The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-23
HOW I TRIED TO BE AN ACTRESS.
By One Who shrank from the Soldier
Test"
From the Pal Mall Gazette.

| From the Pail Mali Gazette.
| It is just seven years ago l was a gov
| erness in q ladies' school at fashionable
watering place on the south coast. Mine
was not hard place nor an unpleasant one.
The mistress was a nice woman and the
| pupils were nice girls. But J. was young,
| full of life and spirits and teaching at the
| school, with the same dreary routine to be
| gone through day after day, was drudgery.
had what is called a good education, and
| though | say it as | shouldn't had a
| tall, handsome figure and fresh, bright,
| pleasing face. The only thing that thought
might stand in my way was that / was
foreigner, and that my foreign accent
might be against me- This, however, l
urged. might easily be overcome.
| Everybody was, at that time, talking Of
| Irving, Hamlet and the Lyceum, and on
| Irving, as father confessor of my yearn-
| ing for fame, l fixed my choice. SO, the
next Saturday | was off duty l took
| ticket to London, and arrived at the
| Lyceum just In time for morning Der
| Torrance of Hamlet" 'I'll have a good
| look at him first" l thought, land if, after
seeing him play, l am not too terrified at
his greatness I'll go and see him and ask his
| advice"
| No, was not terrified at all, but, to tell
| the truth, his rendering of "Ha Met" was
intensely amusing to me, and when l saw
| him die so very artistically with an evident
| epdeavor not to spoil the artistic effect of
the scene by any awkward movement, such
| as real dying man would have made, | SET
| tied firmly in my own mind that would go
aud see him Immediately after the play
| For | reasoned man who is such an artist
that he can sacrifice the actors part for
fear Of spelling the artistic effect must have
a soft spot somewhere in his heart for other
weak metals.
When the curtain had fallen on the last
scene, and | had Gained down from my
amusement, went boldly up to an usher,
asking whether | could see Mr. Irving
what did | want to see him forl" | was
asked, but stated that l would tell that to
Mr.. Irving himself. Presently the message
came: es, might see Mr.. Irving" and
was ushered behind the scenes. NY delight
increased and my hopes rose when | saw
Ellen Terry. wrapped IN a long, loose cloak,
rushing about with flying hair,
and pushing and scolding somebody.
Then / was shown into the pres
ence of the great actor. He heard
me kindly, courreously, smilingiy. stroked
his chin with his hand, and said, 10, yes,
might become an actress if was really in
earnest about it. But what were my
reasons for wishing to 60 on the stagee"
Just because | hate teaching" ! replied,
and he smiled again, and said: "But You
are foreigner; you want elocution lessons
In order to improve your accent. Now, |
tell you what | will do. | will give YOU a
letter to my friend Augustus Harris, and
ask him to take you in hand, and in few
months time, when you have had some
training, you shah come and join rhe Ly-
| ceum company"
Who was happier than l? Off l flew to
Drury Lane, and there was Mr.. Harris him
self. He was not so polite and smiling as
V-xr.s, I'll I Il. -
at his abrupt manner; but | was there, and
| had to face him. He read the letter. and
then turned around to me- Eyes, you can
become an actress if you like. Come again
next Wednesday, and you can sit behind
the scenes and see how others do their
work, and, if you like. you can begin next
Saturday" l forgot how l got out, and
back to my seaside school, but
from Saturday night till Wednes-
day dreamed of nothing, night and day,
except of acting on the Lyceum stage, of
myself as kind of successor to Ellen Terry
and of all the glories of fame On Wednes-
day was again at Drury Lane theater,
and must say it was rather a come
down" when chair was brought to me and
had TO sit In a dusty, hideous corner be-
hind the scenes there to wait for four hours
and watch the proceedings What a hide
Gus band the gay butterflies aud
beauties of the stage, the gallant. hand
some heroes, the beautiful Youths
and maidens looked, when once they were
behind the scenesl 1t seemed to me as if
most of them. and their friends who were
with them in the cobwebby, drauehty
room, were of the coarses,, lowest type Of
Londoners, and my aesthetic sense rose in
rUvolt at the idea OK joining such a party.
was TOO young and too inexperienced then
to know that it was as unwise to Judge of
the real state of things by the aspect behind
the scenes as it is to judge the performers
by their gllttering appearance behind the
footlights.
Mr. Harris strolled up to me once or twice
and asked me how liked it. forget what
said, but at the end of the performance he
| told me that, unless | had changed nv
mind, might begin on Saturday next.
| you'll have to be n soldier; that's an easy
part, In which you have only to stand about
on the stage. You are tall, so you'll do
very vel for that part and you get accus-
TONED to being on the stage" "A soldier"
stammered land shall | have 10 wear
mems clothesp "Yesn Gmperturbably. and
III an oh-hand husineSs-like way). "a soldier
with tight-itting trousers, high boots, and
all the rest. Your salary begins with 60 a
week. Mind you are punctual. and don,k
keep US waiting on Saturday.
Then l stood outside again. and took the
next train home. And once again dreamt.
out this time the dreams were like a night
mare, with myself in a golden helmet a
scarlet coat, white tricot trousers and high
boots, standing in corners ABOUT the STAGE
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