The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1911-02-02
V-Continued.
Copyright. 1909. by Augustus Thomas

examiner coming into it. for a girl of
Miss Fullerton's inexperience to be of.
fered what in your business you call
stellar honors?"
1T is replied Holcomb.
"And yet you say that you do not
think your play would succeed with
out Miss Fullerton in it, continued the
judge. why not some actress Of great
ability. of great experience, Of great
reputdtiont'
Holcomb laughed.
Not every person who goes to law.
judge. has been able to avail himself
of your services, has he? Well. it is
the same way with us. The man
ager is going to put on my play, but
he will not pay for the woman of
established reputation that you Sug-
geSt. The very question of salary that
he would pay the leading woman has
been Il matter of dispute. | could have
had a production before, but the wO-
man who was suggested for the lead
ing part. though the manager was
willing to give her three times the
salary he would pay Miss Fullerton,
would have killed the play before the
curtain went up. The heroine in my
play is Il Woman of culture, education,
sensibility. strength and temperament
/ pictured such a woman before | had
the honor of knowing Miss Fullerton,
but as | watched her play during those
two weeks Of one night stands she full
filed the picture in every detail. In a
way | rewrote my play during those
two weeks, for she suggested to me a
great many things that | had sensed,
but that | had not actually known"
You have no sisters" said Judge
Elliott, with self satisfied intuition,
while Professor Fullerton nodded APP
provingly at the point that he per-
ceived the judge was making.
con the contrary" said Holcomb,
with Il smile, Il have three" And at
this NJ. Vavin. who had SAT back en-
joying the scene with Mephistophelean
humor, laughed loudly.
"They're on the STAGE asked the
judge.
NO" replied Holcomb; "one is mar
ried, another is at school, and the
third is still almost an infant"
would you like to see them on the
stage?"
Let us get to the point, judge. If
my sisters showed ability, if they had
any real talent for the stage, | could
not see any reason why they shouldn't
take that up as a career, provided il
would make them happy. We are beat
ing about the bush. You. like Il great
many other men who know of the the
alter only a. you sit on this side of the
footlightS or as You read your plays
and your criticisms or as you read the
scandals in the newspapers, have What
is, to my mind, a very unjust impress
sion Of the people who work therein.
1t is perfectly true that the law is still
on the books of parliament in England
which declares that an actor is 4 vaga-
bond who may be arrested on sight for
the first o~ffense, burned through the
gristle of the right ear with a redhot
iron Of the compass of one inch for
the second offense and sentenced to be
hanged for the third. 1t is perfectly
true that in NJ. Vavin's own country so
great a man as Moliere was greeted by
the rustics as he appeared on the high
way with his troupe with these kindly
sentiments: Lock up the silver; here
come the actors"
You see" said NJ. Vavin. "he admits
it ALL"
But" continued Holcomb, IF the
social mark of v~agabondage was on
the profession Of the actor at one time,
what crimes are not traceable to the
men In your profession? The actor at
least can claim that by his own per-
sonal worth, his own e~ndeayors. his
own regard for social laws, he has
lived down all the c~ontumely-I should
say nearly all the contumely-that was
once associated with the stage"
Il think we were speaking Of ac-
tresses," said Professor Fullerton.
And we are STILL" replied Holcomb
warmly, standing up and walking the
room ~nervously. 81 studied law for
awhile. You will pardon me-" he said.
bowling politely to Professor Fullerton.
"for what is q seeming divagation.
The lawyer Is a man who takes an
oath to perform his duty, but my ex-
p%erience has taught me that the per-
centage Of lawyers in New York city
who are interested in obtaining JUS
tice is very small. 1t is a fact, Judge.
and you cannot deny it, that within the
last fifty years the best legal minds In
this country have been engaged in
clogging the courts and thwarting JUS
tice. And you corporation lawyers.
you men who wonder at the growth Of
radical sentiment, who deplore the
socialistic and anarchistic propaganda
you men are responsible, for. while
you may have followed the letter, you
have far from observed the spirit.
You have violated your oaths."
Really" said the Judge, while all
this is very interesting, l fail to see"-
"Your accusation against the women
Of the %stage-for 1t is an accusation-is