, 1888-01-20
IN THE %PANTOMIME.
PARTS WHICH CHILDREN LIKE BEST
IN SPECTACULAR PLAYS.

dOn I want 10 wear that dress; 1t
amt bright and pretty like the others"
The cEllu was a pretty girl of 8 years,
and she was being arrayed in n coarse,
dark gown to represent Little Buttercup
in "PinafOre.n
sit Is always So" commented Mr.. Jo-
seph w. Horner, the costumer, to n re-
porter who happened to be present. 'I've
been at this business thirty five years, and
i haven't yet found the hild who did not
object TO appearing in dark or coarse cos
tunes"
""The costumes the little girls enjoy
most, y added Mr.. Horner, ''are those that
are brilliant; the brighter n more spark
ling they are the better the children arc
pleased, while u somber dress seems to
have "a bad effect on them at once. The
boys like soldier clothes best and sailor
suits next. Tho girls always take a great
fancy to n train gown, and when they
represent birds of long plumage they pay
particular attention to it. / nave watched
them very closely and nave noticed, too,
how peculiarly old fashioned girls are in
every instance, and how they are all at
tentton to the instructions given them,
requiring much less effort in his respect
than boys. Some of the most elegant cos
tunes worn by girls of 6 to 8 years nre
those Of the style of Louis XIV for the
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
us $50 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 n suit
complete is worth 800. They arc for tho
minuet also. Fairy costumes nre made of
lighter material, but are often trimmed
with lace and embroidered in gold and
silver.
4'How young have you known children
to appear in private theatricals or on the
professional stage?'
Gas carly as , years of age. 1 remem-
Der n girl of his ago who committed eight
verses to memory and rccited them at a
Sunday school entertainment. Sho did
not break down once, and her pronuncia-
ton was correct throughout. AT n fairy
play in a hall,of his city, Mt which u school
o part, there was n girl of 3 years who
remembered her part all through and did
the stage business well. She also sang in
nm operettn."
"What is the best age for teaching chill
drcn to actf''
For girls, 7 or s years. The brain at
that time begins really to develop and is
most susceptible. Boys must he 10 years
old before they can do anything cute or
Nlilbl "a INC hAsIst. lllslL. IS my actual
experience, and I've taught TT least 1000
children for stage appearances. Liy idea
81 that n hid soul is rs mature as n
crown PERSONS. The penetrating gaze of
children seems to me to show this
"NThHt 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 us well us 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. The boys will leave out lines.
The parts must be fairly thumped into
them. l recall one remarkable piece of
work by n girl Of 8 years that win show
you how apt they are. The play was
The Tempest and u number of chill
Grcn were to act il for some charitable in
stitutiCn. The girl who WIS to take the
part Of Ariel was Is years old. At noon
on the day the play WIS to be given she
met with an accident that rendered her
appearance impossible. Our only hope
was II child 8 years old, who we knew was
bright enough to read the part. Wo saw
her that afternoon and asked her to read
the part. She had been on the stage be-
fore i'll private thcatriCals, and had lone
very well. h refused to read, but said
she would learn the part. There were 200
lines and seven or eight entrances. She
began Mt 3 O'Clock, and by the time tho
curtain was rung up had committed the
part completely to memory. Why, on the
stage she reCited it rs readily rs if it had
been an everyday occurrence with her.
She was the child Of poor parents, 1 have
seen great big girls OF II or 10 cry and
SWIVEL over their part when younger ones
would get along without any difficulty.
| remember n noteworthy case where 1
had seventy young girls in n tableau.
The girl in it representing the Spirit of
Death was only 10. l gave them their
positions, and told them to leave the stage,
come back and take exactly the same
places again, They did it without n single
error
GLOW long does It take to prepare u
child to take n part?''
For a play six rehearsals, rs q rule,
are sufficient and for n tableau one re-
hearsal is enough. In n tableau of q
gypsy dance not long ago L placed the
children in position, hand and foot raised
as II dancing, and then dismissed them.
Two days later they all took the same
positions without n word of instruction.
An interesting case was that of a score of
children whose ages ran from s to 10, and
who were governed ms 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 rs the
older ones and were, besides, often first to
take their Places
"Do many Of the children become pro-
fcssionnl n~ctors?''
MOP These little private performances
are done for the amusement of friends,
and parents nre delighted to see their
children in them, but when the children
are wanted for the professional stage the
parents object Mt once. There is no in
stance that l ! know of where u child has
been cultivated ut so early an age for the
stage; nor do l know of n woman who
became n brilliant actress from n smart
child on the stage. l do know, however,
of boys who were bright in this respect
who have become good actors. The child
who in 1850 made such n hit MS Eva in
Uncle Toms Cabin when 1t first came
on, is an example of what | tell you. She
grew up in the profession, but was not
successful. New York Mail and Ex-
press.