The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-15

willing to pay for it, So when everybody
told me that this actress was really great
l always asked why II was that she hadn'
been a success, hadn't made money, and
hadn't drawn the people to see her.
well, when / saw her, l understood ii.
She had plenty of talent. In most Of her
scenes she was charming, and in some of
them she was splendid. She had beau
tiful voice and a beautiful face. She had
everything that ought to have made her
successful, but, do you know, my dear,
why she wasn't and why she never will
be?'-Lotta was growing interested in her
subject now, and if the young actress had
seen her, she would have been fiattered at
her earnestness-"It is because She
doesn't work. For every single minute
that she was on the stage to hold the in
terest of her spectators, she was lovely
ana charming, but she was Indifferent
when 1t did not seem to be worth her
Wniie to be absorbed in her work. felt
that II could get up and say to her,
NOW, my dear girl, don't you realize that
by acting with so much Indifference in
what you consider an unimpOrtant scene
you have entirely chilled the interest Of
these people, who have come here for the
purpose of seeing you, and want you to
interest them for the whole time? Don't
you know that every time you look cas-
ually over into the audience at a friend,
or speak one line as though you had no in
terest in II, you are alternating this au-
respond to its interest?' / felt that IL 1
could only tell her those things, and how
fatal a mistake she was making, it would
nave done her worlds of good. But
couldn't, and she is satisfied with the
moderate success she is making, and
probably she will go on to the end Of her
days having people tell her she is great,
yet never having great numbers go to
see her and never making any money.
~ she could only have realized how I
worked TO make my place in people s
hearts and how | struggled to keep it, she
would have realized that popularity never
comes 10 woman or to a man on the
stage unless he does his share in winning
T. often when ! have felt instinctively
That the sympathy of an audience was
drifting away from me, 1 have put in a
FUNNY little laugh or a cough OF a kick or
some little trick that would make them
appreciate that was appreciative of their
presence in trying to do what 1 could to-
ward interesting them That's what ev-
cry actor has to do who maintains his
popularity with the public. / don't mean
TO say that 1 have acted we'll all the time.
No doubt on some nights l acted very
badly but 1t was not because 1 wanted
to or because didn't care how I did il,
When l was on the stage l always had
one idea in my mind that was to do my
conscientious share toward interesting my
audiences. 1t takes constant watching and
Il takes constant work, but it's the only
thing that wins in the end.
Its the only thing, too, that lasts, and
the public that comes to see you is the
real test OF whether or not you are great
That's why say that unless an actor
makes money he is not great. l know a
young actor who for the past ten years
has been told by everybody that he is a
genius, and he does act well sometimes
but he win never be great just for the
same reason as the actress 1 spoke Of
Such failures may come from various rea.
sons. A man may be irregular in life, he
may drink and woman may be indif.
ferent or spoiled, but in either case you
will find that the results are the same
The public is a very Jealous master tc
serve. If you wanted to profit by it. YOU
must give yourself to it entirely"
Lolita has had a career of such unusual
prosperity on the stage that her opinions
as to the opportunities it offers women
who must work may justly be considered
roseate. Maybe If she had danced, sung
| and acted and lost the money she made
her opinion Of the stage would not be SC
taVoraple. But she approves of it, and
what she says must be read with the cir
| cumstances of her career in mind
IT think a woman who has talent q,
| beauty will find the stage always a pleas.
anter life than she will find if she becomes
a clerk or a typewriter, or enters any OF
| the other occupations in which so many
| women are employed now. The life of d
| theater will prove far more attractive tC
| the average woman even with the hard
| ships that come with it some times thar
| the dreary and combining work of bust.
| ness life. She has to take into considera.
| ton the fact that for a long period OF
years she will be unemployed, but this
| fact is taken into account in the wages
| that are paid her. There is no danger in
the stage to the woman who can take
care of herself. When people ask ms
what 1 think of the affect of the atmos.
phere of the stage, 1 always tell them
| that 1t has precisely the effect of every
| other atmosphere l have seen in my life
1t isn't the atmospheres in this world
that are different 1t is the people that are
in them. The one difference is that Wo.
men OF the stage are not so leniently judg-
ed; but, on the other hand they have
| greater freedom. l remember once that
went to see a woman of very good 20.
sition who had lost all her friends be-
! cause she drank occasionally. l had
| the greatest sympathy for her, and ]
| felt that If there was anything l could
| do for her to make her realize that every
body was not against her l would do it,
| When / came from calling on her 1 met
some of her former friends and they
| said: Why, you never should have gone
| to see her. She drinks but another said
| oh, you're an actress, and you could az
| to do them. And 1 never have thought
! that there was any position that prevent.
ed one woman from doing her duty to
another. But sometimes have thought
| that after all ! have made mistakes. Per
| haps If / hadn't called on that woman
who drank she would have realized that
| nobody felt sorry enough for her to come
and see her. Then she might have stopp-
ed"
Lolita has got her theories on acting
| down to Just as scientific a basis as her
opinions on moral and social topics. she
! is so certain about the matter of act
| ing that she wants to teach it.
u don't believe In the first place, that
anybody can be taught to act who hasn't
| got 1t in them she said, "and the thing
| that we want most of all is the one
that can be taught; that is, originality
| ! sometimes think that il would be a
1 good idea for us TO have a stage built
! down at the Professional Women
/ League. and not do any regular teach
ing. but just let the people walk on and
| or the stage and 90 through "A few sim
pie things Ike that TO see II they couldn't
/ DO ii with some originality. That Is what
/ people are anxious for now, and I think
! the actors to-day get too much teaching
| instead OF too little. ! should like 10 III
/ and. after telling them 20 90 a. thev
/ wanted, Jet them know whether 70 was
/ good or not. When ] was years old. and
/ danced IN the concert ball al Bear Creek
/ the miners threw "a lot Of money AL me-
I The FIRST night j got an old sf0Vepipa
] hat with no top IN 81. / piled an Tho mon.
az uu ia the haiti then WHEN II uialrrf I,