The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-09-10

81 VI " t@SA az a.
completely missed the Wrinkle in tbs
/ actors eye.
4 few years ago in an address tc
thirty graduates of a school of act
ing Mr.. Mansfield gave the folloWins
advice:
Il trust YOU are not adopting the
stage for Your profession because you
can't do anything else. If you can
do anything else YOU may be sure
you Will not succeed upon the stage
for the stage. above all other profes-
sions. needs a variety Of accomplish
ments.
1T is quite time that psrsons with
the I'M OF a sea cook should cease
to dispoIt themselves upon the stage
especially in society ramas At least
| you should know how to use youI
knife and fork, how To sit down, how
TO bow and how not to bow. Do no
initiate the gentleman who enters the
stage drawing room and places his hat
on the mantelpiece, parts the tal.s
Of his coat and straddled a chair
Do not pull down your shirt cuffs or
contemplate your finger nails. One
day at Il ehearsal in Boston / saw
with a penknife while speaking to a
lady. l think he did it to show he
wasn't afraid to exhibit his insouciance
and that he was just as much at home
liz a drawing oon as in a stable. And
he succeeded.
The other day in a play which in
g scene at q dinner table.
called h attention Of h actor play
ing with me to the act that well-bred
people do not cut UP their food and
then Law the knife on one side and
eat with the folk, but retain the knife
and fork in their hands. You don't
mean to gay exclaimed the actor, that
you want me TO eat with my fork in
my left hand? and he looked about
at the members OF the company with
SO expression that said: L wonder
this crank Will want neXt?' The
stage does not need recruits who are
Doors and ill-bred people,"
This story was told by Mr.. Mans
field himself: Years ago. he said,
when ! was starving more or less, in
London, I had reached the pleasant
condition of having had nothing to
cat that day. and having my last shil-
ling In my pocket. l was walking along
looking somewhat generously into the
windows of the various coffee houses
and pastry shops ] passed. when I
suddenly came upon a friend Of mine.
a vagabond like myself, but apparent
ly just then in much better luck. He
was ~gorgeously arrayed In all the
black ami white splendor of evening
clothes. He had a dinner invitation.
he explained. at Lord Cavendfsh's or
some place of that sort, we'd ga in
somewhere and have a little something
on the strength of it. We went into
one Of those Bodega places thai are
scattered all over London. where o
get O very decent glass Of champagne,
on draught, for s~fxpence. They always
have a huge cheese about. you know.
from which you can help yourself,
which is about thc nearest approach
to the free lunch that they have over
there. Well, we tucked into the
cheese, or at least I knew I did, and
we had our glass Of champagne eacn
Now. I don know whether you know
it or not. but there is probably no, /,
mixture in the world that is surer
to create hunger than cheese and
champagne. ] hadn't needed a hum
ger. for | had a huge one already.
but after that cheese and champagne
| felt a positive gnawing. I was men
tally gioating owe the shilling :
worth OF foo I would go forth ard
feast on, when my friend, shutting his
hands n~ervously from pocket to pock-
ct. turned to me and said:
Il an awfully sorry. old man. but
I seem to have left my pocketbook at
home. l. YOU happen to have a shil-
ling about you
And / had the satisfaction Of paw
ing out my last shilling for that hun
gef-raisinE cheese and champagne"