Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-22
STAGE FRIGHT.
How IL Attacks Veteran Actors, Leo
turers and Concert Singers.
From the Philadelphia Times.

From the Philadelphia Times.
Almost all our leading actors, from Edwin
Booth down. are troubled with stage fright.
John Mackay, the comedian, had such bad
attack while ago that he ran away from the
theater and no performance could be given.
1t is the same with ministers, lawyers and
orators. One can see the nervous twitching in
Chauncey NJ. Depew's face until after he is
called upon to speak. The moment he gets on
his feet he is all right. and can talk like wind
mill on a spree. DIR. Talmage is not free from
II. and Col. Bob Ingersoll is not at all sure OF
himself until after he has uttered his first dozen
sentences. Tn wear and tear of tue nerves,
the thought of possible failure, is sometimes
almost oyerp owering. The old campaigners
are as badly off the beginners. Mayor
Grant, of New York, is a good public speaker.
and has had plenty of experience, but il is pitt
full TO see him before he begins. He frets and
fidgets, his hands toy with his watch-chain OF
are run through his hair in a seeming agony Of
despair.
Major Pond. the lecture and concert mana
ger, has probably handled more lecturers and
singers by the lyceum system than any other
man IN this country, among them having been
Henry Ward Beecher. Joseph Parker of Lon
don: John u. Cough, Canon Farrar, Anna
Dickinson. and a number of others. He chatted
about stage fright quite freely the other day
and while disclaiming any knowledge of its
effect upon actors he said II was his experience
that large proportion of lecturers and concert
singers suffer from il.
But the man most subject TO stage fright
whom ever met" said he. Twas John Il.
Cough. Outside his regular lectures he could
not talk TO any audience. He would break
down completely. 1 saw him paced in a most
embarrassing position when was with him in
London.
I'VE were at the church of DIR. Parker, and
the latter observing Mr.. Cough in the audi
enee called him to the pulpit and introduced
him to the congregation. Mr.. Cough was
simply stunned with fright and all that he
could DO was TO stammer out some incoherent
words of apology. He always the same.
His fear of an audience would never let him
think on his feet.
Then there was Henry Ward Beecher, con-
tinued the veteran manager. Il had a long
association with him in our lecturing tours
With all his great abilities he always suffered
before facing an audience. His embarrassment
usually continued until he got fairly started,
and then it was forgotten. He was always SO.
He had a peculiar fashion of holding one hand
partly behind him and pulling on his coat with
1t. When that hand came out il was q sign that
the embarrassment had passed away.
There were two famous men who repre-
sented the two extremes. They were Canon
Farrar and Canon Chas. Kingsley. The first
could speak readily, thinking on his feet with
ont embarrassment. But Canon Kingsley could
not make the simplest address without manu-
script.
Petroleum Y. Nasty. was always afraid of an
audience. and he could never tell what 10 do
with his hands when ON the platform. But he
never really succeeded as a lecturer.
Anna Dickinson always more or less
nervous before facing an audience, although
Mrs. Mary Livermore, who Is the most popular
of the women lecturers to-day, has very little
of that feeling.
Miss Emma Thursby used { be very nery-
Gus before facing an audience. no did Miss
Clara Louise Kellogg. The latter seemed TO
have an idea that sudden pain was the remedy
for an attack of freight. She would sometimes
insist upon having some one bend one of her
fingers sharply back, IN the belief that the pain
would make her forget her fright"
Continuing. Major Pond expressed the opin-
ion that man of the peculiar mental makeup
of Henry Ward Beecher or Col. Robert Inger-
soil was more likely to suffer from stage fright
than many other men, since il has been the
peculiar character of each that he drew much
Inspiration from the audience.
Now DIR. Joseph Parker is never affected by
any feeling of nervousness" said Major Pond.
He thinks on his feet easily and never seems
at all embarrassed. Wendell Phillips
another speaker who always found no difficulty
in facing any kind Of an audience. believe the
same to be true Of the Rev. Robert Collyer.
Lyman Abbott is to-day among the leading
American lecturers There seems 10 be none OF
the nervousness about him that was felt by Mr..
Beecher, Rev. Phillips Brooks is another
speaker who has no trouble in facing an audi
ence He would be the most popular lecturer
Of the day If he would take II up.
Major Pond describes Max ORell, who did
some lecturing here, as being exempt from any
sort of stage fright; fact that probably will
not surprise those who have read his books.
Oscar Wilde was somewhat prone 20 stage
nervousness, but, the major observes, The
was poet" Besides, he got bravely over IL.
Ii will not surprise most people, perhaps, to
learn that Mark Twain, when appearing on the
platform with Geo. w. Cable, was not at all af-
fected by stage fright. Cable is very sensitive,
but whether Il was the self-possession Of heart
or something else that carried him through, he
has never suffered from great nervousness
A Montreal man has patented device by
which, ms he somewhat vaguely claims. he can
make year1 supply of ice for seventy-fye cenfs
After all il isn't the ice that costs 30 much. 10
is the sugar and lemon, the Aneostura snd-and
the rest Of it--Defyof Free Press
The members of the Manhattan club, Of New
York, at a meeting last night, adopted an
amendment TO the constitution making an ex-
President Of the United States eligible 10 hon
orary membership. This Ma dome 10 mept -