Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1897-09-23
nHE cnrtaln rang down. and die

- been called but it partook of trag-
edy, and its strong climaXes, handled
as they were by competent players
were received by the audience with
uncontrolled storms of applause.
My friend Lester and |, old theater
gOers as we We're. thrilled with the
Others at the strong human touch of
the actors art, and were silent as we
slowly moved outward i'll the pertumed
crush and chatter of the fashionable
crowd. We went TO a quiet restaurant
we knew of. where the nOisier pleasure
seekers did not follow, and ordered our
chops and ale.
Released from the spell of the coun-
terfeit world in which we had lived for
some two hours the prosaic reality of
actual life soon brought us back to our
normal condition of mind.
Doesn't it seem strange" said Les
ter, who carried all kinds of theories 4
his head, that Il play like that should
Impress any one as Il true representa-
zion of life?"
so II seemed TO me-" | answered. in
some surprise, for Lester had noticed,
had yielded aS fully. if not more so. to
the spell of the performance than |
myself had. "The plot was far less I'M
probable than the happenings set forth
IN our daily papers. the situations were
brought about naturally. and the hand
ling of the characters unusually well
managed"
Yes" said Lester, 81 know that's
true, but you haven't caught my idea.
No wonder, though, for | haven't adj
Nanced II yet. was just thinking of
the language that playwrights and nov
eliSis put in the mouths of their char
acterS. When do YOU ever hear real
people use such stilted high-hown talk?
Or course | know it's necessary for
thehl 10 improve ON our everyday slip
shod lingo, or the whole thing would
iinSco, hut, all the same it isn't
true TO nature, | refer particularly to
strong emotional scenes. In such crises
IN real life the participants will always
lose what little ideas of grammar, con-
strnctlon, aud choice of language they
generally have. and either stammer out
lot of idiotic commonplaces, simply
swear, or turn dumb as brutes. Now
IN the novel or the drama their talk
always rises to the emergency That's
art, of course, but it isn't truth"
Il don't altogether agree with you,"
said. Il thin kthat even in actual life
men and women when confronted with
some great and suuden danger. sorrow.
or other moving sentiment, rise above
their petty conventionalIes of express
sion and use language sometimes as
passionate, lofty and dramatic as that
belonging to literature or the stage. We
modern people haze become slaves to
the artificial and have frttrred away
our souls Oh sordid things. We express
ourselves jerkily, Shngiiy, and poor
ly. We aim AT pcrtnrsS. and breyity,
and have Il foolish dislike for allowing
others to see what Is in our hearts
Our whole talk is devoted to diplomacy.
deception, and the concealment of our
thoughts. But, at heart we are still
men and women. and II genuine and
powerful emotion will. | think. in five
eases ont of six, bring to the lips words
fully as theatric. melodramatic and
STACEY" as those we heard on the
boards tonight or read in books"
You're wrong, old man." said Lester
In his positive way. Were hopelessly
unpicturesque in our parlance. Get
one of us into an end of fifth act de-
nouement, and we either get tongue
tied or talk unintelllgible rot. Give
MS half an hour for preparation. and
we might think up something appro-
pirate 10 say, but not Off hand. We let
down just as the fellow did who on
coming home and finding his horse and
family burned up, remarked: Well.
declare, this is '.diculous. Grief
knocks out grammar,auds sudden shocks
are fatal TO syntaX. People don't in
dulge in herolCs nowadays. They sim.
ply can't do It. The twentieth century
atmosphere is unfavorable to them
Remember in the play tonight the pa.
thetic aud wonderfully fetching mono.
logue of the artists wife when he is
brought to her killed in the duel? What
would woman OF the stage do? Cry,
of course, and about all she would saw
would be something like, oh, isn't il
too awfully awfulr"
"Well,' | said as the chops came nm
brown and fragrant. you can't expect
people to talk blank verse and indulge
III elevated apostrophe on ordinary oc.
ca 'ons, but | dare say that the first
Time you happen to witness a scene
WIN the proper amount OF tragedy in
H. youU hear some talk very much the
same Kind you lind between novel COW
ers and across the footlights."
Il guess not" said Lester.