, 1888-11-04
IN TIE pANT0Nl,iu
PARTS WHICH CHILDREN LIKE eea7
IN SPECTACULAR PLAYS.

business.
81 don't want TO wear tina. dress; Ii
amt bright and pretty ike the others
The hid was a pretty girl OF $ years,
and She was being arrayed in u coarse,
dark gown to represent Little But.crcuP
in "PInafOrc.
1T is always So commented Mr.. 10
scph W. Horner, the cOstumer, to a re-
porter who happened to be present. I've
been at his business thirty-five years, aud
l haven't yet found the child who did not
object to appearing in dark or coarse cos
tunes"
The costumes the little girls enjoy
most, " added Mr.. Horner, ARE thoscthVt
are brilliant; the brighter and more spark
ling they are the better the children are
pleased. while n somber dress seems TO
have Il bad effect on them at once. h
boys like soldier clothes best and sailor
suits next. TIL giIls always take Il great
fancy to n train gown, and when they
represent birds of long plumage they pay
particular attention to it. | have watched
them very closely and have noticed, too,
how peculiarly old fashioned girls are in
every instance, and how they are all at
tention to the instructions given them,
requiring much less effort in 5his respect
than boys. Some of the most elegant cos
tunes worn by girls of 6 TO S years are
LnOSe OF inc Slyle u LOUIS NlN lOT NtlC
minuet. In this they wear dresses of the
finest quality of figured silk, with pulled
sleeves, and trimmed with gold and sill
yer. These costumes cost often as high
as SO each. Elegant suits for the boys
are made of silk velvet, square cut. They
include sword, jeweled buckles and trim
ming of pink silk and velvet. Such a suit
complete is worth 800. They are for the
minuet also. Fairy costumes are made of
Tighter material, but are often trimmed
with lace and embroidered in gold and
silver.
'How young nave you known children
to appear in private theatricals or on the
professional stage?''
LAS early as 2 years of age. remem-
Der a girl of this age who committed eight
verses to memory and recited them at a
Sunday school entertainment. She did
not break down once, and her ]pronuncia-
ton was correct throughout. At n fairy
play in n hall of this city, at which II school
took part, there was a girl of 3 years who
remembered her part all through and did
the stage business well. She also sang in
mn operetta."
''What is the best age for teaching chill
dren to act?'
''For girls, Z or 8 years. The brain at
that time begins really to develop and is
most susceptible. Boys must be 10 years
old before they can do anything cute or
smart on the stage. That is my actual
experience, and I've taught ut least . Zoo
children for stage appearances. My idea
is that a child's soul is MS mature as u
grown PERSONS. The penetrating gaze of
children seems to me to show this"
''What parts are children best in?''
'Pathetic and singing parts. Comedy
in children is very rare. In fancy pieces,
those written especially for children, the
boys.do as well as girls, but the girls learn
their parts and seem to understand what
is wanted of them much more quickly
than boys. They do not forget, while the
boys do. TIL boys will leave out lines.
The parts must be fairly thumped into
them. i recall one remarkable piece of
work by a girl of 8 years that will show
you how apt they are. The play was
The Tempest" and a number of chill
dren were to act it for some charitable in
stitutiOn. The girl who was to take the
part OF Ariel vas 10 years old. At noon
on the day the play was to be given she
met with an accident that rendered her
appearance impossible. Our only hope
a child 8 years old, who we knew was
bright enough to read the part. We saw
her that afternoon and asked her to read
the part. She had been on the stage be-
fore in private theatricals, and had lone
very well. She refused to read, but said
she would learn the part. There were 200
lines and seven or eight entrances. She
began at ) O'Clock, and by the time tho
curtain was rung up had committed the
part completely TO memory Why. or the
stage she recited it as readily as if it had
been IN everyday occurrence with her.
She was the child of poor parents. nave
seen great big girls of IA or 10 cry and
SWIVEL over their part when younger ones
Nynn11 ppt along without unu Hifipultu
l remember q noteworthy case where I
had seventy young girls in n tableau.
The girl in it representing the Spirit of
Death was only 1O. ] gay them their
positions, and told them to leave the stage,
come back and take exactly the same
places again. They didit without a single
error
''How long does it take to prepare n
child to take a part?N
For Il play six rehearsals. rs q rule,
IRE sufficient and for u tableau one re-
hearsal is enough. In II tableau of n
gypsy dance not long ago l placed the
children in position, hand and foot raised
as if dancing, and then dismissed them.
Two days later they all took the same
positions without n word of instruction.
An interesting case was hat of a score of
children whose ages ran from s to 10, and
who were governed as to their positions
on the stage by different lights, one posi-
ton for blue, another for red and so on.
Not one missed after the first rehearsal,
and the little ones were just as apt as the
older ones and were, besides, often first to
u k their places"
DC many of the children become pro
fessional actorsf'
MOI These little private performances
are done for the amusement of friends,
and parents are delighted to see their
children in them, but when the children
are wanted for the professional stage the
parents object at once. There is no in
tance that l know OF where a child has
been cultivated ut so early an age for the
stage; nor do l know of a woman who
became a brilliant actress from n smart
child on the stage. / do know, however,
of boys h were bright in this respect
who have become good actors. The child
who in 1850 made such a hit ms Eva in