The record-union., 1897-12-07

but what learned was of benefit to me
and helped me to understand music bet
ter and the reasons for certain things
in it.
Then, / study people; I study life. /
am interested in learning everything.
| could listen all day to some one who
can talk we'll upon some subject, and
everything l learn helps me directly or
indirectly in my profession. / do not
think of it all the time. l talk about
1t very little. ! have not many friends
who are professional people, and they
seldom talk to me about my work. 1
keep away from it while l am with
them, still l always instfnctively apply
everything to it,
Sometimes I must get away from it
altogether, and then I go out into the
country and drive all day. That will
DO me a great deal of good, and 1 come
back to the stage entirely refreshed.
Driving a span of horses requires
enough attention to hold the mind, and
the fresh air and the scenery are bene-
fetal. l do not do it very often, but
sometimes 1 must do It. 1t is conven-
tional, but professional woman can
i
back in the early morning.
BOHEMIAN LIFE NOT HELPFUL.
In the first years of my stage work
tried the Bohemian life. but / could
not stand it. My health would not per-
NIT ii, and it was not helpful. What do
call the Bohemian life? Why, late
suppers, after the theater. meeting the
people of the profession--until , or 3
o'clock. They were the bright people
of the profession, too, whom l met, but
it was not helpful.
when | am studying a particular
part l put myself as much in the at
mosphere of it as possible. In studying
this part of Lydia Ransom In "A South
ern Romance" l have associated with
Southern people, and this summer ]
spent with Southern friends. In play
ing New England piece in Mr. Hernes
company, We all went into a little New
England town. 1t is not always possi-
bic to do that, and for other parts !
have taken / could only study the tra-
ditions. l do not mean that l study the
manners of the people so much but
learn what the people are like.
The lines of the play are the last
| thing | study, though of course, / do
| study them. / study the character, and
try to do, not what / would do, but
what the girl whose part / am taking
would do under the same circumstances.
i study the part from the outlook of the
other characters. Now, when Lydia S
father says to the man she is going to
marry, She hasn't got much book learn
ing, Bev. but she's got it here putting
his hand to his heart, it gives an idea
of the depths of her affection. And
when Emily Wyckoff says to Claude,
Lydia is not the girl to confide in any
one it gives the idea Immediately of a
deep self-contained character. Then
| her love of flowers, not the love every
girl has to see pretty things around, but
a thorough love for them, shows another
side to her character
The different parts of character
must be studied with regard to each
ether. A strong point must be grad
ually led up to. Where Lydia tells 'Bev'
that she will not go with him unless
he will promise to bring her home di-
rectly after dinner, she says it with more
emphasis than would perhaps seem ne
oessary. The audience do not realize
ii, but from that emphasis they get the
idea of the girls determination, so that
when in the last act he takes a strong
and decided step. they are not unpre-
pared for it.
NOTHING LEFT TO INSTINCT.
Nothing can be left to instinct in a
play. Dramatic instinct may do some
thing, but where it is relied upon solely
in a delicate part there is sure to be a
failure. No. I never practice before the
mirror. I throw myself down when
am alone and let the whole play pass
before me, and then / can see the things
have done, and whether they are right
or wrong, and change them when it
seems necessary
"One winter, when / had been i'll, ]
went to the theater a great deal and
saw such artists as Duse, Ada Rehan,
and Minnie Maddern Fiske. The two
latter. with Mrs. Herne, 1 believe are
the greatest women on the American
stage. You do not want to study to
| copy them, but to learn their art. Min
ME Maddern Fiske was wonderful as
/ Tess. In one part her voice went right
| through my heart. 1t was not that she
was pathetic; many people are pathetic,
but untold sorrow was in the very hard
ness of her voice. Every one would not
dc as | do, but this way of studying is
the best for me.
"A professional life is not the most
happy one. One must be a great deal
alone and there is the feeling of ambi-
ton which is never satisfied. Perhaps
the life of a woman with family is the
happiest 1t is certainly one of the
most important; no work is more re-
sponsible. 1t is the happiest if the wo-
man has never tried anything else. Then
/ do not think she could be happy in II
unless her husband had a career in
which she could become absorbed and
/ throw into it all the ambition she had
had for herself.
And / would not know how to tell a
young girl to get on the stage now.
I should have no idea as to what would
/ be the best for her to do. girl came
/ to me the other day to find out, and
gave her a note to Mr.. Mansfield l dc
not know that he could do anything for
+ her. but at least he could give her bet
( ter advice than I could. / should not dc
/ that under ali circumstances, but this
/ was a peculiar case. But a girl can dc
more for herself than any che else can
/ do for her.
I would never warn girl who wished
/ TO so on the stage of the temptations
/ she would meet. For one thing, she
would be sure to think that the tempta-
uons. whatever they We're, would not
apply to her-that she would hold her
self above them, and then l do not think
I there are any more temptations on the
stage than anywhere else. A man will
make love to a pretty girl anywhere
and she may be subject to temptation
/ anywhere where she is leading a life
not surrounded by the conventionalities