The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-30
CLEMENT SCOTS IDEA.
The London Critic Says Many Harsh Things
About Actresses.

Clement SCOTS attack on the English
stage has aroused great Indignation IN Lon
| don and America, and prominent theatre
cal people are replying to the indictment
in warm words.
In an interview Mr. Scott made use of the
following, which has caused the Storm
IF any one / loved insisted upon going
on the stage contrary to my advice, L
should be terrified for her future, hopeless
for the endurance of our affection, or even
our friendship. For stage life, according
to my experience, has a tendency to deaden
the finer feelings and crush the inner ma
ture of men and women, to substitute arti-
ficiality and hollowness for sincerity and
truth. I speak from intimate experience
with the stage, extending over thirty-seven
years. OF course, refer now to the inner
life of the theater, that which goes on be-
hind the scenes.
I'm dealing with this inner life I leave
out all reference to what | may term the
theatrical families of the stage-those
well-known people of generations of play
actors. They are like doctors and artists,
to whom the whole thing is matter of
training for the profession. They either
do not notice are unaffected by what,
perhaps, comes as a shock to the novice.
1 speak, rather, of and to the hundreds of
young people, especially of the opposite
sex, who have an unhealthy craving for
matters theatrical.
at is really impossible for a woman to
remain pure who adopts the stage as a
profession. Everything is against her. The
freedom of life, speech and gesture which
is the rule behind the curtain render it
almost impossible for a woman to pre-
serve the simplicity. of manner which is her
greatest charm. Her whole life is arti-
fetal and unnatural to the last degree.
Therefore, it is an unhealthy life to live.
"But there are far more serious evils to
be encountered than these. The drawbacks
mentioned are things that render it i'm
possible for lady to remain lady. But
what is infinitely more to be deplored is
that woman who endeavors to keep her
purity is, almost of necessity, foredoomed
to failure in her career"
TT is an awful thing to say, but no one
who knows the life of the green room will
dare to deny it. More I need not say [
could give chapter and verse for my au-
thority by the Dozen but it would not be
very savory reading. All that I can say is
that I marvel at any mother who allows
her daughter to take up a theatrical ca
reer
Still more am I astounded that any man
should calmly endure his wife to become an
actress, uraccompanied by himself He
must be either fool or knave Nor do
see how any woman is to escape contami-
nation in one form or another. Temptation
surrounds her in every shape and every
side. Her prospects frequently depend
upon nature-and the extent of her COM
pliance, ard, after ALL human nature is
very weak
Sir Edward Lawson. proprietor of the
Daily Telegraph has been urged by influ-
entail theatrical people to dispense with
Mr.. SCOTS services as dramatic critic, on
the ground that his convictions, as eX-
pressed in interview, unfit him for the
fair performance of his duties as a critic
and make further relations between him
and the theatrical profession practically
impossible But Mr.. Scott's position is not
in danger. The remarkable fact is that,
even in the profession itself, the substan-
tial truth of Mr.. SCOTS statement is adj
mitted by many actresses, although they
dare not for obvious reasons say so over
their own Signatures. These, however, arc
the unsuccessful ones, who attribute their
continuous occupation of the back seat in
their profession to the causes recounted
by Mr.. Scott
Actors and managers, on the other hand,
fiercelv resent the press imputation made
upon them of Matchmaking methods. 1ndiA
vidual examples may be mentioned, they
admit. but they claim that their dealings
with actresses. as a rule, are perfectly
honorable as between employer and EN-"
ploye.