Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-03-17

stage-fright quite freely the other day,
and while disclaiming any knowledge OF
its effect upon actors, he said 1t was his
experience that large proportion OF lee
turers and concert-siDgers suiier from It
"Some persons are certainly so con-
stituled as TO become demoralized tempo
rarily az least upon facing en- audience.
he said. ~ know young lady" con-
tinued Major Pond, "who has tho
rough musical education, and has one Of
the purest and best voices / ever heard,
which is saying q good deal. She would
make sensation II she could he got to
conquer her fear OF an audience. But
she can't do it, and brilliant musical
career may be spoiled because OF the
failing.
but the man most subject to stage
fright whom / ever met" said Major
Pond, "was John b. Cough. Outside
his regular lectures he could not talk to
any audience. lie would break down
completely. | saw him placed IN most
embarrassing position when was with
him in London.
1--WE were at the church Of DR..
Parker, and the latter observing Mr..
Cough in the audience called him to the
pulpit and introduced him to the con
gregation. Mr. Cough Was simply
stunned with fright, and all that he could
do was to stammer ont some Incoherent
words Of apology. he was always the
same. His fear OF an audience would
never let him think on his feet
BEyRY WARD BEECHE2.
"Then there was Henry Ward Beech
er." continued the veteran manager. l
had long association with him IN our
lecturing tours With all his great abill-
ties he always suffered before facing On
audience. Iiis embarrassment usually
continued until he had got fairly started
and then it was forgotten. lie wns AL
ways so. lie had a peculiar fashion OF
holding one hand partly behind him and
pulling on bis coat with it. When that
hand came ont it was sign that the en-
barrassment had passed away.
"There were two famous men VINO
represented tho two extremes They
were Canon FarrAr and Canon Charles
kingsley. The first could speak readi'
", thinking on his feet, without emhar.
rassmeut. But Canon Kingsley could
not make the simplest address without
manuscript.
docs the feeling Of fright affect
singers 50 much " asked.
DWELL, scarcely" wes the reply.
90 Miss Emma Thursby used to be very
nervous before facing an audience. 30
did Miss Clara Louise Kellogg. The
latter seemed 20 have an idea that sud-
den pain was the remedy for an attack OF
fright She would sometimes insist
upon having some one bend ono Of her
fingers sharply back in the belief that
the pain would make her forget her
/ fright"
Continuing, Major Pond expressed the
opinion that a man OF the peculiar men
| tai makeup of Henry Ward Beecher or
/ Colonel Robert lngersoll Was more like
( " to suffer from stage-frlght than many
other men. since it has been the peculiar
character of each that he drew much III
epiration from the audience
Now DR.. Joseph Parker is never NJ
fected by any feeling of nervousness,
said Major Pond. "He thinks on his
feet easily and never seems at all embar
rassed. Wendell Phillips was another
speaker who always found no difficulty
III facing any kind OF an audience.
believe the same to be true OF the Rev
Robert Colyer."
OSCAR WILDE, MARX TWAIN, ETC.
Oscar Wilde WAS somewhat prone &c
stage nervousness, but, as the MAJOR OBJ
serves, "he was a poet Besides. he
got bravely over it.
II will not surprise most people, per
haps, 10 learn TINT Mark Twain, when
appearing on the platform with George
". Gable. was no. at all Affected by
staqe-fright. Cable is very sensitive
but whether it WAS the self possession o.
/ heart or something else that carried hin
through, be has never suffered iron
great nervousness.
There are not so many trained lectu
rers on the road now. George KEENAN,
the Russian traveller, has taken to the
platform with success but he seems NJ
more afraid of stag -fright than Lao wa
OF Siberian cold.
The two most interesting individuals
who are struggling with stege-iright jus
at present are Bill Nye and James Whit
comb Riley, 1.-The Hoosier Poet" Boil
have had pretty lively tussle with the
demon, it Is said by Major Pond. who j
keeping o watchiul eye on the younl
and inexperienced couple. Nye has be
gun to get the better OF it, and get BIZ
second wind at the same time but Riley
is still more or lessunder its influence.
If what is said of Riley is true. how
ever he is the most original specimen o
the sufferer from stage-frlght eItant
he gets nervous and forgets what ht
ought to do il order TO follow the per
Torrance, and then after acknowledging
that he has forgotten just where no j
be will extemporize on the spot some
thing better than the thing forgotten. J
would seem from this that While Mr.
Eiley's nervousness sometimes cause
him to forget lines that he has often Re
peaied it does not check his power Il
eXtempori1e.
1t is rather a peculiar fact that few o
our public men are affected 10y this so
called fright. Orators. lecturers, anC
preachers are, but politicians and states
men rarely or never.