The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-24
ANOTHER CLEVER BIRMINGHAM GIRL
WHO is ACHIEVING SUCCESS
BY DOLLY DALRYMPLE

Any day you chance to drop in on
Miss Virginia Lee Cantrell at her attrac-
tive studio in the Starr Piano Company
| building, you will find awaiting you a
remarkably pretty young woman.
Your first impression of Miss eantrell
is that she is quite worth while.'
She is very pretty to look at-her clear,
fine skin, her luxurious gold-brown hair,
and her flashing bright eyes, proclaimine
| that in spite of her svelte, frail form,
she has a world of energy and determine
ton, an attitude that defies failure and
makes for successl
Particularly fortunate is it that Miss
Cantrell is pretty, for in her chosen work,
that of expression" it means a great
deal to possess physical pulehritrude.
Our old time idea of "elocutionsts, or,
as they have been jocularly called, "yel-
lercutionists, is rather one of dread
4 homely woman paving the air and
catching time by the foreloek," goes with
the country school marm's idea of read
in, an writin', an 'rithmetic." and was
at once a horror to those who had to at
tend school commencements'' and hear
the pupils recite-or worse still, the
teacher.
Today, "elocution" no longer is desig-
mated by that name, but by the term
! expression and is as different as its
maine suggests, and Miss Cantrel, who is
charming exponent of the newest and
most improved methods, easily wins you
over once you have heard her delightful
interpretations of your old favorites, so
often butchered and hampered by useless
affectations and superfuous gesticulation
Catching Miss CantrelI off duty
few days ago, between her lessons, for
her classes in expression are large and
take up most her time, she said among
other things to me:
The question is asked me so often,
How did you happen to take up the
study of expression? 1t was no accident,
1t did not happen, but rather it came to
pass when / was quite "a little child. l
don't remember when | could not read,
and from earliest childhood it was my
greatest delight to play teacher, and my
fancy of 10 ran to preaching.
'As | grew older | was given physical
culture because [ was very frail. So you
see my work is a part of me, having
grown into it from early childhood. |
had my dreams, too, every one has par
ticuarly those who study expression, of
a future filled with glory, of SWaying aud |
fences from the stage. But my dreams
changed many time, not in radiance
but purpose"
Continuing, Miss Cantrell said:
THE term expression applies not only |
to oratory, but to music, art, literature. |
Oratory is that branch of expression
which expresses the thoughts of feeling !
through voice, gesture and presence. The |
study of expression will teach us to give |
out our inner thoughts and ideas, and to
interpret the thoughts and ideas of others. |
This is a work that has been more neg |
lected than any of the branches because
of the misguiding belief that expression |
means elocution. Do you know that there |
are just lots of people who think they |
mean the same thing? When one talks
to them about taking up the work, one
need not be surprised if they say, Why, [ |
don't care for elocution. Neither do we
followers of Emerson
"Then, [ take it that you teach tha
Emerson method" l observed.
Yes" said she. 81 teach the Emerson !
method, as taught at the Emerson College |
of Oratory in Boston. oh! if We deciples |
of Emerson could let every prospective |
pupil peep inside those walls, we would |
have to turn them away, instead of going |
to them. That reminds me of a funny |
incident this having to go to them Not |
long ago, l was asked by lady to call |
on friend of hers who had two daugh- |
ters in whom she was interested, and |
knew, of course, they ought to study ex-
preston. So L called and of course had