Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-05
ACTORS OLD AND NEW
TIMES HAVE CHANGED, AND THE ALL
 ToMAToNS HAVE GONE.

Nowadays Performers Endeavor to Under stand the Author and to Learn the sto- ry md Object of the Play-William H. Crane Comes to the Rescue.
 At gathering of men prominent in the theatrical world the other night an author who hGs had some success with one or two plays brought up the old argu- ment that actors were, ill great measure, little better than automatons.
 A star wanted play in a hurry. What he was using was not to the public taste, and the author sent him one of the many which were knocking about in his trunk. Some three weeks after the piece had been produced he ran out to little town in New Jersey and saw the play It was not bit like tho play he planned and wrote The situations were all there, and so were the lines, but ideas he had never dreamed of in connection with the play were being conveyed by tho actors. This made him furious, and he railed at actors in gen eral, saying that they had no ideas of their own, and there was not ono actor out of ten who could tell you the story of the play in which he was appearing.
 The poor actor has heard this claim re- peated many times. When Henry Irving was in this country, the American dram atists gave dinner in his honor. In responding to tho pleasant things said about him tho English actor told how he had been an actor for many years before he had ever given any thought to tho general character of the plays in which ho was taking part. It had only been after he had risen in his profession that he had understood the work of the author and how close relation one scene bore to an other. When ho became manager, he made study of these things, and the pro- ducton of a play meant great deal more to him than the memorizing of his lines and of his cues.
 To strengthen his argument that most actors puid little attention to anything but their own lines, MT. Irving told story about the famous Frcnchman, Frederick Lemaitre. Tho latter had made gigantic hit in a new play, tho name of which cannot now recall, and had been giving 1t steadily for nearly two years in Paris. While dining ono afternoon with friend the latter as Q joke asked him what was tho story of the. play in which he was be- ing seen. To his amazemcnt the actor re- piled that he had only remote idea.
 This will strike most people as being decidedly odd, but MT. Irving's word is not to be doubted. Lemaitre told tho truth, and while many actors of his day might have answered like questions in the same way the actor of today who would say the same thing would Do looked upon as a curiosity
 Actors are not automatons, and tho man who could not tell you the story of the play in which he is appearing would bo ;v,,h I d Ina lieve exists in the profession. What MT. Irving says and what my friend the au- thor holds was true in measure 10 or 15 years ago, but it is not today.
 Years ago. when I was a member of a stock company, I frequently appeared in plays of which I knew very little. Wo used to give four or five different plays Q week, and we rehearsed every day. Of Q Monday morning would be given several parts and told to memorize them. Some of these parts would consist of 65 or moro paaes and all of my time was put in
 ldying, rehearsing and playing l had
 time for recreation.
 There was nothing but work and worry, kith D small salary thrown in and hopo thatI would pull through with the help of heaven and the prompter. Had some ono asked me in those days the story of any one of the plays in which I was ap bearing 1 could not havc told him. In fact, was not expected to know All that was required was that should know my lines. But, to use very old and mil dewed expression, times have changed
 The production of plays today is reduc ed to scientific principle. If MT. Daily or Mir. Frohman or any of our big man. agers decides to produce a new play, call sc y,ocfoJ rotjfviuU tha oo,opopv to rpnot at the theatcr at a certain hour. The au- thor is present. and it is his or Ter duty to read the work to the assembled company and explain to it his or her ideas and where and how he or she desires to obtain cer tain effects. Every point is made clear. The stage manager has already cast tho play, and, the reading over, tho parts arc handed around. Tho next day tho really hard work begins when the play is placed in rehearsal.
 It is the authors business to be present at all these rehearsals. Bronson Howard rehearscs all of his own plays. Ho takes seat down near the stage with copy of tho manuscript in his hand and directs every little bit of stage business and cor rects every mistake. Clay Greene, David Belasco, Augustus Thomas, Paul Potter, Sydney Rosenfeld and all of our proini- nent authors attend all of the rehearsas of their plays, for they have learned the lesson that it is to their interest to do so.
 My friend the author, who complained so much about actors being automatons and being devoid of ideas, had neglected to attend the rehearsals of his play and was surprised when he saw it to find that all of his ideas had not been carried out. The man who staged it drew his own de- auctions, the most reasonable perhaps that he could, and then gave the ideas to the company. Such cases, however, are very rare.
 To my mind, the actors of today arc an enlightened body, and most authors who have been brought in contact with them will bear out this sstatement.-William H. Crane in New York World.
 The St. Bernard Pass.
 The examinations made at the Great St. Bernard show that the pass was not only used by foot passengers, but by horsemen