Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-30
LIFE ON, THE STAGE.
There is no ''Vestibu1e Limited"
to Success on the Boards.
Great Actresses Rise SlOwlY-Why the
Stage is Overcrowded. and Who
Is Responsible.
Pleasures of the Life-The Fad of Elevating the
Stage-The Theater and Society no
Longer Enemies.
TCopyrighted 1901

copyrighted 1901
For the Gazette.
A belief in the miraculous is at the
bottom of the craze for the stage; but
the age of miracles is passed; the fact
becomes clear to US in few years and
we begin to put by the pennies and make
over the old dresses, as in the ordinary
walks of life. The most successful ar
way, and in spite Of its glamour, excite
ment and romance, there is'no profession
in which it pays better to work industri-
ously, humbly and ceaselessly.
I am told common utility woman
would consider it unnecessary to take
the pains Ada Rehan spends upon the
rehearsal of a piece which may already
have been played one hundred nights.
If there are few great artists like herself
it may not be, altogether the fault of
genius; it may be either because we do
not know how to do tho amount of work
which is required, or will not take the
trouble to do it.. Most of us are actresses
in order to do great things. not little
things. We are ready for the climax,
but we fall over chair as we make our
entrance. CIVILIAN, I defy you'll"
thrills the house, and the way we cross
the stage thrills it too.
AS for advice about going on the stage,
| have none to give. am inclined to
think if we tried all the paths of this
fascinating world one by one, we would
counsel our friends not to attempt 'that
paths we are reduced to the conclu-
sion that the only sensible thing is to
follow the bent of our nature and to ac-
cept the consequences. If the stage at
tracts us let us go; for of one thing we
can be sure, if our hands are dressmak-
ing and our heart is at the theater, we
will not do much at the dressmaking.
Most of us learn speedily that there is
no 'vestibule limited to success. The
few people who achieved instantaneous
success have had some extraordinary
quality which merited 1t; it is generally
not histrionic ability, for that talent is
of slow growth, but it is something
which the public enjoys and is willing to
pay for. The true artist elm bs the hill
slowly; she accumulates not only treas
the experiences of life have grated upon
her nature; gradually she lifts all these,
to Us ordinary things, into the environ
ment OF those white Alps of perfection,
and there she stands at last irresistible,
unassallable and beautiful. / wish we,
at the foot, did not know so much about
those white heights; we would get there
sooner and suffer less on the way. Will
the time never come when the love of
perfection will supersede the heartburn
lug struggle of competition? To do
things for themselves, lot to Guido other
people?
I suppose We all begin by initiating,
not realizing that it not only emphasizes
our faults and shortcomings, but chokes
up in US the small spring of originality
which is our only future hope. If peo-
pie would cease telling US fyou must do
this because it has always been done SO, -
and say, 81 think your temperament
would make this appear better than
that - the result would be advanta-
geous to the public. The world is begin
ming to hold the individual higher than
tradition, but chiefly in the case of great
individuals; the crowd must still weep
the way men are supposed to weep.
Teachers are responsible for this over
crowding of the stage; their livelihood is
at stake, and what is easier than to en-
thuse young girls full of untried vital
force, which is ready to leap into which
ever of the worlds channels fate may
dlrect2 This energy, which is a mere
necessity to the world g continuance and
progress, we are perfectly willing to be-
neve is genius when man, for the sake
OF So or So lesson, tells US SO. And
when, since we are Of the right metal
and will not give up thing until after a
fair trial, we find our prospects in other
directions barred, our finances exhausted
our enthusiasm burned out, our faith in
people and in new ventures shattered,
what is there left but to stay where we
have climbed by all this sacrifice, and
fight for the few crumbs which destiny IS
charity lets fall among the mediocre and
incapable?
Since We hushed up our own intelli-
gence aud trusted TO another's, let us
face the consequence. Let us, in the
first place, get rid of pride, fine sensibil-
tiles OF any sort. and belief in our own
importance. Let US consider the part,
the play. the opportunity-never our
selves. It viii save us annoyance and
h1lp us on rapidly. A few pretty wo-
men do successfully trust to their per-