The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-12
A Word About Myself and My Little Plan.

Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate. Entered q
Stationery Hall, London. All rights
tion.s
1t woura IS useless for one whose
acting 81 confined solely to tht
screen TO say that we do not naisl
the magnetic presence and enthusiasts.
TIC applause OF an audience. We de
miss both very much and while tns
realism and charm OF nature In seen.
Ario work compensate for many
things. nevertheless. we miss that per
sonAl touch with the public that re.
strains. suggests. encourages and IN
spires.
One whose audiences consist day
after day solely OF director anc
Il property men has no direct communi-
cation with tho public except through
IT. letters to him, and u has occurred
70 me that in my case might
strengthen end facilitate this method
+ OF communication by using the press
~ q medium.
II wfil not only be simpler then
for my letter friends to reach me, but
the fact that we arc reading the came
Newspaper every day, with our letters
I to each other In 1t. will give our as
ISOLATION that little. intimate. home
like touch !. needs to enable us to be
I OF mutual relp. II will be just as II
table to make our. little plans for the
future. to laugh at the plans that
went awry, TO cheer each other. an,
perhaps TO tease each other little
BIT. for I contend that we tease al
ways when we love.
What great times We win have!
The newspaper. which has always
meant something to which father has
the prior right, gets cross about 1t IL Il
Ii iate and Rrumbinly hides behind,
will then have more personal.
more intimate meaning to each of us,
Always the one visitor every member
OF the family welcomes, think how
much warmer that welcome will be
when IL becomes the medium of our
daily little friendly talks.
In a very pleasing way the scenario
artist has an advantage over what
some please to cali the Legitimate
actor. We do not have the exquisite
joy Of seeing the smiles and tears In
the faces before us: we miss the SUI
preme bliss 9th g curtain call. but
and think what this means--our
friends. our admirers our critics ara
not confined to the few cities where
we have appeared.
They are broadcast. and as letters
from every point In the globe. from
South Africa 10 Alaska. pass through
our hands, we can AFFORD TO smile q
little triumphantly at our bowling and
scrapsng rival True, we have not the
ioy OF the curtain call, but neither
are ours the narrow limitations OF
one little ~tage. He has season tn
Chicago. Tor instance. and only those
who are fortunate enough to De ~
chicago sse him. We have a few
husv DAYS In studio. In the country,
on the hills or In the valley, whereveT
realism takes us, and appear in the
next month almost all over the worid,
And those to whom We appear
realizing that we are blind to tears
and smiles and deaf 10 applause and
feeling that they must find an outlet
for their admiration. find X through
the ink bottle. Bless Its fnky race.
/ .ay. for II has done more through
those who hover around II to esacour-
age and help men than anything else
in the world. what a greater medium
Of help tbs newspaper viii now PEE
come.
An Early Awakening.
Would It make us feel more a.
horne, wonder. X tell my fr,enus
rtr5fA at the beginning soanssll1ae
about myself
was tiny girl OF four when nay
amt carried me downstairs one morn
ing, and / knew by the manner III
which she held me tight to her breast
when we passed certain door tnas
my father lay dead behind It. I knew:
TOO fthc tragic precocity OF itD. thar
i was my mothers Oldest child. ana
now must help her
we had no means. / was four. Los-
lie was three. Jack was a baby IN
arms. and our grandmother. a help,
lens parafytic, was more hopeless
burden than we. In looking backward
now. + can see that the seriousness OF
our situation was magnifed IN my
childish imagination. aeen- In my
minds eve now. never to have known
the care-sree happy-hearted childhood
which Ia every chiid's due. always
chung closely to my mother, as J.
tnrtfnctively knew that sne must
not 80 left alone to grieye and work,
ana enc Of the first questions ! re-
member asking her was how many
vrars Il would be I'LL ! would be OLD
enough 70 work and help her ana OF
counting OF the years on my nngers
when she replied that could not earn
money before / was fourteen
But God was good to me, and ala
not have to wait that long.