The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-01-03
BEH ND THE S & ID NEs
THE AARvELs End TIE MYSTERIES
OF STAGE REALISM

spray-The Pomp of War. -
If you want to realize how easily the
senses can be deceived by simple ar
tifices, said well known actor to the
writer, you should just take u peep be-
hind the scenes of theater. I'm not
sure whether it is kind to allow you.to
take the peep. though, for it is not al
ways q desirable. thing to lose ones IL
lusions, but IL you don't mind I'm snre
don't, and l will guarantee that you
! Will find the little secrets of my trade
vastly interesting.
or course you've often seen the stage
storm, and most realistic thing it is,
as you know. You see the cozy room,
| with its glowing fire and its general
| atmosphere of cheeriness and warmth,
made all the more so by the bowling of
the blast outside. Suddenly the door
is flung open, you catch glimpse of
the arctic. world, and the wind rises to
positive shrek as the hero or the vii
lain of the piece rushes in, pursued by
hurricane of snow, and bangs the
door in the face of the battied storm
tend whose clutches he has lust es-
capped.
1t is all so terribly real that you in
r
draw your coat closer round you and
yet If you only knew how it is all pro-
duced you would well, you would
| smile. Where, for instance, does that
wind come from with its wonderful
crescendo. from the faint sigh to- the
stIrieks and bowls of u lost spirit? Let
the Introduce you to the genius of the
storm, a gentleman who is busy turn
dies, which. as they revolve, scrape
against tightly stretched piece of
strong silk. AS he turns very slowly
the wind just signs gently, like child
in it's sleep; faster, and the gale grows.
the wind sobs and moans and whistles
until il rises, as the wheel goes swlfter
and swifter, into Il tsmuit of ShrickS
and bowls, as if all the demons of the
mir We're reused TO frenzy of fury.
The snow?. oh, that's just as simple.
The Landscape you catch shivering
glimpse of is made arctic by plenty of
cotton wool ana Il paste brush, ana the
flakes which cover the hero from head
to foot and melt and trickle under the
genial warmth of the fire are so many
splashes of soapsuds. All, 1 see now
you are getting disillusioned! Pity.
isn't it? But still it's always fascinat-
ing TO find out how thinrs are done
AS for the fire which CLOVIS so warm.
it is merely so many electric lights
shining through medium Of ruddy
gelatin -Done,. while tba smoke NV M
| means comes FROM, tho rirn nc II ouyt,t
to do but from n copcoo1ed roccntocla
containing little nuiel-lj,na md hot
wuter ,Thnro Won ,ove - ,11-Shr;o1,-
| ing wind drifting snow and c1owino
fire realisticalIv nroduced I'm the most
obsurdIv simn1. WOW
Won can MAKO tho ,irbtri,,, z;r,,.,
in b1indin,, flashes on1 tho thrnt1or ,.oiI
and rot+ta eo,,,tIy eositI, you o,n ,,o+
coDitnl thunder nv roilinn =, conrnr
! l,aH or two ,lon,, ,ha aonrs n,.or,,o.1
mr. NV shol,inn a niece of stoa+ i,a,,
nrottv mnrh no Won would sh.la !,
duster Eut ho,.I., rrhera's tho r,i,,
n,++cr;rc, on tho roof 1,nay,. - ,,.o,,I1
| como ond on az, a ,,or+oi, ,,,,,, ,,a,,;,,I
tho scenes WHO hos norroa , ,,o,,na ~.
two or s,,1ft ,1oos INC y hn,roi tns;,1',
the horrnI va,, ,,,,st l,no,,r ,ra ..a,.s,.',
! t.rosst,feco, az ,,.ofd orai,,s. ,,,,,,/,, 49,,
mons ro++1a in +baI, dasnort ne. 49,
,.oin-on1 whom +bax ,ro+ r., no ,>o++l-,,,
he firms +he r,o,.,.aI ona tI,o ,,a++I,, 80
fer continues xvhiIa wor+a1
rho hero Who ,,I,,naas y,.;+, ,oo,,,oss
corro,,a ;n+o +ha s,an .,,,,. I,+.Ia -.
even of yve++in, Tha 1ro,.as, ,-1,t@,,
onon 10 roca;t-n bi,, 40 n,intaa ;nata
r.,,t.,.,,. lii, ~, ''iN'1' ,