The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-05-29
Going on the Stage"

by Maudie Banks. daughter of General Ma
thaniel P. Banks
| suppose it would be diff cult for the en-
thusiastic young woman who sits in front
of the footlights and who longs to be an
actress, to realize that of all the expert
ences that await her the surest, the
strongest the most lasting decentralization 1!
Humiliation at the start; humiliation at
the middle; humiliation at the end. And
more helpful than lessons in elocution,
dancing, or fencing would be the accumu-
lation of force to endure it.
"Oh, no!' says the enthusiastic girl in
front; sit all looks SO independent, SO ex-
citing. so Brilliant That is impossiblep'
Yes, 1 once played with girl prettier
than the average-young, very sweet, and
attractive. Size always went for the cor
ners; whenever you approached, she in
voluntarily moved aside to let you pass.
When l got to know her better, L asked
her why. ooh" said she people have
sworn at me so much | have learned at last
never to stand IN any ones way" There
WAS nothing very Independent or brilliant
about that. You can't make girls under
stand anything" she went on; Everybody
told me this was hard life, but l only
laughed"
always feel like gasping when hear
that somebody has gained start upon the
stage. 1t means so much So many cruel
rebutfs; such; desperate forcing of ones
courage; such lot of tears choked back:
such a lot of pride crushed down; such
tired feet; such hardening of ones bet
ter nature; such barter of ones self-re-
spect! Well, it's done and the worst is past,
we think! But one season is not lifetime
Oh, we may be very good; we may do
everything satisfactorily; we may show
we are made of the right stuff-back we
must go to the managers door and wait
our turn; we must enter with the old hu-
mility, attend his leisure or convenience.
smile when he smiles, and pick up the
crumbs he throws US with thanks
giving. All this we do to get
an engagement. When we have it.
we do more. We ransack our brains
and we empty our pocket book to get all
we may need, for it isn't pleasant to Dor
row; oftimes we can't. We carry our own
bags; we take the poorest rooms or fight
our own fights at the hotels; we go to the
theatre alone, and we try to keep on the
good side eff some man who will walk home
with US. If, as is generally the case, we
have small salary, we go to bed cold and
hungry, and we are raped up at four, five,
or six in the morning to start for the next
town. One day is like another, except
Sunday, and when few long, long Sun
days have passed, we are glad to have any,
body come and talk with US, even the man
we thought too vulgar to speak to when we
started fresh from home.
At the theatre we have to run up two
flights to dressing room and be down in
five minutes; we hare to help the best
scenes go right and be sure the principals
get their calls; we have to, no matter how
we feel or what we want-we have to get
the laugh, we have to get the tears we
have to get the gallery "hands," which are
due to the piece. We are hoarse. and we
must speak with sweet voice; our eyes
swim with headache, and we must be
sprlghtly on our toes; we may faint after
the ourth act, but we must be in position
when the curtain is rung up ON the fifth.
The enthusiastic girl in front expects to
make a great deal of money with her
talents, l suppose. There is a fascinating
legend afloat that other people pay for
actresses meals and recreations, But 1t Is
not SO; it all comes out of that same thin
pocket book which provides the dresses.
the ornaments, the advertising tiourishes,
and the handsome photographs. Other
people do not 90 anything for actresses
without expecting pay-much more costly
pay than the last few dollars out of the
thin pocket book. This is the most exoen-
sive delusion actresses and would-be act
resses have. 1t costs great many health,
courage, character, and life. When a
woman pays with her wits or her smiles. or
with anything but money, she Will find in
the end that no quicker or more certain
way could she have taken to bankrupt her
self.
Another thing A dashing, smart un-
scrupulous woman will outstrip twenty
cleverer, handsomer, better women in get
ting position, getting a salary, getting a
success OF notoriety. 1t Is done every day,
and no wonder the enthusiastic girl in
front thinks it pays. Does it! Ask the
dashing, INSCRIPTIONS woman in ten years,