The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-04
READERS AND RECITERS.
Fair Female Fiends Who Infest the Me-
tropolis with Their Elocution.
Nym Crinkle Throws His Lance Into Their
Midst = characteristics of the Lady
Spouter-Some Malignant Types.
Written for the indianapolis journal.

Written for the Indianapolis Journal.
There are at least by a reasonable calculation
800 girls in New York who have the mark of
elocution on their snowy brows. They are sepa-
rated into categofies of readers. reciters, mar
rators and spouters. The readers are at the
present moment the thickest Sometimes the
spouters have the upper hand. Mrs Potter is
responsible for new crop, and then all the elo-
cutionists turn them out by the flock
The reader is usually thin, fair-skinned, blue
eyed slightly wan and intellectual She sits in
the back row at the party demurely, and waits
for Algernon Sydney Perkins to say: Il see
that the brilliant and accomplished reader, Miss
Clianthe Cake, is present. and suggest
that she give US specimen of her
ability" Then Clianthe is dragged out,
shoves down the pins in her back hair, rolls
her eyes, and says that she will, with their per-
mission. read that beautiful poem, AUX I.al-
iens.n She has the book in her hand, but only
refers to it occasionally. Not to have the book
would be reciter, and there is broad line be-
tween them. One is intellectual, the other is
dramatic. One is literary, the other is STACEY.
One sticks to poetry, the other sheers off little
on pantomime.
The reciter is usually robust girl, who thinks
she is emotional and mimetic and humorous.
One uses her eyes, the other her hands. The
reader has chances, the reciter gesticulations.
Robust girls, as rule, are not emotional
until after they are married The pen
sive reader is usually emotional before.
AS rule husbands will put up with
moderate reciters, but they will not tolerate
o1.tl. &c
lecturer in them. Besides, the reader always
has you at disadvange so long as she has the
book in her hand. She can read the whole of
Manfred" or ''Coriolanus" and not break down.
But the reciter, thank heaven, can't There is
wise provision of nature which ordains the mem
DRY that shall not be equal to misery.
Young ladies, WHO give readings of Faust
and "Cnilde Harold" are ignorant of the
capacities of the opposite sex. After the first
hour the male brute begins to groan. The
second hour makes him hate his species. Some
of the best families Lexington avenue
have been almost denuded of young men by
tue length of the readings, and there has
sprung up among elderly who go to parties
arbitrary distinction with reference to readers
which is not recognized by elocutionists. They
are divided into Longs" and "Shorts. But these
old men are probably Wall street fellows. Miss
Ablogenesis Kunckleton of Savory Park is one
recently read down two hundred pages and one
hundred people at Chickering Hall at the same
time. The morning Twinkler sagaciously re-
marked of her that she was better acquainted
with her author than her victims. and the Daily
Smokestack which is one of the fairest Of jour
nails, kindly said that her knowledge of the
human heart was shown by her skill early in the
evening, but her knowledge of the human con-
stitution had not appeared at IL o'clock when our
critic left.
These readers have TO undergo the most Sc.
we're training in athletics. They practice with
the Indian clubs two hours in the meTning, walk
five miles before breakfast, put on the gloves for
half an hour with their trainer, eat a raw egg,
are sponged OFF with whisky and then kept
the parallel bars till dinner time. They thus ac-
ouire staying power.
The narrators are quite a different order of
creature. They tell short stores-generally
Mark Twain's, though they usually have one or
two they have written themselves These stories
are fashioned to exhibit some peculiar trick or
gift OF the young lady Thus, for example, the
gifted Miss Ophelia Lambsphat, of Lambs phat-
on-the -Greve, always narrates a story with the
line in it of
Charge. Stanley, CHARGE
because her father is wealthy plumber, aud she
has inherited the gift of throwing depth and
power of sincerity into the words that are mar
velous 1t was always said of the beautiful Miss
Sidonie Sacks. before she died of the measles,
that she Sould sing the line that referred to the
unnecessary weeping of body that met an
other body coming through the rye with a
pathos that carried her listeners. as with angels
Wings, to the fact that her father was distiler
And the well.known Miss Ksmble Kissbacker of
Creamery Park, has often narrated one of
Wattsh his names hymns in an evening party to
harp accompaniment. so that the dulIest organ
grinder has been known TO cross the street and
go humbly round the corner.
When we come to the spouter we encounter
the perfected vice of elocuton. The spouter is
usually middle aged and says, Give me the
dagger" at the slightest provocation. She is
cultural. grandiose and grave She was per-
sonally acquainted with Charlotte Cushman
who privately told her some things
that have not yet been published
There ara, however, some young
spouters, who have to be watched continually
for If you leave a. chair around loose they con-
vert it into balcony when you are unprotected
and you must not mention rose of any kind
not even one Of the George Fawcett Rowe's
unless you wish to be informed with sobs that
by any other name it would smell as sweet
which is manifest absurdity-fancy it called
George Francis Train for example
AT the last census there we're 612 spouters of
all ages between Fourteenth street and Harlem
on the mud. Some of them have children who
lsped into heroics before they Tapped in the
mature damsei in Twenty third street
who turns an honest penny and IF
teen stone by giving lessons. She plants
about hundred new declamers in our narlors
everysyear. They all have the same brand.
They fold their under their chin
They drag the left toe perpendicularly on
carpet when they walk; they have more
lungs than logic. They remark things in a
volleying way, as If depth of voice were profund-
ity of thought. They make Shakspearcan
observations as if they were firing salute
When they want to kill you with much cherish
ing" they scare you little. You fancy Lille
Devereux Blake and her umbrella are coming
They seem to have an orthodox regard for the
fall-not the fall of the year but the fall of the
body; they are always coming down like the
waters did at Lodore-or that historic coon did
before he was asked. They have given rise to
the popular phrase now applied to all tragic art,
Take a tumble" To spout without falling
would be equivalent to a rant without rising
The queen mother is SCARED all over like
veteran where she has struck herself on loose
carpet tacks and stray haifpins with black beads
on them. Whenever she spouts at Mrs Solo