The Washington times., 1922-07-16
With Alan Dale
at N. Y. TheaterS
CONTINUED from Page s.)

summer recrtfying the evil.
The actor might emulate the ex-
ample OF Demosthenes. To correct
the stammering of his voice he
spoke with pebbles in his mouth.
and he removed the distortion of
his features, which accompanied
his utterance. by watching the mo-
tons of his countenance in q look
ing glass. That his pronunciation
might be loud and full Of emphasis.
he frequently ran up the steepest
and most uneven walks. where his
voice acquired force and energy.
and on the seashore. when the
waves were violently agitated. he
declaimed aloud. to accustom him
self to the noise and tumults Of 8
public assembly. He also retired to
the solitude Of subterranean cave
to devote himself more closely to
studious pursuits. and to eradicate
all desire to appear In public he
shaved one side of his head. The
ability and the oratorical gifts of
Demosthenes were SO quickened
that he was placed at the head Of
the government, where his oratory
became famous. He had overcome
all obstacles, for the reason that he
had selected a certain walk In life
and was determined to shine in
that walk. No mediocrity for De-
mosthenes.
THE actor might emulate his
example while resting" You
would imagine that he would do 1t
gleefully. 1t must bs calling to
actor and actress to b criticised
unfavorably for mere speech.
should think that the actor would
be highly indignant at these Eng
lish casts, selected because the
English actor usually has clearer
diction. l should think that this
would madden most actors. Why
should there be any preference?
Why should not the diction of the
American actor be as perfect AS
that of the English Thespian?
Sometimes, of course, it is. but
more frequently 1t isn't. If you
don't believe me. ask the manager.
In his anxiety to escape argument,
he may not admit 1t, but watch him
when he selects a cast in which
lines must be put over" and in
which there must be no blurred
speech or mixed accents. Every
actor should be able to cope with
this emergency. Every actor
should have absolute purity Of die
ton. Every actor hasn't.
The actor rests. His exhausted
nervous system demands repose,
and he COULD rest more enjoy.
ably II he undertook the task OF i'm
provement in his particular walk OF
life. Great actors, Of course, have
never "let up" in their continuous
study of the essentials Of the stage.
but today the personality" actor
prefers to cater to his hair, his
skin, his waist line and h,s figure.
The actress who MIGHT nave her
voice lifted has her face lifted in
stead, and that is her vacation.
THE actor who has enjoyed a
long run yearns for his vaca'
ton to rest his eternal tempera-
ment. Instead, he might justtr-
ably start to undo all the evil that
a long run has caused. He has ac-
quired unnecessary mannerisms:
he has sunk his individuality IN one
tiresome role; he has impressed
managers with the ridiculous idea
that he could never play anything
different: he has let the qualities
of his voice rust in one groove
Rest for him should be one vast
endeavor to recfify these ills. No
actor can afford to take life too
easily and to loll through a sum-
mer without study. Moreover.
methods change, and the public.
which is a spoiled child. is always
looking for new favorites. The
woods and the hills and the noun
tains and the shores should be
crowded with actors who, like
Demosthenes, were fitting them
selves for their life's work. II
stammersng old Demosthenes could
become a famous orator, the aver
age actor need not despair. With
work and energy and untiring zenl
every actor could fit himself for
any role requiring perfect diction.
The-actress probably spends her
SUMMER thinking UP new clothes
new sartorial giories and new de-
signs-perhaps even new perfumes.
The manager may have cast her
for roles in which her magpie ut
terances passed unnoticed. giving
~the fine lines to be spoken by some