, and ran barefoot in childhood,
Jenny Lind. also Swede, was the daugh-
ter of principal OF young ladies' board
ing school, and beyond rather narrow Cir
cumstances had no especial difficulties in
order to gain celebrity.
The great French actress. Rachel, had
as hard childhood as ever fell to the lot
of a genius. Ragged, barefoot and hung
rY, she played the tambourine in the
streets, and sang and begged for dole.
Naturally she was illiterate and vulgar,
but overcame both these drawbacks at the
same time that she gradually acquired re-
nown.
Charlotte Cushman was the daughter of
poor people, who, however, gave her an
excellent education in the public schools.
In order to maintain herself she asp1red
to become an opera singer, but accident
ally losing her voice, became an actress
instead.
Adelaide Phillips, the singer, now dead
was a Treasury Department girl, and SC
for time was Sara Jewett, the actress.
| hn ~ 10 r
strained every nerve to give Clara mus
ical education. and at one time was pro.
fessional spiritual medium. Miss Kellogg
failed three times. Each time she retired
not discouraged, but to devote herself to
the still further development of her voice.
Finally she took the public by storm. He1
first failures we're her last.
Edmonia Lewis, the sculptor, is colored
Overcoming the prejudice against her sex
and color, and self-educated, Miss Lewis
is now successfully pursuing her profes
sion in Italy. Only one other colored
woman ever gained distinction in the fine
arts; that was the singer who called her
self 1.-THE Black Swan" and who flourish.
ed about fifteen years ago. There has
never been an authoress or actress of col
or beyond the merest tyro, but no one can
predict what the future may hold for col
ored people.
Mime. Roland-who, by her impassioned
and eloquent baraDgues, had 80 much tc
do with bringing about the French revo
lntion-was the daughter of a bookseller
and sold books over the counter. She
was one of the most gifted and learned
women of that terrible period. She be-
came victim Of the feud she had helped
to stir up, and persisted on the guillotine
She was the originator of the lannon's
phrase; 80 Liberty how many crimes
are committed in thy name!''
Anna Dickinson began life as school
teacher. Wearying of this, she one day
went to Mrs. John Drew, manageress OF
the Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia
and entreated her to give her an opportu-
nifty to go upon the stage. Mrs. Drew
heard her recte, told her that she had g
very bad accent, that she did not think
she would ever make an actress, and ad-
vised her to 60 back to her school teach
ing. The war broke out soon afterward
giving Miss Dickinson an opportunity tt
emerge from obscurity. She still secretly
cherished histrlonic aspirations. but years
were destined to elapse before she was en-
abled to test whether Mrs. Drew had beer
a true prophet or not.
Mrs. Langtry is the daughter of coun
try parson of small means, the old provert
of her face being her fortune, proved true
in her case. Nevertheless, the standing
Mrs. Langtry has acquired upon the
boards entities her to rank among the
! self-made women of the day.
I Minnie Hauks father was German
and shoemaker, in the most straighten-
ed circumstances. Her voice early attract
ed the attention of one of New York 4
richest men, who had it cultivated, and
thus opened the way to fame for her.
Nell Gwynn sold oranges in the streets
and theaters. From the pit, while vend.
ing her wares, she took fancy for the
stage, and let nothing stand in the way
until she achieved the object Of her ambi.
ton. She became ia NOUS as an actress
and Infamous as the favorite of Charles II.
AS rule, literary women have bad less
severe struggles to gain distinction than
their sisters Of the stage. Many OF them
have had to battle with poverty. b few