The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-04

The American prima donna in addition to
her own desire to keep thin believes that
everybody eats too much and that to this
excess many evils of life are attributable.
1his is one of Nine. EameS'S tendencies
10 Christian Science and other beliefs of
that character. So she scarcely eats
enough TO keep a woman of her vigorous
constitution, and her physicians have often
told her in the last four years that she
would be in much better health if she could
persuade herself to more.
There are other instances of women hav-
ing injured their health permanently by
excessive 81 fa dieting ing; Della Foxs health be,
rigorous reduction cure. Fay Templeton
several years ago had a contract with E.
b. Rice by which she was to receive $3.50
a week on condition that her weight was
down to $50 pounds three weeks before the
beginning of the season. She was more
than 17O when that provisional contract
was made. During the summer she deted
vigorously, took more exercise than she
ever had before and week before the
time for her to begin rehearsals was down
TO 152 pounds.
She went to Mr.. Rice's office to see If a
| modus vivendi could not be established by
which she could escape the penalty of not
Kidding herself of those last two pounds
But Mr.. Rice obdurate. The salary
was large one and he was willing to let
Miss Templeton keep her two pounds only
week. But the actress wanted the money
| too.
Well, I'm all right now" Miss Temple
ton said when she attended the first re-
hearsal. I'm even ounce or two under
! $50. thought the first eighteen pounds
We're bad enough, but the last two were
I hell"
Then she declared that nothing could ever
induce her to undertake such a cure again.
and she has kept her word until, with the
| exception OF May Irwin, she is probably the
/ 1atteSt actress on the stage.
| LILLIAN RUSSELL'S METHOD
| Lillian Russell has been stout from the
L of bor
Pastors, and it is probable that now-twen-
ty years later-she is as slight as she ever
was. When flesh threatened to become q
drawback. Miss Russell reduced herself by
diet to moderate extent. Once she had
reached proportions that were no damage to
her beauty she resumed normal regimen
of food and drink and stuck to 1t. Her eff
forts to remain the size she liked were then
confined TO athletic exercises. She has one
room fitted up gymnasium, and works
an hour every day in this room.
| Other women have fitted up private gym
| nasiums before and expected to get thin
| from the mere possession of the apartment.
| Miss RusselFs gymnasium is constantly
| used and serves very practical purpose.
| Mrs Langtry, who is very slim this sea-
| son, preserves her youthful outlines almost
| entirely by means of exercise. This is her
| first occupation in the morning. Her maid
1 always OpeuS the WINDOWS or 0er drawing
room Then, wearing very thin wooden un-
| derwear specially put up for this purpose
| Mrs. Langtry goes through series of mo-
t!ons which she has practiced for years.
| standing up. she touches the floor with the
| tips or her fingers twenty times, keeping her
body rigid, except at the waist Then she
| performs similar evolutions always with
her arms Outstretched.
| She makes no particular sacrifice at din
| ner, save that she usually avoids sweets
| and always gives the preference to substan-
| tial and plain food.
| II tried the Schweninger treatment once -
| Mrs. Langtry said the other day, land
| concluded from the way / felt for a year
afterward that I needed plenty of food
| Gay felt L had eaten rather too hearty
| a luncheon, and although 1t was pouring
rain felt that l must have exercise. Sc
| my brother and 1 walked from the Hotel
| Netherland to Claremont and back We
We're almost the only people in Central
| Park, and the policeman looked astonished
| TO see us walking through the rain But
| felt splendid afterward. l would always
rather take any muscular exercise like that
| than try to reduce my size by starvation .
Shapeliness is more important to woman
| In this country than in any other. Singers
| In Germany, and to certain degree ir
| France, may grow TO almost any size with.
out lessening the affection in which they
are held by their admirers. Amelia Mater.
ma was monstrosity of flesh In the later
years of her career. but she would have
been singing Kundry and Isolde to this
| day III her voice had not failed. Many OF
the German singers are heroic in size but
| it has never occurred to them that Their
proportions are not ideal for the characters
they are portraying.
But for the American public they can be
too large. Minnie Tracey learned thi.
when. after having grown very large with
out alternating her French admirers shs
came to sing in New York. Then she hal
to go home TO get thin. Here corpulency
is nearly always fatal and has to be go
| rid of in one way or another. The onl,
important thing is the selection Of the bes