Omaha daily bee., 1899-07-09
nth cELLuLosE on Z NEW RATTLEsHI Up.
the The stage of a crowded theater. You must

the stage of a crowded theater. You must
watch me intently. But you must not try
to catch the gestures of the facial changes.
Never mind the outer man; it is the inner
man you must observe. BY that l mean
that you must try to discover the workings
of my mind. For when I begin to waken
as Rip Van Wrinkle I strive to put myself IN
the mental attitude that would have been
his on recovering himself after half a life
times slumber. l try to express the I'M
certainty, the confusion. the hopes and the
fears that would crowd the mind of a per-
son passing through such an extraordinary
experience.
at isn't necessary that your interpreta-
ton should be outwardly like mine; in fact,
l should be extremely doubtful of your sue
cess IL it were. There will surely be some
resemblance, since you. like myself. are a
Jefferson. ard so. no matter how you try
to do otherwise. you will probably be some
what initiative. But the great point will
be to express properly the thoughts and
emotions CT the Weakening Rip Van Wrinkle
in your own way. Never mind just how
YOU do this, and don't try to produce the
desired effects in the same way every time;
the thing you must be concerned with Is
your own notion of the part and your per-
sonal feelings when you are playing ii.
When it comes your turn to do the wax
ening act I will watch you critically, and
II can certainly tell whether you have sue
ceeded in feeling the part or not
six Rules for Success.
Here are more of Mr.. Jefferson's
maxims, as given by his son Charles B., $50
named after the late Charles Burke, half
brother of Joseph jefferson and his predeces-
sor in the part of Rip Van Winkle) to the
writer:
Never act to or at your auditors; al
ways act for them"
Never try to gauge the intelligence of
your audience by the price of the seats
Always keep the promises sou make to
the public"
Always do the thing you can do best"
It is evident from his lifelong irsistence
upon the value of his maXims. six in all,
including the one given at the beginning Of
this article, and his we'll known rule never
to allow vulgarity or impurity TO find a
place in his performances, that he considers
their observance a potent factor in his sue
cess. With regard to his rule about keep
ing faith with the public, he has said many
times that refunding the money at the box
Office does not satisfy a disappointed au-
dience, and he prides himself that no con-
siderable number Of theatergoers was ever
disappointed by him until last fall when
llo lllltE6 "a ~ ulANllg AluppoElDlt Abl
him 10 go on with his engagements.
But Joseph Jefferson may not properly be
spoken of as a slave 10 rules. On the con-
trary, his art has always been in a state Of
evolution. He has been constantly on the
lookout for new ideas as TO effective bust
ness and many Of the quiet touches that
have made him so strong with the public
have been the result of accident, pure and
simple.
on one occasion, at least, however, an ac-
cident from which he expected satisfactory
results did more harm than good. He was
playing Mr.. Golightly in Lend Ne Five
Shillings,' his son Charles B., being
also in the cast, In that play
Mr.. Golightly wears a butterfly
necktle fastened to the collar button
by a loop OF rubber string. One night the
loop became unbuttoned and the butterfly
fell 10 the ground. Jefferson was uncon-
scious Of the mishap, but he knew something
had happened, for scattered auditors were
laughing all over the house in that hest
tating way which shows uncertainty as TO
whether the cause OF the laughter is de-
signed or accidental, Charles B. saw what
was the matter, OF course, and made signs
which conveyed the truth TO HIS father.
When he understood the situation, a compli-
Gated and highly comical look, expressing
surprise, annoyance and relief, passed
quickly across his face. At sight of this
the audience, now assured that the whole
thing was part Of the business" and so
Legitimate cause for laughter, burst into a
hearty gufaw. Jefferson then picked up
the tie and buttoned it again to his collar
whereat there was more laughter and a
round OF applause.
All this happened In less time than Il
takes to write II, and, the result being a hit
Jefferson 20 introduce that same
business regularly thereafter, and tried Il
next night. But 1t was not In any sense a
success. II seemed utterly impossible for
the actor 10 counterfeit the facial express
siOns Of psrPlexity and Impotence, followed