Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-16
PLAY THE PART WELL.
Emma '. Sheridan Applies the
Actress Secrets to Society.
SKILL In REPOSE AND SINCERITY,
II the Belle Must Pretend Let Her Enter
Into the Spirit of 1t.
PERFECT COMMAND OF THE MUSCLES
SKILL In REPOSE AND SINCERITY.
PERFECT COMMAND OF THE MUSCLES
WRITTEN FOE THE DISPATCH. +;

/ WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPArcHi
Study any graceful actress method OF
moving. You will find that perfect COM
mand of equilibrium is the chief factor Of
her grace. II her walk is a sort of harmo-
NOUS swaying toward the objective point, it
is because as her feet move her weight is
swung from hip to hip, keeping the body at
every stage of movement surely poised.
This shifting OF weight is her great secret.
So it is that she bends in a courtesy to the
floor, and rises all in one smooth, perfect
motion.
So it is that when she says Leave the
room, If the pointing to the door is accom-
| plished by movement that is graceful. il is
because, as the arm goes out, the whole poise
of the body alters to balance the outstretcb-
| ing of the arm, and because the arm moves
up-the hand almost pendant-till the i'm
pulse Of pointing comes. Try pointing-I
| mean by uplifting the arm. If you raise
the arm with the hand making continuous
horizontal line, the movement is stiff and
awkward. II you raise the arm-the hand
hanging pendant till the arm has reached
position and then lift the hand to the re-
/ uOTl1Oubdl-IUc mOVeue0L' IS grace
| full. Why? Just because you paid proper
respect to the power of gravitation, that's
all. Let grayitation govern your move
| ments and you will be graceful.
PRETENsE ALWAYS BETRAYs ITSELF.
Study your own personality, and make
yourself mistress of it, just as the actress
| does. Study the people with whom you are
thrown. Be able promptly to adjust your
sympathies to their range of interests, and to
convey by voice and manner a suggestion of
that sympathy. Don't pretend not to be
bored-don't be bored-it is your own fault
If you are. Pretense always betrays ITSELF
Do as the actress does with her parts-be
sincere in whatever you say or do. 1t may
not be sincerity lodged in the depths Of
your own private opinions, but that need
not prevent your being infected by the
speaker with an interest in what interests
him, just as the actress shares for the time
being the ieelingso of the character whose role
she plays.
Don't be down on me for counseiling you
TO "play part" My advice would be to
store your heart so we'll with human SYM
pathey, your mind with information, and
your lie with wholesome work and expert
ence, that you cannot Tail to find chords of
harmony In every one with whom you come
into contact. Not having time for all this,
L will only counsel you to pretend more
successfully than you do. Don't make the
mistake of trying to cover up conscious in
sincerity with a lot of
GUsH AND ENTHUSIASM.
You will be safer not to feel the insincer-
| ity. What do / mean? Oh, it is clear
| enough. Suppose MIR. Jones asks you to
drive, or to lunch, or whatever it NAV be,
and you don't want to at all, but feel that
you must accept. Don't rush into reply
with the idea OF not wanting to go in your
mind, but make the decision to accept a
| background for your remark See?
Ohl its we'll nigh useless to try putting
things on the outside. You must start in
side always, or the two will be at variance
which will betray itself in plain insinceritv.
| You may not care rap about Mr.. Muddle's
/ love affair with Miss Pink, but if he is tell
| ing it to you, you might as we'll please Mr..
| Middle by sympathy that appears to him
| genuine, as offend him by any make-believe
To do this the sympathy must be pretended
to yourself quite as earnestly as to him.
| Better still, put yourself in his plaee-as the
actress does when she plays part-and you
will be "the best-hearted girl in the world
| This power the actress has of setting aside
her own personality and entering into that
| of another is worth cultivating for social
| purposes. Be able to really mean what you
say while you say it. OF course, your con-
bCl6uc6 uluSL De Will you always. SUD-
pose the ''hutter" girl, who goes into spasms
of delight that deceive no one, has her con-
science with her. All L mean is, if you
must pretend, let it be done su ccessfully.
TWO CASES IN POINT.
When Mr.. Brown joins you and A1ger-
non in the conservatory, if it is really advis-
able that Mr.. Brown should not suspect be
is de trop, you will be wise to have at COM
mand word of welcome that shall sound
as genuine as prudence dictates that it
should sound. When Mabel tells you that
De Smith is married, and you know that
Mabel is watching you with hawks eyes, if
you really don't want Mabel to see that the
news Is shock to you, it behooves you to be
able to say simply and genuinely: $50 I
hsar-were you surprised?" quietly enough
and with seifpossession genuine enough to
upset MabePs little calculations.
Command of muscle, remember, is the
first sign of self-possession. Teach your sur
prises and shocks not to leap to your finger
tips and into the high notes of your voice, as
hasty words tumble from an unguarded
tongue. You may feel the astonlshment,
but let it trickle off into your inner coz
sciousness without evidencing itself out
wardlY, and then say the nice, gentle thing
you should say.
THE NECESSARY FIBs.
When you are obliged to protect yourself
behind one of the many social falsehoods
that must upon occasion be resorted to, bet
ter do SO successfully than so insincerelv
that your intent is betrayed. Do so with
an air of frmness and self-confdence thar
shall argue backing of fact for your state
ment. The fb is made no better by being
told badly, is it? Indeed it is made worse.
for besides being a falsehood it hurts or
offends the person to whom you tell it.
Cultivate repose and sincerity. They are
two great factors in the attractivepess of a
successful woman. Be what you seem; il
what you must seem be at variance with
your waydown, real, own, private personal
character, it is unlucky, but since you must
pretend, why, for the moment, be what you
pretend, and let the pretense be a success,
not confusion both of insincerity and lack
of tact. EMMA V. SHERIDAN,
A REAUTIFUI, SKIN