The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1907-04-27
Copyright by J. B. Bowles.)

I Advanced the Cause Of Women.
Copyright by J. B. Bowles.)
(Julia Marlowe, though regarded as al
American actress, was born in the lax,
country Of England. She was but chile
OF four years When her family removed
to farm in Kansas. At II years of ag
she joined a Juvenile '.Pinafore" compan,
and soon attracted attention by her cleve
acting and her rich, clear voice Othe
engagements followed; then she retired
from the stage and studied dramatic ar
Tor three years Reappearing as Par
thenla In "lngomar'' at the Bijou theate
IN New York, she won instant recognition
as splendid actress Still, she struggle,
Tor several Years longer with disappoint
ments OF various kinds before she wa
accorded the high place on the stag
which her merit gave to her In sucl
roles as Juliet, Viola, Rosalind, Barbar
trietchie, Colinette and Mary Tudor sh
mas Won the warmest admiration Of tn
publicly aSf
think few people can realize hov
fierce has been the strife in regard t.
women on the stage and how Difficult
it has been for them to convince tn
world at large of the Importance o
their hard-won7 position and thei
beneficent influence upon dramatic art
l am speaking now Of the past. Hap
PLY at the present stage of dramati
development woman's standard is a
high and her position as assured a
mans.
1t was not always so. Looking bacl
to the age of oppression and intoler
ance when in 1860 woman first ap
peared in dramatic representations
we find her entrance marked an er;
in dramatic advancement. The frs
record Of woman's appearance upol
the stage is December 6, 1860. Tn
play was Shakespeare's "Othello," an;
the Desdemona was played by won
an. There has been considerable doub
as to whom this honor belongs. Som
have given it to Anne Marshall. TIL
more general supposition is that Mar
garet Hughes deserves this right. t.
Immortality. We have Pepys' author
ity for it that women appeared in Xii
ligrew's company in London on Janu
airy 8, 1861, in Beaumont and Fetch
er's "Beggar's Bush"
Their, early appearances were re
ceived with great disfavor. DR.. Dora1
tells us that the writer's of the tim
denounced the first actresses as 'sun
womanish and graceless" not meanin
that they were ungainly and unfemi
min 1,,1f hot in,
was below their dignity "Glad l ar
to say" remarked Thomas Branc
speaking of these actresses. that the
were Kissed, hooted and pippin-pelte
from the stage, so that do not thin
they will soon be ready to try the sam
again
Notwithstanding the marked dis
favor with which they we're first re
ceived, reasonable and serious inde
persons could not fail to see the pro
priety Of Juliet and Desdemona bein
acted by girls rather than boys.
would appear that Immediately upo
this important progressive step tn
artistic need for woman's appearance
must have been generally felt.
We read that soon afterward &C
tresses were in great demand. It wa
found that they not only increased tn
popularity of the theaters in whic
they performed, but that their cool
! GRAFTON was Indispensable to the prop
er preseA .4.lon of any play. The
made possible a fullness and beaut
of Interpretation which had not. bee
dreamed of before.
! Take for single example the won
en- of Shakespeare. They stand a
| vivid types of truth and beauty. The
are so alive with the warmth of fen
ininity that their expression by othe
than women is in itself monstrou
sacrilege. A play performed by me
can hardly be imagined to-day an
the wonder is that such an absurdit
, ever existed.