Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-30

playing eleven performances week and
rehearsing all the rest OF the ume-that is,
ali but few hours for sleep and parts OF
hours stolen from needed sleep-to study
and memurize new parts. But while hours
required I'm a theater are much talked of,
~ Is little considered how much must be
remembered, what a task Is set to the
memory. How well Miss Lang answers
this test may he remarked here par
entheu,ally. In Cyprienne last Sunday she
was letter perfect at the first performance,
Nor Is hers. as shall he told later, par
ucularly good memory, generally speaking,
or az human memories 20.
Here are a few impressive facts about
the requirements she fulfllls.
In the first play Of this fall Love
Watches" there were 127 pages or sides
in the manuscript part of Jacquehne. This
means no less than ZOO words which had
to be committed to memory. In such
Little queen" Miss Lang had to learn
600 words In the Girl of the Golden
West" Miss Lang will have to memorize
about 800 words and la the first act OF
this play she must handle no less than l2l
different props" and, mind YOU, must
REMEMBER when and in what order and
in what connection each Is to be handled.
AS Phyllis in Classmates where the
girls role is really subordinate. Miss Lang
had only "a little trific like 5000 words TO
learn by heart Even relatively to other
party this was Far from snap because the
role did not altogether appeal to Miss Lang
and she found Il harder TO memorze thar.
some longer parts have been
Now many people Lave a most mistaken
idea regarding the faculty Of memory IL
is popular delusion that the practise Of
committing words to memory improves the
faculty itself and that therefore as an
actress leurus more and more parts her
memory grows better and better, and so
according to this argument Miss Lang
ought now TO bee enjoying marvellous pow
,rs of recollection ana recall. This de
fusion is so widespread ana SO rrmy held
that one refuung it may we'll call TO his
support the testimny OF the experts. The
worlds greatest psychologists, Wundt at
Leipsic, Stumpf at Berlin, James. recently
deceased, and Jasuow. another famous
American as well as AIN the others whose
opinion counts. have taken pains to deny
that the faculty OF memory improves by
use An important qualification 10 this
statement exists which viii De set fortH
M q minute. Now read what James says
on this.
a plausible case ,tor the INCORRECT
view is always made out by saying thar
practice iH Learning words by heart makes
il easier to learn new words In the same
way. II this be true then what have
just said is false. But ! am disposed 90
/ think tle alleged iacts untrue. 1 have
carefully questioned several mature actors
on the point, and all have denied that the
practice of learning parts has made amy
suca difference as is alleged What n
has done for them is 40 improve their
power of learning pagt systematically.
Their mind is now fun OF prccedeuts iu tac
Iwag vf iulouauon. emphasis auo sesucuid-
tun, the new words awaken distinct sug-
gesJ.ous ana decisions, are caught up into
i "a pre-CNisung network IKE the merchant s.
prices. or tae athletes store ot records.
aud are rec0uoct,d easier although the
mere native Jcnacity IS aoJ WAl, ina
proved ana is USUALLY. in lac, iDpalred
/ hy axe 40 is case ~ better refine mbeI-
ing us better thinking
. Vow AHss Lang cordially agrees with
what me greatest American psychology 81
said on this subject; agreed with this
view before She knew that tHe most emil
nent American authority had thus stated
/ the case with his usual luCidity.
'Of course said Miss Lang "0ne inn
proves In the method Of studying a part