Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-01

were in an easy chair smoklns a -5-cent Henry
Cay. The great point that should be aimed al
II my art Is ease There are plenty OF pro-
fessioual contortionists In these DAYS: but there
are mighty few frst-rate ones man puts his
leg around the back of his neck and he thinks
he Ii a contortlonlst. Yet he NAV be entirely
helpless in that attitude. Though | nav be
twInel into a double bow knot have perfect
control of my muscles. For example, my most
difficult trick Is to throw one leg over nv
head. get the foot well under my other arm,
and pull the leg down behind the small Of my
back. In that position L can jump farther
with my one leg that 10 free than / can with
botn legs together in the ordinary way, owing,
l suppose, to the leverage get IRON the leg
behind my back. However, very rarely do
that particular act nowadays, because 1 found
that 1t was hurting my back. When 1 caught
cold II would settle in the muscles that were
strained and / would feel ii.
now TO LEARN.
Another trick that l very rarely attsmp
nowadays Tor the same reason is that Of hanging
from horizontal bar by my hands aud turn
ing round and round backwards between my
arms. 1t necessliates a disloeation of the
shoulder blades that Is not conducIveto health.
But as l was about TO remark, a cOntortionIss,
though TO become great, he must be born. can
be made IN an ordinary way out of any boy Of
less than twelve years. From six TO twelve 10
the age at which study should begin. gen.
eratlCn ago boys were regularly ap-
prenticcd 10 the contortionIst's trade,
just IL 1t were blacksmitning or car
pGnterlng. 1t was customary then for an
expert 70 take half dozen youths, perhaps, in
charge and ave them regular instruction until
they were equipped Tor business. But low
this system as no longer followed and the result
is that in this country there are very few
really capable men IN the business, those who
pursue IL being for the most part self-tauSht
AID Inadequaeely trained. Their performance
is devoid OF the essential grace and finish. You
will notice that every motion 1 make on the
stage responds TO the music that accompanies
me and TO the sentim6 Mt which the music ex-
presses.
SIX YEARS STUDY NECESSARY.
I'm learning to be a coniortionist the boy
should first be taught TO make the crab'-thss
is to say, lean over backward until be is sup
ported by his hands and feet only. Next he
must acquire the ability, while in tins attitude,
TO lift his feet over has head until they touch
the ground again. thus making a second arch
with HIS body face downward. From this point
on he must go through years Of exercises with
various part of his body, chiefly the legs, to
increase their stretching power. For instance,
day after day he must practice grasplng his
ankle with his hand and extending his foot
outward and upward toward his head as far
possible. Gradually he will be- able to stretch
the limb farther aud farther in this way until
the limit OF Its pliaLility If reached. When this
is accomplished with both legs the pupil can
give falr eAnlDltOn IN cOnlOrtlOn, tley
are the members that do the business. How
ever there are many things to be acquired be-
yond this, and six years study il not too much
to render the student thoroughly capable. The
theory of the thing is that by such exercise
as have described two results are accom-
plished-the muscles are rendered more elastic
and the tendons are made longer. Practice
laying your hand upon the table at an early
age and bending a finger backward. 1t will DO
found that the finger can be almost doubled
81. HAL s~4 Ii IL H.
tendon being sufficiently Heightened to make
this possible. The same principle applies 70
contortion feats in general. There are more
good contortionists in Europe than there are
on this side Of the water, because they ere bet
ter trained
LEARNIss TO BE FROG.
my imitation Of the frog is the result a
careful study. Iprocured frogs from ponds
and gazed upon them until I acquired pretty
thorough notion of their attitudes and methods
of locomotion. After all a frog has few emo
tons TO express and the poses IL assumes are
not many. Ny performance depends in large
measure for its effectiveness upon my costume,
which had made for me after u rather original
plan. got o frog, took il to photographer
and had him make a number Of Licensees Of 10
from different points of view. Then took the
pictures TO q costume maker and had him
manufacture for me dress that was ~ nearly -
possible like frogs. The head was the chief
difficulty, but had this made Of papier machs
and painted by first-rste artist It lie not an
accurate frogs head, but rather . caricsture,
the result being much better than il it was en-
tireiy realistic. For il has sufficiently froggy
look, and at the same time 10 more expressive
and more funny. One thing you viii observe in
my performance il that the fingers and toes
of tbs frog are made TO be very en-
pressive, the latter not less than the former.
There can be more emotional expression
in toes than most people imagine, and one i'm
portant feature Of my practice has been in the
use of those appendages, 30 that I am able 10
control them as much better than can the
average man a. I have superiority in the
Of his toes for every day purposes than you %
L Therefore o facility In their employment
ia esss initial 10 thu srt Of q really truly froG