Oxford eagle., 1904-09-22
JULIA MARLONE' s ART
Refused Tempting offers-Regrets
Having Given Herself to the
Stage Instead Of to
Family Life.

Stage Instead Of to
Family Life.
By Julia HarlowA
N THE summer OF 1887. dark,
saucer-eyed girl Of 16 years was
compelled to make q decision Of the
utmost Importance to herself and. as
things ultimately came to pass, not
entirely without Significance In It's
bearing upon the annals Of the Ameri-
can stage.
She was a melancholic child, having
. pensive, dropping mouth. the lower
lip tremulous and indicative enough OF
her chief amusement of life, which was
to read the woes Of tragedy queens.
Her temperament was high-strung and
eager, her mind restless. So far from
being consciously introspective. she
was unbearable to herself when unoc-
cupied.
Her Two Dominating Ideas.
This girl shaped all her thoughts and
hopes In accordance with two donlinat-
ing ideas. They we're her only loves.
One was to work out her own career as
an independent actress; the other to
achieve that goal as the Interpreter Of
Shakespeare heroines.
To make even a beginning In that
task required things Of which the GIL
was quite destitute-a degree OF rres-
tige won in other lines Of work, for ex-
ample, and money, and some mana
gerial influence. All the aspirants
equipment, however, was mastery of
certain fundamentals In the art OF act
ing, a knowledge of poverty that was
sufficient to strengthen and sober her
without killing her ambition, and q
vague but tenacious conviction that
she could play the part a Juliet diff
ferently and perhaps somewhat more
convincingly than ever she had seen 1t
acted by other women.
Early Dramatic Insight.
Even when she was ohild Of tender
years that last idea had taken hold up
on her. When she was appearing In
the role of pages and such small parts
in the company of o Shakespeareau
actress, who shall be namcless here
because she was pitifully unsuccessful
she used to say to her guardian, also
member of the company: why doesn''
Miss do it this way In that bis
scene OF the last act?" and thereupor
the little girl would give her adopted
aunt an illustration of how she woulC
read the lines and embellish them with
business" II she were the star.
The aunt would listen with a pre-
tense of gravity In which amusement
at her wards brazenness probabl,
was Ill concealed and answered: well
| why do you think Miss - ought t.
read the scene as you suggest?"
II don't know just why" the littl'
| girl answered. but II l were In he
place | would do 1t so-and so--ant
So" giving further Illustrations OF he
| conception.
The guardian may not have though
| the ideas advanced were very illumin
ating, but she must have been inter
ested, for she took me, the child II
question, in hand and devoted thre'
| years to the enforcement of stag.
training that was as rigorous as It wa
comprehensive.
There came the day, then, In 1887
| when my adopted aunt and begai
that pilgrimage which was to take Vi
| to the Offices Of SO many manager
then powerful In New York and was t.
bring us face to face with SO many re
buffs. For me it was an epoch Of de
| 10 hut oil ia
mentally the sems decisionr NO.
much" - Its Embellishments.
Before Daniel Frohman.
Among the first managers with
whom I obtained an interview was
Daniel Frohman. may add that mere
lily gaining q hearing from the man
ayers was triumph in itself and was
attended by many delays, vexations
and heartaches. The tact that every
visit proved futile was the least Of my
trials. To Mr.. Frohman l recited what,
in theatrical parlance, Is known as the
crossing speech" from Twelfth
Night'-always q test scene with stage
aspirants-and the exquisite lines be-
ginning. "She never toM her love"
The crossing speech" beginning:
II left no ring with her; what meani
| this lady?
Fortune forbid my outside have mo-
| charmed her!"
IL delivered falteringly, puusing to in
6icate Viola's perplexfties by marking
OF one and then another Of the charac
ters on my fingers.
AS seemed to me natural with on
considering a puzzling situation In ha.
reverie. l indicated the duge, the Lad
Olivia and Viola ON my finger tips
when said:
"How will this fadge? My master love
her dearly.
And l, poor monster, fond as much O
him:
And she. mistaken, seems to dote o
me-"
Refuses Managers OFFER.
mo, mol" cried Mr.. Frohman, "yo
do not give your audience credit fc
the intelligence it must possess Yo
should omit the business of indicatin
the characters on your fingers and rea
the lines more simply"
! The Interpretation Of "She never tol
her love" he thought more satisfactor,
The result of the interview was that b
offered me position in his stock CON
pany.
NO." said, II do not think woul
like that. l want to be an independeI
player, SO that when the time comes
can work out my own ideas OF tt
! characters / have studied and play tt
parts think suited to me-"
There the interview ended-abruptl
land l went away, not discouraged.
be sure, but with the burden Of m
; first great decision in life heavy upo
me.
Retains Her Independence.
; Shortly 1t was to be repeated. an
had not been from the outset drm
my determination to achieve an ind
pendent career, II any. might ha,
surrendered.
NJ Palmer was ahouf tn make a