The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-02-10

tbar ne the Dramatic cruU.
which attracted attention. 1 would be
iglad to accept even the smallest role
lin your company, etc.
That is the sort of letter which
ln,akes an actor or a manager sit up
and take notice 1t is the sort of let
ter which should make the mothers OF
daughters do likewise, and that is why
In have accepted the editors invitation
TO talk to the girls of this city who are
thinking of adopting the stage as
career" You see. / quote literally from
a letter now at hand
To begin with, let us understand
each other thoroughly. 1t is not my
intention 70 poke fun at the stage
struck girl lot. of us have learned
| to take her seriously. am only ask
ling the mother and the girl to consider
the matter as seriously as we, who
stand in need of capable leading wom-
len for our support must consider IT,
Mary Anderson was what we today
would term stage s truck girl Julia
Arthur was stage-strlck, Belle Archer.
who. in her prime, was one of the
lcieverest light condolences the Ameri-
lean stage has ever known, ran away
from school to join the origina. pro-
|dIction of III. NJ. s. Pinafore' in Phil
lade,phia.
10 get right dow to great basic
ltrr:tn. it is not what girl is before
sh- Joins the Do ssh "a. blu; what sh'
does afterward that counts Generally
lher chief offense is youth. bit she will
Ioutsrow that, particularly if behind
youth lie ambition and good sense.
The American stage today is Sally
in need of girls with brains and COM
imon sense A crafty face - an added
4 asset, but it " u not carry a girl to
lreal success unless supported by grey
lmatter. ambition and common sense.
| Given ordinarily good features, a
good carriage, the ability to carry
smart clothes, which comes largely
from good carriage, and quantities OF
grey and I'll back any Ameri-
lean girl for success, against the mere
, " pretty face which lasts a season or
two in musical comedy choruses.
speak now from the heart When
We were ready to cast "A Mans A
Man" the problem of securing a lead
ing woman to play the role of Peggy
2 Hewitt" grew from mere still hunt
$ for ability into a tragedy In four
, days we tried out three leading women
l each capable Of looking the part, each
capable of portraying certain phases OF
2 Peggy Hewitts' many sided charac-
: ter, but not one possessing the grey
4 ance.
Here was a girl with adorable dim
/ pies and gentle, clinging ways. who
could play the pleading wife, but she
could not understand the mental
anguish of the wife who thought her
. self forgotten and who yet determined
. to show the world a brave and smiling
face. There was a statuesque creature
who looked the typical New Yorker
who delivered her cynical speeches
with verve that was delectable, but
when it came to moments of despair
! iof inconsistencies and desolation in the
, play she was as hard as taclls.
, Finally. thanks to the failure of an
, ether play, Miss Josephine Lovett my
lpresent leading woman, was ''at liber-
ity," and Mr.. Harris engaged her on the
, instant. Our troubles were over but
day after day my thoughts have trav-
: leled back to the three young women
f iwho had the opportunity to play Peggy
, and who could not do it simply because
n they lacked not beauty, carriage, dis
-