St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-05

is none more essential than good, sym.
pathetic and natural voice.
How to become an actor is question
which have been asked an incalculable
number OF times. Ill almost any other
profession the answer would be to work,
but in this one | believe that unless the
'divlne spark" be there within all the
work i'll the world will be of no avail.
Nor do l believe it possible to train fol
the stage. 1 went upon the stage at the
age of fifteen, and never took a lesson
i'll my life. The stage itself was my
training school. and l think it the best
which any actor can have.
The old stock company was an excel
lent training school, and as member
OF 1t an actor of ability had every oppor-
,1unity 10 work his or her way up i'll a
legitimate manner. Although | firmly
believe that actors are born and not
made, l do not believe that "stars" are
born without any previous experience.
consequently l am never surprised
when women without any practical
knowledge Of acting attempt to become
stars and fail. Because person reciteS
well IN parlor Is no reason why he is
fitted for the stage. The most graceful
women in private life are often the most
awkward before the footlights.
Would l advise young woman to 60
upon the stage? is question which
can best answer by saying that when my
only daughter showed an inclination to
do so, did everything l could to dis
courage her. Nothing can compensate
a girl for the loss Of home aud all that it
implies, not even the pleasures which
success brings. In the present day OF
travelling companies it is impossible for
IN
struggle at the present time, owing to
the number in the profession, is great,
and while there is always plenty of room
at the top, the crowding around the bot
tom makes it next to impossible for a
girl or young man not possessing eX-
traordiEary talents to succeed. Besides
the life is full of diScomfortS. l have
known many cases in my own company
of girls sitting up entire nights on long
Journeys because they were unable to
afford the comfort of a sleeper. But the
reason which the average nonprofeS-
SIGNAL person gives for advising a girl to
keep off the stage-that woman cannot
remain good woman-iS one with
which L do not coincide.
OF course the girl who is constantly
shielded and sheltered from the world
has not the same temptations that fall
tions in life on the stage are no greater
than are likely to beset a girl in any
walk OF life where she Is called upon to
earn her own living. The temptations
which come to an actrees usually come
from the outside world and not from
members of her profession. Lite on the
stage means hard work, and ordinarily
there is little time for anything else.
The fact That many actresses resort to
divorce as the Speediest means of COLI
Guiding a diSagreeabe marriage has
probably prejudiced public opinion
against them. and yet there is an expla-
nation to this which does not necessarily
affect Woman'S reputation. Actresses
are taught the full meaning of being
pecuniarily independent, and when
difficulties arise they are hot deferred as
are many women i'll private life, who
would do likewise were it not for the
distracting problem of how to earn a
living.
However, I am old-fashioned enough
to dislike divorces as much as l do
women dressing in mems clothes on the
stage. And this reminds ME that the
report tina: am to play the melancholy
jacques in production of ''Rosalind"
is mistake. ] did not give up Cymbe.
line and Rosalind in my youth to adopt
trousers in my old age. In those days
it was considered indecent, and only an
exceptional woman braved public opin-
ion and did it. While | have no obiec-
ton to seeing it done today, and think
that an actress should make all such
feelings she may have subservient to
her art, feel well satisfied that | never
put on mems attire.
Mrs. D. P. BOWERS.