The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-31
The Rise of Maude Adams.


Maude Adams, who occupies an enviable
position among leading actresses OF the
American stage, particularly In view OF
her youth. began her professional career
when almost a babe in arms. Many in
teresting facts concerning this most in
teresting young woman were related re-
Gently in an interview with her mother,
who is : prominent New York actress.
Really" said Mrs. Adams, II might al
most say Maude's first appearance should
be termed an accident. Neither her father
nor myself had ever given a moments
consideration about her being an actress.
/ suppose if any one had suggested to me
that the child be educated for the stage
/ would have i~nterposed a hundred argu-
ments and objections against a life on the
stage for the child, for 1 knew how hard
it is. How queerly things come about!
/ was a member of the J. h. Emmett COM
pany, and we were rehearsing Fritz in
San Francisco. We were having a great
deal of trouble With the child's part in the
piece. One child would forget the lines.
Another would not know its cues, and all
of them manifested the ~liveliest fear of the
big mill Wheel used in the play. Only three
days remained before the opening night.
to play the part.
Finally Mrs. Gertrude Hart, a member
OF the company, said: Let Maude go on
MIR. Emmett heard the remark and asked
me: Have you a little grip When / re-
piled in the affirmative. he at once begged
me TO let her take the part. l did not
promise him but after awhile preached the
subject TO my husband. Nonsense he
calculated, L don't want the child TO go
down there and make a fool OF herself.
We had not thought the child, who was
only five years old, had paid any attention
10 what we were talking about. but sud
denly laying down her knife and fork she
said, with an air of cOmical Juvenile sober
ness, Papa, / won't make a fool OF my
self. Her father laughed. begged the baby's
pardon and gave his consent. Maude
learned the lines belonging to the part OF
Little Fritz in an hour. and thought acting
was great fun. Ia fact, it was so much
fun that in the mill scene she forgot herself
and, leaning out Of the mill window. inter-
rupted Mrs. Gertrude Hart in one OF her
greatest scenes b. calling out in chilSish
innocence, Aunt Gertyi Aunt Gerty, Is il
time for me TO Scream The audience. of
course, did the screaming.
But Fritz was not Maude's only boy
part continued Mrs Adams. FOR she
played a little newsbOy in a piece called
The Streets OF New York when she was
six years old. She was proud of her bows
clothes and took a deep interest in the
small trousers. She watched me making
them and gave me a valuable suggestion.
Make a rip here, mamma she said. draw
ing her little fingers along a side seam. and
let some red flannel stick out. That's the
way I've seen ragged little boys dressed
The strange unrealitieS of the stage
are curiously eXemplihed in an experience
my daughter and L had. Ethel Brandon
and her daughter Polly and my daughter
MaEde and myself were in the same COM
pany. / believe We were playing 'Harbor
Lights. The girls were about the sam
age. both about eleven ] think. Miss Brtn-
don and | were east for young. frivolous
girls. and those two daughters OF ours
played the parts of old withered crones.
The little creatures were made uD 20 look
wrinEled and tOothless and We're bent
nearly double with their assumed age.
They were weird little figures and never
failed TO win applause as soon as they
came upon the stage.
While L always did everything I could
for my daughter. she may almost be said
10 have been self-taught. | always saw TO
II that she had learned her part, but even
that was unnecessary. She has always
been a quick study. When she was a mere
baby We would go over the scores together
once or twice. but Maude always PLAYED
them as she liked. She was always self
reliant and always acted according to her
own standards Maude left school very
early. when she was not vet fourteen 7
was opposed 10 her leaving before her grad
uati0n, but her argument was that she
would not need a longer school course un-
less she became a teacher or a literary
woman j don't want 10 be either she de-
clared, and that settled the matter. She at
tended the COLLEGIATE Institute I'm Salt Lake
City Her principal urged me to leave her
there until she finished the course. If Won
: do he said. Il will guarantee her a position
~ teacher 90 elOcution at 5000 a year
Il suppose. OF course. that mother talk
about infant prodigies is all f~solishness. but
et1l i cannot help feeling proud OF the fact
that Aaude learned tie alphabet in an