The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-03-29
I on{ an Imnrnvinn TimR T0SUGC00d as an AGfr688
uoIoos Modieska's Counsel to Young Women VINO Seer
Stage Careers--Her Own Experiences

/ mo TO DAY IL ldl ~
- evrnnathize with. Twas years anu
-o,rs in earning TO be able to pay
..I od- N,chbeth.' / could not feel her.
coud not possibly have any sympatns
en- r,cr. She replied me, ] wanted 70
RIM away form her. and refused, "ii.e
uas in that state concerning her. 10
9trempt ii impersonate the character.
o the other hand, take Porlta ior
xamrle. loved her from the hrs'' l
faft th,t She was a woman of eNtfaor-
din,ry sweetness, of brilliant W.T. Slhth
did generosity. feminine plquanc? 'iu
~reat intellectual power. she ptfoh7'N
'11o Il century noted for its grnIFant WON
rn-a veritable golden age OF 1clllhilit
mentality.
"porjta was undoubtedly a woman OF
u slim rui>hcd social position. with the
charming. caSw manners OF lflSn-Dretu-
mo and nerfcct knowledge of the world.
She was undoubtedly a hngulst. All ule
women of wealth and position OF 1hat
dav were superbly educated. and 1t was
-tuuite common for them to speak I'VE or
six languages tiuently.
when was preparing to become
Portal. | read everything | could hnd III
} Eronch. Italian. Polish and English con
cerning the period III which she lived. |
, threw my whole personality. 50 far as
could. back into THAT time, l ABSORBED
all the HISTORY. romance and poetry ana
: nbe neriod. became familiar, geograph-
, ically. with the italian towns IN Whclh
: she dwelt. | studied the |
| wore the dress, / familiarized myself
L With the ethics of the time ana people
until l was saturated with the lU1los-
nhqrc of my beautiful heroine. Finally,
began to realize to myself the compo~
! nent parts of thGs young and lovely
: woman of marvellous speech and eNtraor-
f binary sd @aclty.
Il discovered that just as to-day many
women are legally we'll informed, SO
in a century which closely resembles
ou. own in various lines, 1T would not
have been at all strange for q young
: woman of Portals calibcr to be legally
:, learned. Gradually | felt the cold OF
the time in which POrtia hvcd, the at
mosDherc of the woman herself, the
i noble love which makes her SO ador~
able. the dnarming daimtiness and sweet
portia woman of 800 years ago had
ness of her innocent gayety, when THIS
dominated the 10Th entury. Helena
MU1ieska. / felt that l had caught her,
d intellectually. Then it became my dc
| liglrtful task to make her physically as
y lovely Il picture as l possibly could. |
do not know how / succeeded, but from
the very beginning i have tried to make
= ltN ol11f1 St1NtS uitl 1lollIpuS. LII ltaS
e | believe thesky to my wllole eXistancc
is my dependence upon harmony"
AS Il little child, | could not bear a
diScord-nOt :; discOrd alone in music,
: bat in anything. | + colors We're dis
> cordant, | hated to look upon them. /
wanted everything in our home harmo-
Nous, and as a tiny little girl, this pc
Guitar distance for anything out of tunt
was looked upon merely as am absufl
y -I -.ar- IL 49,
mother recognized that this so-called &c:
cnntricity was ONE | could not conque.
= She saw in me thc temperament of the
artist. In all my work | feel there
must he perfect harmony. A Portia
y must have the sou of Il Portal. Sh,
III must have the figure of Il POrtia, and
l. above all she must have the voice of {;
III ~INortia. \ Portia in her wonderful
II speech 'the quality of mercy with the
n voice OF u Lady MacbcthEtlnd l see thai
u YOU smile. but indeed l have heard
le ~JuIets with voices so mature and heav,
lc tlrat they were only suitable for the
n old-fashione1 ira gcdiennne in her most
/? blOod-curdInng ACKNOWLEDGEMENT he
out ofharmony. and, i'll studying this
role, should make an especial point OF
IT, having my voice the right age. the
right quality, i'll fact the very reflection
of the character Of the woman
pV NpN, II YOU ISk NE WHAT arc the
attributes that make a successful ac
of trcss, | must tell YOU tIlMt | am alto
e. @ct1ler ignorant, and also / am unable
Ii. to reconcile myself to the popular ties
ms OF success, which represents dolars
IT and cents alone. Success appears also
or TO me TO depend so much upon adver
er tlslnG that it can no longer be said t,
Of be the just results of artististic merit
mere arc many much-advcrtiscd wom
re en- who deserve all the Success that the,
have attained, but Il could name to VOL
others who have, III an eminetn degree
= lle artistic temperament, who are deli
&c CATE refined, poetic, exquisite, and ye
an WHO never reach success. If YOU ash
Why | must say candidly, because the,
- have not been advertised.
- lake. for example, Annie Russell
There is. en- my opinion, no woman Eror,
hlghly endowed as an artist than she
IN her representation Of Elaine she wa.
- exquisite almost beyond belief. Certain
: ly no other such creation has been seel
OF equal d~elicacy and beauty in the las
~ Years. to my knowledge. Yet. U4har,
t. Is Miss Annie Russell to-day? Not. Ger
tallly. where She should be. do no
u wish to he Il cynic, but the true arts
must lind compensation in thejoy of :
u ere devoted to so glorious a master.
cannot say to the young women that, pa
tftilct thHu perseverance WTlI bring thpi
just reward III the dramatic profession,
- because 1t would not be true. With TN,
w elhperamelft. Il real love of art. n will
IngncSs TO devote ones life TO the vorl
u ana q good press agent. there is home
~ put W4thout the press agent in tbes,
DAYS. | honestly believe the cnancos = -
= ihIillercnt Tor the success of the mos
lalelfted girl or woman. You will nor
4 maps ask if | believe my own s,,croe,
i was dependent upon ADVERTISING an,
u mere ugaIn must reply that don .
ADMIT that have really attained COZ,
u spic'lous acknowledgment of wbatevc
.aleht may possess. and. after all ,,bo
u IS tame! Surely it is not money IF !;
We're compared to some of tho oner
uoane ar!lsts should be voted a fail
y the - " rs the love and applause o
ule publc, it is but transient indoo,