Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-11


 JULIA ARTHUR
 mannerisms of tho most marked kind and arc freQucntly very offensive. In an actor or actress, thcrcforc, they should bc studi- ously avoided, and absolute truth should be cultivated at all times.
 Ours is grand nrt, n living brcathing art, and when wc undertake to form part of a picture which tho author has drawn with many n mental struggle and much careful study from lifc wc should not at- tempt tho task lightly or fippantly, but should devote mind and heart to making tho pictur' n perfect ono.
 We should not say, as wc all do under Somo circumstances, Tho part does not amount to anything. and won't waste timo or study on it." bCcausC by so doing We injurC our chances of n better part and acquire n Carrl,SSncSs which mars futurc work We should study tho small parts, putting aside the thought of self aggran- dizcmcnt. We should give them all our thought, not us small parts, but as charac- tcrS which have lived and can by our work live again And if CCnSurvd by those who look upon the pictur', and who arc capa- blc of judging its merits or dcmCritS, wc should not despair; neither should we treat | unjuStly n criticism which. if studied care fully by Us, might rnahlo Us to rid our selves of such faults as tho critic has pointed out, thereby IrrfvCtiniy our picturC. How can We treat lightly an art which comprises all tho arts and of lato years all the profrSsi"ns;
 We lro called upon tn portray every phase | uf life, We arV not called upon tn act our own characters, ar tho author would have written of our lives. When Inc author has put the words into our mouths, it k our | work tn give thnS, words meaning. to place | hriur' tho puhlir.A truthfully and as art is | tiCally aS our talent permits the character l which hr hh,, conceived How can We do sn if our own characters nr' full Uf aifrc | tatiuuS, uf mtsnncriSms? They will crtVp l int" our work and mar it, for if they lN' long to uS they cannot belong to every character WA arc called upon to assume ! How can wc hope Ia depict truth upon tho stago If our lives aro full of falsity? How | hope to learn If we think wo know 1t all? l For when that thought takes possession of 1 our minds we cease to advance in the l knowledgo of art and become mere parrots. Less thought of self would enable us to de- vote mOrc to tho representation of others.
 Why speak so much of what we have done when the futurc, if we would be art ists, demands our whole attention?
 Every new part Is a new study or ought I to be. The last part, whether a great sue cess or a miserable failurc, should be for, l gotten and all thought, invention and energy brought to bear upon tho new one.
 One success cannot make an artist. It Is merely n test, It is the first step which appears to Us tho most difficult. We think | If we could but mako ono success the rest would follow. "Oh, If I could only play one great part! Itwould mako mo" We crave for one great opportunity. Well, we gut 1t, and In ninety -nino cases out of a hundred what is the rcsultS
 We arc so clatcd that wc loSc sight of the second little step, but it Is thcrc, and the | cool headed man who sits in front has his eye on it as we'll as on us. 1Ic Is watching to seo how wc tako that step how wc will stand tho test, And what aro wc doingi Are wo putting ico on our heads in the way of Httlo cool rcilcCtion, or are Vt wondering how much salary wc can exact | of the suffering manager who wants us foI his next play? Arc wu thinking how Vt will play the now part, or arc We cudgcllne our brains to know how the new part ought to be played? Alas, we arc too ire ! qucntly listening to the flattcry of kinC but thoughtlesS friends, and, like a merry go round. We enjoy it until it makes u: dizzy
 They tell us we arc great; that we arr wanted; that we arc simply perfect; tha | We laNe EN2ACilCu lIC tOl
 We listen, We forget the cool headed gen tleman, and if we think of that sccond lit tie step at all 1t Is to imagine that We hay, passed far beyond it
 The gentleman in front doesn't care snap what We think or feel He Is ther to criticise tho work We do,
 He secs no improvement and says so The old and the new parts are too similar and he says so.
 We read 1t; we are surprised; we ara an moved, very much annoyed There is pale bluiSh light in tho room and an odo of sulphur, and if WIG allow our friends t console us and convince us that the coo headed gentleman is brute, and that 'h doesn't know what he is talking about, we go on in tho dizzy height until we gC fall from which we seldom If ever recovel
 But If we pause and do a little thinkin on our own account, get back to terT flrma, as it were, we will soon como to realization of the fact that stage art is nc tho simplest of the arts, and that, althoug thero is n woeful similarity in human n' turc, there Is a vast difference in charaI terS-
 We can be perfect in one part, but thci are others in which we might be most in perfect for the simple reason that u characters arc so different, and if We woul approach perfection We should bc able completely convince our audience that the . arc witnessing a character other than oI
 own-make them forget our individualit } in our work.
 When acting Is regarded as the art
 really wins; when 1t Is studied, rcspcctC
 and loved by all its interpreters as it ougl
 to be lessons will be given in tho thcat,
 as good and as useful as those given in Il
 church. But it rests with us to sustai 3 this glorious art, to save it from deca t It rests with us to infrlse into it the ha
 mony of music, the coloring and exprcssiC
 of the great painter the repose of the ma ble, and to surround all with life, bcin
 atmosphere. Is it a simple art, or docs mean workg
 Success or failure Is the answer.
 JULIA ARTHUR