Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-02
AN ACTRESS EXPERIENCE.
Stage Proposals Versus Real Ones, and the
Humor of Both Kinds.

Stage Proposals Versus Real Ones, and the
Humor of Both Kinds.
Yet they say-snakespeaTe himself says-the
stage is to hold the mirror up to nature. I won
der how many men who have six or eight times
reached the climax of courtship. and who re-
member anything about what they did upon
those six or eight occasions, can go to the thea
ter, gaze upon the mirror that the stage holds
ND and fatter themselves they see their own re-
Election. The glib stage lover, supplied with
moving lines, rendered secure By rehearsals,
buoyed up by precognizance of everything the
lady will do or say, gliby pouEs into that lady
ear the tale Of his love. What real lover s
tongue ever wagged like tale so fluently?
The stage lover S proposal always sustains the
character as framed by the author and testified
to by the rest of the piay. The real man at such
g crisis is inspired to belle in his action every
trait his mother gave TO him. On the stage the
brisk, cherry, self confident young man makes a
brisk, cherry, self-conhdent proposal. In real
life he finds himself reduced 10 stammering
idiocy and hopeless self-contempt. On the stage
the hard, practical business man makes hard,
practical business proposal. In real life he drops
into poetry and perspiration. The rough-dia-
mond lover on the stage gets off his pretty
speech, the girl meanwhile sitting n fallen
tree with her eyes the ground, and high
heeied shoes on her feet.
Nell, . he says, I'm only poor, rough
like YOU. won't blame you for turning me
away I only expect that; but it isn't going to
burt Nell. 10 let me say before 60 that
love YOU Nell-as dear as the grapes that hang
there over the cottage door, (points off o. P.) I
love the sunshine that brings the purple to their
coats and the wine to their hearts. -
There is something off-hand poetic like that
and Won and tie audience think what a splendid
honest fellow he is. The tears come to your
ewes as he turns away, and you feel glad when
the girl says shyly: Don't go, Ben and
worked up and hysteriky when, with sob. he
faces her saving: Nell. do you mean it?
Won d go nigh to break my heart if''-and she
puts out her hand, and-you know how it is done
on the stage.
In real life Ben doesn't know what is the mat
ter with him. When his time comes his girl
has TO help him. He is, perhaps, as big hearted
and honest as Ben on the stage, but he cam t
prove it by talking of grapes and sunshine. But,
if you like him. he is just as effective Ito you
and of the stage) when he says:
''Say, Katie I can't stand this any more.
l. Oh! don't look as IL you dIdn' { know what
/ mean. for don't know-I,' - and then you put
out your hand and-you know how 1t is done off
the stage.
In the play the scene works up to climax and
the climax is usually 8 beautifully executed
embrace which the two try TO accomplish with
out deplorable transfer Of powder from chalked
arms 10 a freshly cleaned dress suit, and with
out knocking each others wigs on. In real life
the embrace is likely to come hFst-unexpected
and spontaneous-like- q proposal follows as
q sort of honorable backing up and explanation
OF the break made.
Oh things do get turned right side left when
they are reflected IN a mirror, and good deal
of that happens in the stage mirror about pro-
posals.
The dashing irresistible young men on the
stage, the Young men of dirtations galore, and
successful intrignes still more, makes an ire
sistible proposal, gets IN his passionate plead-
ing, in fne shape, sweeps the girl OF her feet,
metaphors with the moon. the stars and eter-