The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-15
A WESTERN ACTRESS
Miss Clara Morris Oneof the Ohio
Winners.
PLAYED LEADS IN HER TEENS
DAILY Company and Unknown
She Captured New York.

Clara Morris has given to the American
public many surprises and many pleasures.
Not the least of these has been her remark
able literary development, which came after
time when most people feel inclined or able
to take up new ventures. 500
Miss Morris, who is one OF the greatest
emotional actresses that has graced the
American STAGE was born in Toronto In 1849.
She was taken to Cleveland in infancy, how
ever, and grew up there in poverty and all
most without education. At the age Of II
years she became member Of the ballet at
the Academy of Music and, although she
went through every step Of her art without.
Sinking or shrinking and without the assist.
ance of influence to smooth out difficult pla-
ces her rise was rapid. and before she was
20 she had had a considerable experience as
leading lady in the theater in which she made
her start
At 20 Miss Morris became leading lady of
Woods theater in Cincinnati, then one of the
best-known theaters in the west. She re-
manned there but year when fortune favored
her, and. having secured an interview with
Mr.. DAILY, she was engaged as member OF
his company. She was very ;coldly received
by the company, and the story of her first
appearance was the subject OF an entertaining
article in the Century recently.
Poverty still hampered the brilliant young
actress and she was obliged to make her first
appearance at rehearsal in very plain and
rather unreasonable attire, while her fellow
players were loaded with jewels and dressed
like fashion plates. She was utterly ignored
the first day, but when it was found on the
second day that Mr.. Daily had changed the
original arrangement Of the cast and put Miss
Morris in the leading emotional part, instead
of giving the part to either of the leaders OF
rival factions in the company, Miss Agnes
Ethel and Miss Fanny Davenport, she at least
received outward respect from the company.
But one of her fellow players was acquaint-
ed with her abilities, and he for reasons or
his own did not herald them. Miss Morris
was never able to show her power at rehears-
ais by garish daylight and without the lnsplr-
alton of an audience. She read her lines WAN
intelligence and. gave every detail with cor
rectness, but her moving power only came 10
her when the curtain rose. Her one frlend
in the company did not know this fact. anu
thinking that she was deliberately blumns
the company in order to give them shock,
in retaliation for their cold reception OF hef,
he gave no hint Of what to expect.
The rehearsals were prolonged, to MISS MOT
ris' sorrow, as she was always an uncommon
ly quick and sure study. She was willing TO
undergo a reasonable amount OF unnecessary
work for the sake of the beginners, put she
felt that she was using up her own strength.
undu1y This thought reused her deeply one
day. and instead of going through the lines or
a severe denuncation of one or the SLOW, w
ertain young women in the usual perfunctory
way, she turned upon her in desperation VIII
The fury that the real occasion required lhs
girl dropped to the floor, actually frlghteneu
into q faint Later, she told Mr. Daily tnat
she was very glad that it happened at re-
hearsal for, if she had had her first expert
ence with such tigersh ferocity before an au-
dience. she would certainly have done the
same thing.
Although she was practically unknown IN
New York, her first appearance was III
,mph and the impression MADE then was
deepened with every new role. rA(ss Motiis
loves and appreciates New YORK audiences
and cannot say too much for them.
In playing emotional parts, MISS MOTIFS
had an uncommonly large share of interest
ing experiences with people VINO saw ~ nef
roles the counterparts- OF passages IN thelr
own lives or in those dear to them. Many
of these experiences she has utilized IN her
antohiography and stage "reminiscences. She
believes that no stage situation can be more
strange than real life. She cites numerous
instances of Interruptions to her performances
by people who either became too mucn
wrought up to contain themselves or VINO
were overcome by the parallel between the
stage scenes and life as they hao expert
enced it..
A1thoueh Miss Morris was born actress,
who triumphed by inward power, coupled
with indomitable energy and ampltlon, sue
professed to believe that, under present CON
ditions she would stand no. chance, II she
was to begin over again, without friends,
money or beauty. She thinks these neces-
sary in superlative degree to enable the
rank outsider to break into the oramatlc
circle and make any place that is worth
while, She is altogether discouraglng TO
Young women without friends in the ORA
matte profession who think that nothing but
the life of the stage will satisfy them
Any woman of Miss Morris's wide and inter-
esting experience in life would have an inter
esting stock of literary material, but she is
the very rare individual who is able to make
use of her material in a way to challenge
the admiration and respect OF the literary
world Her style has not only power but
finish that is as admirable as 1T is astonlsh-
ing Her powers as litterateur and an
actress both find full scope in her latest
undertaking lecturing-and there is every in
dication that her lecture Saturday evening
at Plymouth church will afford a rare treat.
She will speak of the subject of which she is
the mistress and in which the public is alb
sorbingly interested-"The, Stage and the
Actor"