New-York tribune., 1901-11-16

and will drive the public!" AT whlcn l t olone
into shriu laughter in spite or moving Tears
1no wnn,en csme in. one said: why, what on
earth's the matter? Have they ploWh YOU @ up
for your didoes tonight? What need you care
Won nlea sed the audience?' But another SAID
quietly: Just get glass Of water 1or her, sis
has a touch Of hysteria-1 wonder WHO cause0
But only thought of that woman OF the a olll
future who was to conquer the pubhc-"no was
she? ,, ,.,o -,
WHY that round of applause should have so
shattered my happy confidence cannot uliuSl
stand. but the fact remains that from .nat nisn,
I never faced new audience, or ateeinp.vu @ .ror ~
new part without suffering a nervous terror
that sometimes but narrowly escaped coliapse'
How she came to make this hit is worth con-
siderins. 1t should be a lesson Tor those WIZ
hope to follow in her footsteps. This is perhaps
the secret of her success, for the finest talent
may be wasted and genius blasted in the BUD;
NV small success can be explained in two
words-extra work When they STUDIED thei.
parts they contented if they couiu "7. repea'
their lines perfectly in the quiet or theil iooiia, @
and made no allowance for possible accloents y,
arnoyances with power to confuse the mlhu anu
cause loss of memory ana ensuing na aId
But l was a careful young person. ana "oulu
not trust my own memory Wlthout his
taking every possible precauton IhereIore tiie
repeating of my lines correctly IN my room "as
but the beginning Of my study of them IN
crossing the crowded street L sudoehiy oe
manded of myself my lines AT the taoe, a VIZ
all were chatting, | again made sudden delhaiiu
for the same. If either occasion my near
gave a jump and my memory failed 10 presen'
exact l L
and l would repeat those lines until, had tiie
very roof blown off the theatre at night, shouIu
not have missed Then only could lulil
my attention to the acting or then-oh, p,es
you yes! | quite thought I was acting, ano a'
all events 1 doing the next best thiiis'
which was trying to act ~
But change coming to me, an eApeii
ence was approaching which I cannot explain 10
myself neither has any one else explained II
for me- but l mention it because II nlaoe sucii q
different thing of dramatic life for me. aye,
such a difficult thing as well. LOOKING pach @ ~
that time 1 see that all my childhood, all my
youth was crowded into that first year on the
stage There / first knew liberty or Speech
freedom of motion There [ shared In the gen
eral brightness and seemed to live by rlsht
divine not by the grudgng permission or some
taskmstress of my mother. l had hao no youtli
before for in what should have been oapyhoou
had been troubled little woman, most wise
in misery In freedom my crushed splr!ts US rose
with a bound The nirnicry. the adaptablhty
of childhood asserted Themselves prahceo
about the stage happily, but thoughtlessiy.
1t seems to l was like blind puppy porn
into warmth and comfort and enjoying poth'
without any fear of the things 1t could not see;
AS I have said before, 1 knew no fear had
no ambition, L was just happy, o!lndly hapPy,
and now, all suddenly was to exchange TINS
freedom Of unconSclousneSS lor the slavery VI
consciousness.
Her triumph came It after she had been
snubbed in the green of Mr.. Days
theatre by those who should have befriended
the forlorn stranger from the West She was
to make her first appearance in L'Artlcle a.
never before produced in America. Everything
depended upon Its success and her success IN
it. She says:
One moment I felt I was lost. had been
dragged out Of the play at the crucial moment!
1 casped my hands across my eyes: The king
dom and the power!" l groaned-l faced the
other way, The low, eerie music caught my
attention and awakened my imagination. in
another second was as mad as a March hare
The first time the low. gibbering laugh swelled
into the wild. long sustained shrleklng ha! ma ma.
a voice said, low and clear: 'Oh, dear Cod!
Yet l who had heard the genuine laugh at the
madhouse knew this to be but poor, tame.
soulless thing compared to that Heca;e-ike dis
tiation-the very essence OF madness, that ran
through that real gibber Of laughter.
Yet it enough. At the end there came to
me one of those moments God grants now and
then as a reward for long thirst, wayweariness
and heartsickness patiently borne! one OF those
foolishly divine moments you stand with the
gods and, like them, are young and fair and
powerful, Your very nerves thrill harmonious
like harp strings attune-your blood courses like
quicksilver for swiftness like wine for warmth
and that fair peak Of Triumph, where one
tarries but by moments, there Is no knowledge
OF sin suffering. of death or hate; there is
only sunshine. the Sunshine OF success! love Tor
all those creatures who turn smiling faces on
you, who hold their hands 10 you with joyous
cries.
tions! No analysis, criticism then-they fol-
low later. That is just moment of delicious
madness; and 10 distinguish 1t from other fren-
zIes it is called-a Dramatic Triumph!
And the final reward for all this work
and worry? The love. the admiration. the ap-
plause of the artistic and art loving world.
There is hardly page IN this book on which
there is not something quotable. II is the crown
ing work of an artist who is twice artist
for she is artist and off the stage.
CHAS. WARREN STODDARD.