The Washington bee., 1902-02-08
HAD LONG STRUGGLE
Miss Julia Marlowe Chats About
Her Career on the Stage.
Worked Hard and Faithfully fog
Years Before Obtaining RecOg-
nItiOn-WOn Her Way Sure
ly, But Slowly.

Miss Julia Marlowe, in an interest
ing article in the Philharmonic maga-
zine, relates the details of the long
struggle which led to her recognition.
After reading her story it is not diff.
fcult to understand why she writes:
Il feel l could not go through il again"
Born in England, her parents came
TO this country when she was q lit
tie girl, and chose Kansas, not alto
gether fortunately for themselves, for
their abode. But the need which was
the chief reason for the commence
ment of the stage career of their
daughter cannot now be viewed other
than as a happy circumstance. Those
were the days of the juvenile opera
troupes, and of one of them the child
became a member. Her pretty talent
attracted the attention of the man
ageress of the company, and to THAI
woman, whom Miss Marlowe does not
name, she gives the credit for her
after rigorous training.
The manageress adopted the girl,
who then was 13 years old, and took
her TO New York to begin her actual
stage education. For three years it
lasted, with intermissions only of two
weeks each summer and holidays on
the Fourth of July, Christmas and New
Years day.
my mornings" Miss Marlowe
writes, ''were devoted to reading aloud
and to going over plays with my in
structress. Whole dramas were acted
out, my adopted aunt my only audi
ence, holding the book and reading
the other par ;. In the majority Of
them | have never appeared, nor was
it intended that | should. The aim
was that l should build up an exten-
siye repertOry and familiaTiZe myself
with the conceptions of the worlds
great dramatists. Tables and chairs
served 10 indicate the scenery and the
positions of other players in the act.
In the balcony scene of Romeo and
Juliet the back of the sofa was the
balcony rail, and over it, with my eyes
fixed tenderly upon worn place in the
carpet, | first delivered Juliet's good
night TO her lover.
"After three or four hours in the
morning came luncheon, a simple,
hearty meal. Then the mornings rou-
tine was repeated throughout the
afternoon.
"Such severe physical exercise as
fencing and gymnastics were an i'm
portant feature of my training. Stand
ing six feet from the wall with a rapier
in my hand l would luuge for a hum
dred times successfully at a tiny wafer
perhaps a quarter Of an inch in diam
eter-pasted to the wall. 1t came to
be considered not extraordinary when
I pierced the wafer 80 out Of 100 times.
"But the most essential of all was
the cultivation Of my voice. That part
of my training was enUrely musical,
the purpose being to give me such an
experience as every singer intended
for the opera undergoes, to render my
voice an instrument which could be
played upon in all its parts and in
stantly made to respond 10 any emo
tiOn without any evidence of effort.
To this day 1 take two vocal lessons
a week, ike any beginner. / never had
any so-called elocutionary training"
The strife for recognition itself came
after the three years of study were
over. The 16-year-old girl was deter
mined upon an Independent career,
and to every one of New York's chief
| managers she went resolutely asking
not for a place in their company, but
| for their sponsorship. In telling the
experience she gives no names, but
| Il is not difficult to pick out the man
ayers upon whom she called. Most
| of them still live. Their reception was
alike in the particular that they re-
fused TO assist her. Two Of them gave
/ her advice on the manner Of her read
! ings--bad advice, she was sure-and
/ two others offered her a position in
| their stock companies. One laughed,
| at her pretensiOns, and him she hated.
Not discouraged by defeat and more
than ever resolved TO accept the DOM
| ination of no manager, she at last de-
termined TO give a special perform
ence on her own account. In October,
! 1887. she and her instructtess raised
sufficient money to enable her to ap-
pear as Parthenia at an experimental
matinee at the BijOu theater. The
| fruit of her daring was honest critical
praise and the attention of persons
/ interested in theatrical art and in
/ theatrical business. From that time
on she won her way, not rapidly, but
surely. Work, she says in conclusion,
has been the only magic in her achieve
mentS.
Death from Old Age