The evening world., 1919-10-13

cannot be achieved without hard. un-
easing effort. The star that rises
overnight In the theatrical world may
have a certain brilliance, only to die
out as quickly. unless It has been
liked by years Of painstakng care.
Talent must be backed by industry.
Ellen Terry once said to me: "In
the old days an actress vent on the
stage as n little girl and developed
slowly. She put in eight or ten years
quiet work in small parts and in
stock companies before appearing in
big parts in big cities. Then she was
presented as a finished artist Now
she develops under the eyes OF an
indulgent public. A young woman
! goes on the stage because II suits her
pretty fancy to do so, appears in a
leading part, and then you hear: AT
last we have a great actress!' The
truth is. she Is merely full OF prom
ise. But, with the practice of eight
or ten years. she often becomes u
mighty good actress. like the old
way myself"
Undoubtedly, the old way was q
good way. We can hops for little
from a school of acting that turns
out pretty young things like 80 many
straw berries from "A box. They may
look ripe, out they usually prove i.n-
possibly green. Everything must be
uone for actresses of this variety, for
they are incapable OF dong any
thing tor themselves. If you don't
! believe IL, ask David BelasCo.
Now, Miss barrymore has done a
great deaI for herself IN the past six
or eight years. There was a time
when cdrelOSsness marked her per-
iormances, when she seemed To say:
, "Oh, what's the difference II | do
make a little slip? TN be forgiven"
But you don't catch her making any
OF those slips these days. Sne plants
herself firmly in role and then.
step by step, brings the character
face- to- face with you.
Secretly, Miss Barrymore may be
a bit surprised. II not amused, by the
acclaim her acting In "Decilssee' has
reused, for she must know better
than any one else that she has done
better things-the desperate wife In
Mid Channel for one, ana the in
telligent. sarcastic typist in The
TweIve- Pound Look" for another. In
beth instances her acting was of a
higher order than II is in the comedy
ut the Empire, for the very good rca-
son that both plays were Of higher
order. With all due admiration for
the cleverness OF Miss Zoe Atkins as
u playwright, II must be granted Lady
Helen is n "spanglod' heroine, a gilt
toring creature, with little or no re-
Ilatlon to life outside the theatre. Only
the distinction that Miss Barrymore
gives to the ,!Oman saves her from
seeming deliberately to be making a
fool OF herself, especially when she
entertalns acrobats at tea in the
Lounge of a crowded hotel.
Yet, with all her distinction and
beauty, Miss Barrymore would cut a
somewhat ridiculous figure II she
were not sure OF herself Her superb
reliance In her powers rests upon
the solid foundation of long and earn
est training This training has been
largely the work of Miss Barrymore
herself, or, II you like, a development
of her rich inheritance. But II should
also be remembered that she has
worked season in and season out
Happily she Is one of'those envtable
beings who can play as hard as she
works. Play has kept her young and
beautiful, work has made her rea
lartlst
Then there is Grace George. To bC
sure, her devoted husband and man
ager William a. Brady, was deter
mined to establish her as a star ol
"go broke" as he would say, In th'
attempt, The process was a slow
somewhat painful and extrayagan
one. But all tho time Miss Georg'
was working towards the goal o.
which she had fixed her eye. and 81
she emerged from behind the plumei
of romantic costume plays to TAX
her place as a drawingroom' com
odlenne of uncommon skill and charm
Does any one doubt for a seconC
that Mrs. Fiske worked until her hea'
ached to reach the heights she hR
attained7 She was little more thai
o Ted-headed soubreete In Caprice