The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-09
THE THEATER AS A SCHOOL
Stage Ways Are Tiresome, Unnatural
and Would Elsewhere Be Bad.
An Objection TO the Sentiment That Allows
Girls to Do the COurting-siudy in Coiors
Something Nice in Spring LuncheOns

But 10 return to sulphur and molasses,
which do with great regularity every
spring. and which Buffalo Bill. the pup. is
also taking. I would like 10 say that there
are some actors / would enjoy seeing dosed
with mental sulphur and molasses. New
York gets it's fads, and itinsists, or. rather,
wants 20 insist. on everybody accepting
that fed. And this Is just the result of
looking at them from the front. and con-
GLIDING In my heart of hearts how provin-
cial and coeky New York is, TO expect ell
the other towns L. swallow its ignorance.
1t is curious how one can look at things
and people. and If one is quite independ-
ent, say go 10, / will think as / list.w /
never hearl anybody say that. but IL
sounds very nice. and it il What mean.
You and / both 20 TO the theater. and oh.
what We endure, We read q lovely notice
about $50 and So. the great character act
or" and W. wish thathim or herb had nochar-
acter at all, and knew nothing about them.
That may be bad grammar: 1 don't know
whether IL Is or not The sulphur hasn't af-
fected me dramatically as yet. Somebody
comes on and initiates q so-called gentle
mans servant; and you feel perfectly GER
tain if a gentleman ever had u servant
like that he would have introduced his
bootmaker 20 the ser wants tailor within
one hour after his appearances. Then some
one else comes on as the lady's maid. and
wears a cap and diamond earrings. and
takes the centre of the stage In the draw
ing room. and addresses the company as
sembled and You feel that the lady must
have forgotten all that she ever read that
Mrs. Sherwood wrote about etiquette or
would rave boxed that maids ears.
Then some of them 20 TO other extremes,
and produce what they call naturalism,
which isn't half as natural as when your
babies OF mine "play lady" in the nursery.
People come on and do things that in decent
society they would be- cowhided for. The
base villain tells of his conquests. and how
he has won the village maid. and people of
good breeding are expected to be interest.
cd in IL; and then he kicks the village maid,
and she moans and dies. Whereas in
real life the village maid would get
mad and hit tho villain IN q way that
would be N living lesson TO an athlete.
By-the-b by the village maid is greatly over
rated. i once knew a village maid, aud hex
one desire seemed 10 be 10 strike the prIm-
rose path of dalllance. and SIZE appeared a
little surprised that milliOnsires were not
waiting around TO lead her there instead of
permitting her tC act as msid-servant in a
boarding house. The village maid is moro
Knowing than one would think. | like the
villain. i like the village maid, / like the
stern parent, i like the fool of q mother. /
like the baby brother. i like the gentle
clergyman on the stage. but on, i do
wish. In these spring days. that
the villain vouldn't appear in dress
clothes at IL o'clock in the morning. and
that the village maid would not come IN
from haylng dressed in n stiff white frock
and a blue sash. and W by o leghOrn
hat trimmed with blue ribbons. | don't
nrAfand RI nanu shat rha com inafiOn "
presses innocence. but i think If ehe left
of some o. the rouge and had q more posi-
BILE get-up. she would look equally inno-
cent. Then / don't soc why the clergyman
should always talk through his nose; this
does not seem peculiar to any denomina-
tion on the stage. but to all. And as /
understand things nowadays. the first
thing a preacher leans 10 how TO speak
well.
Will you please tell me why the stern
parent invariably hides his grief In a red
pock handkerchief | never saw any body
use them and neither did you. And the
gentle mother is always gotten ND after the
fashion of the Quakers. whether she 10 one
or not. These are said to be stage tradi-
tions. But you know after a while one
gets tired OF them. And what l would like
TO see jcss now would he a villain in check
trousers and an ordinary cutaway coat; a
village maiden In q glngham frOck: a
clergyman whose voice was sweet and
gentle; a stern parent Who did not hide his
grief. but would how it out from the
bousetops. and n mother whose giddy cos
tune suggested that her daughter had got
ten her vain and improper ways through a
natural channel.
They talk about the theater bsIng O
school. Did you ever watch the people on
the stage when they are supposed TO be eat
iDgf They either lily along In a hurried
manner that is supposed to be comedy. and
which would result in the ruin of ones
ann as we'll as of ones digestion, or
else the wife says TO the husband. IN q
whining way, Darling. this is the last
mouthfnl we have in the house." That's a
nice example to set any body. Suppose it
was the last, the more reason TO be cheer
fol about 1T. with a hope of encouraging
darling" TO go out and clean some pave
ments and get another mouthful. Don't
you suppose darling" would amount to a
great deal more If he were chaffed over
that last monthfulG And then the idol of
his heart said: Sweetest. we have eaten
all We have: 70 out and earn the ducats to
get some more. so We can have another
good time" But they never do that on the
stage. On, no. They sit down and wait
for somebody TO come in and bring them
something-low. lazy lot. Sometimes L
on the actor. If you had 10 say nasty,
fault finding sentences night after night.
don't you suppose the fiist thing you knew
you would be saying them In the day
timef Really, when the announcement 10
made In the papers. Another Actor in
Trouble" IL ought to read. The Dire Work
of q Play Writer as shown in the Actions
of an Actor" Things are bound TO have an
influence on you. | know q man who had
an awful GROSS dog. aud it got TO be o case
OF like dog, like master; and once be met
On amiable dog. and took a great fancy to
him. and from that day on his family nave
been afraid he is going TO be an angel.
Still. as he can distinguish the difference
between right ana wrong. | think there is
q hope of his living. and it is TO be trusted
that he will remain 10 live MP to the ex-
ample set him by the angel dog for some
time.
The Decay of Chivalry.
A writer who proclaims herself an DID
fashioned mother laments through the
columns OF the Boston Transcript the
tendency of the modern young man to
overrste his Importance and TO require the
girls TO make the social advances. She
says lit Is very. very bad for young men
TO be courted. and adulsted. and run after
IS they are nowadays. They get SO that
they think themselves lords of creation
before they are out of college. Why, at
the assembly ball one young man came
strolliDg mp TO my Margaret, and drawled
out. with a manner between chatting and
seriousness. We'll, / suppose must
dance this time with you.'-'Not at