Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-03-24
STAGE FRIGHT.


STAGE FRIGHT.
How Ii Attacks Veteran Actors, Lecturers
and Concert Singers.
Almost all our leading actors, from Ed
win Booth down, are troubled with stage
taght. John Gacksy, the comedian, had
such bad attack while sgo that lie ian
away from the theatre and no performance
could be given.
/ I.i5 the same with ministers, lawyere
sad orators. One can see the nervous
tsitchiug in C5auncsy n. Dspew's face
until after he IS called upon TO speak TIE
moment he gets on his feet be is ali right,
I ana can talk like a windmill on a spree.
I Dr. Talmage Is not free from II, and Col
Bob IngersOll is not at all sure of himself
until after ne has uttered his first dozen
/ sentences. TIE war and tear Of the
nerves the thought OF possible failure IS
sometimes almost OverpOwering. The old
/ campaiguers are as badly off as the begin
ners Mayor Grant, of New York, Is a
GOOD public speaker, anG has ha3 plenty
of experience, bat i. is pitiful to see him
before he begins. he frets and idgsts, his
hands toy with mis- watch chain, OF are
run through his hsir il a seeming agony OF
despair
Msior Pond, the lecture and concert
manager has probably handled more lee
turers and singers by the lyeeum system
taan eny other msn no The country, among
them having been Henry Ward Beechsr
Joseph Parker, of London; John B. Cough, |
Canon Farrar, Anna Dickinson and any |
number of others. He chatted ab Iut stage |
fright quite fleely the other day, and while
di4claiuing any knowledge Of It's effect
up7n actors be sai6 It was his experience |
that q large proportion Of lecturers and |
concert singers suffer from IT.
But the man most subject TO stage |
t- 1t whom I ever met said he, 'wss |
John b Cough. Outside his regular /
lectures be could not talk to any audience. !
lie would break down comp etely / saw |
hin placed in q most embarrassing posi- |
ton when I was with him in London.
We we're at the church CT Dr. Parker !
and ihe latter observing Mr. Cough in the |
audience called him TO the pulpit and in
roiuced aim TO the congregation. Mr..
Cough was simply stunued with fright
sad an that ne could DO was to stammer |
out some irc1hereat words Of apology. He |
was N ways the same. His fear of an su-
iieace would never let him think on ais |
feel
Then there vas Henry Ward Beecher," |
continued the veteran manager. ~ had /
loug association with him in our lecturlng |
.ours. With all his great abilities he
slwavs suffered before facing al audience. |
H:sembarrlssment usually continued until |
hs 20. fairly started and then i, vas for
aotten He was always 80. He had a |
peculiar fashion of holding one hand partly /
oehin' him and pulling on his coat with |
it. When that hand came out it was a /
sign that the embarrassment had passed /
away"
There were two famous men who repre-
sented the two extremes, They were Con-
on Farrar and Canon Charles KiDgsley. |
The first could speak readily, thinking on
his feet, without embarrassment. But |
Canon Kingslsy could not make the sim
p s., address without manuscript.
ID r. Locke, the humorist, better
known as Prtroleun Y. Nasby, was always !
afraid of an audience, aud ne could never /
til what TO DO with his bands when on the
platform. But he never really succeeded !
as % lecturer.
Anna Dickinson was always more or
less nervous before facing an audience, |
Though Mrs. Mary Liverm0re, who Is
ihe most popular of the women lecturers |
to-day. has very little of that feeling.
"Miss Emms ThuIsby used to be very |
nervous before facing an audience. So did !
Miss Clara Louisa Kellogg. The latter |
seemed 20 lave an idea that sudden p in !
wss the remedy fer an attack of fright |
She would sometimes insist upon having |
some one bend one OF her fingers sharply /
back, in the belief that the paiu would
make her forget her fright
Continuing, Msior Pond expressed the
opinion that a man of the peculiar mental
makeup of Henry Ward Bsecher OF Col !
Robert Iugsrsoll was more likely 20 sutfr
from stage fright more than other men,
since 10 has been the peculiar character OF
each that be drew much inspiration from
the audience
"N0w DE-. Joseph Parker is never stfsct- |
ed by any feeling of nervousness, ~ said |
Msior Pond. He thinks on his feet
easily snd never seems at all embarrassed |
Wendell Phillips was another speaker who |
always found no difficulty in facing any
kind of an audience. believe the same 10
+ be true of Rsv. Robert Collier.
Lyman Abbott Is to-day among the |
/ leading American lecturers. There seems |
To- be none of the nervousness about him /
that was felt by Mt Beecher Rev Phil Z
lips Brooks is another speaker who has no
trou BILE 10 facing an audience. He would !
be the most popular lecturer Of the day if
he would take it mp
Msior Pond describes Max O'Rell, who
| did some lecturing here, as being exempt
from any sort OF stage fright; fact that
probably viii no, surprise those who have
read ms books.
O.car Wilde was somewhat prone to
stage nervousness, but, as the Major OBJ
serves, he was a poet. Besides, he got
| brsve,y over it.
il will not surprise most people per
hsps TO learn that Mark Twain, when ap-
pea1ing on the platform with George W.
Cable. was not at all sfftc,e by stsge