The Washington times., 1903-10-18
The Best Stage Heroine.
Dramatic Material in %The Woman;
With Past"
~ MRs. LEsLIE CARrER-

a.
yet Interesting proposition IN the query: /
why does the woman with a past
makeNhe best stage heroine?"
This 1s not an easy question to an
swer. and I doubt II anyone would feel
/ justified In subscribing unequiv.ocallv to
| the broad statement that such a vo-
man really does make the best dramatic
material. even though she has been fire.
quently and effectively used blythe most q
eminent playwrights. That the woman
with a past has from time ir1znenoriaI 4
| held conspicuous place upon the stage 4
cannot be gainsaid, and in discussing the !
proposition, do not wish to be under /
stood as defending her position so much 4
as explaining It..
This may look like an evasion OF the
question, but it seems TO me that there !
are sufficient and substantial reasons
why "a position may not be definitely
taken either pro or con in judiciaIly /
considering her value and utility upon
the stage.
Human life, with its folbies, foIlies. 4
and sorrows, is the only legitimate
source of inspiration for the true drama
/ fist 1t is the province of the stage TO I
deal with persons, and so to combine.
develop and arrange their actions and I
/ their sayings as TO give dramatic force
/ to the situations and climaxes that ma
/ turally result
I Where is the human life that is not
\ full of situations humorous pathet- I
ic, tragic? Is there man who has not,
at some time in his career, been face .
TO face with some great crisis2 The
dramatist makes use OF Just such ma
( terial as this. REINFORCED by that art
| which knows how TO make theamOst OF f
the matter in hand. with the purpose Of
proving some theory of life, some les
son in morality, some philosophy Of ex-
istence-
The dramatist is the creator of his
own little world OF characters. and he
must. naturally, draw from his own
! observations, experience, and reading.
as well as that OF his immediate friends.
In consequence all sorts OF conditions
Of character find their way to the
stage, and each has it's own place. OF
1 greater or less Importance, IN the de-
velopment of dramatic literature.
The Place of the Good Woman.
The good woman figures as the cen
trail and important figure in countless
plays. but in order TO develop d1amatic
possibilities it is essential that this
! goodness should be subjected to some
kind Of trial and danger in order to
demonstrate the triumph OF virtue over
temptation. of right over wrong, OF
strength OF character over weakness, OF =
self-denial over selfishness-
/ AS long as human life is crowded with
incidents involving these very clements,
the presence OF the, woman with past
is not absolutely necessary TO precipi-
tate a crisis. Varied emotions govern
and sway life, and it is the way that
these emotions are met and handled
that adds zest 70 living. II is self
evident, then, that the good woman has
an important place and important work
to do upon the modern stage
/ Consider now the woman with a past
and admit that there is much to'be said
for her 1t being the business OF the
! conscientious dramatist 70 deal with hu-
/ man life and its problems as he nnds
them. he cannot ignore her importance
because he finds he can utilize her In a
thousand different and effective ways.
The life of such woman abOunds in
| dramatic incidents. terrible crises and
i startling climaxes and what is chiefly
fnnortant. most OF them have arisen
through the workings OF her own mind
This is. indeed, rare material for the
dramatist in drawing character and Tor
the actress in realizing it.
Have you ever considered the pos
s;biuty that the woman with a past"
NAV have been misunderstood? 1t
seems 20 me that the mere fact that
she is characterized as having past
obviously indicates that she has risen
10 a different position and probably
far better future.
! Believe me- II Is a mistake 70 cohteho
as many do, that such women are placed
upon the stage in order merely 10 show
the refined and virtuous classes OF so
ciety the other side of life and cnarac-
Ter Theatersoers are the most intelI-
gent people to be found in any comrnuni-
". and they never fail TO single out the
obvious lesson OF what is being acted
before them.
The Bad Woman Not Glorifed.
The bad woman is not glorifed upon
the stage. She IS almost invariably the
pivot around which the vexing and
vital moral problems are made 10 Wnirl-
Disappointment suffering. sorrow. re-
grets. hope. fear and all the conflicting
emotions that play upon the heart
strings are her portion. 1t Is the very
complexity of her character that COM
pels the attention Of the dramatist and
exercises a fascination over the actress
whose ambition II is 10 portray real life
In its most intense moods. There can
be but one deduction from seeing such q
character. The lesson is the old story
of the wages Of sin" and not a play
goer in a thousand with scrap or
tenderness In his heart would feel for
her anything but pity, SORROW and FOR
giveness. so long as people are human,
Just so long will the lesson OF life be
learned through the bitterness OF mis-
/ takes and the anguish OF sorrow and re-
; morse.
II a. because his woman must face
and battle with such fierce crises: be-
$ cause she is torn BY bitter regrets;
because she must inevitably pass
$ through the crucible OF suffering be-
I cause of her mistakes and vain ambi-
1 tions stand as warning 10 humanity
r these are a Few Of the reasons that
q make her existence dramatic, and