Evening star., 1925-07-24
American Nerves
BY David Bel1sco.

The greatest fault Of the American
people today is restlessness. Calm
ness and poise are disappearing rapid
ly and in their place is a constant
| shifting. squirming and gesturing as
contagious as the plague of plaques
itself. One "fidgeter" In a group will
| inoculate those about him in a few
moments, and soon we have a rest
| less, inattentive group with frazzled
| nerves and naturally resultant bore
dom.
Why should I. a theatrical pro.
ducer. bother with the personal habits
| Of the remainder of the public? Be
| cause, forsooth, this mad restlessness
In time will have its effect on the
| stage. No audience is so bad for the
morale Of a company of players as a
| squirming, inattentive audience. Moth
| ing will more surely detract from the
| artistic worth of a production SO far
as the players are concerned, as con
tinued movement on the part Of the
! onlookers.
| Penalty Of Superspeed.
| OF course. it is the penalty we are
paying for the last few years Of su
perspeed in all things. Noteworthy
| indeed, Is the spectacle provided by
| the calmly poised man or woman
who. in public, fails to disclose those
| little tics" as the French designate
| them, which disclose to the practiceo
eye deranged nervous system.
Men twiddle their watch chains
pluck nervously at their ties, pinch
| their chins, caress their ears or crack
their finger joints continuously
| Women always are making minor
| rea djustments of their bobbed hair
| shifting nervously in their seats
| tearing at programs or handkerchief
or frankly consulting vanity cases
and powder puffs at moments wher
| II their nervous systems were norma
| they would be too interested in wha'
is proceeding before their eyes tc
| think OF eXtraneous matters.
| What man or woman of today car
resist the temptation in cafe or pri-
vate home of rearranging the silver
moving glasses here and there ol
doing the thousand and one uncon-
| scious things that infuriate even the
best bred hostess? OF course, all Of
| these things are done subconsciously
but the terrible fact remains tha'
they are done.
| Coughing a Public Fault.
| Coughing-not the necessary par
oXysm or some SuBnt lllneSs-Dul
nervous little cachinnation, is an
other OF our great public faults. Gc
to any concert, theater, church oil
| auditorium and you Will find some
! irritating overtone assailing youl
ears Analyze it and you will fnC
the Great American Cough" witt
! the Great American Squirm" for al
| accompaniment. So much for The
aural side. From the visual side yol
Will find attention distracted continu'
ally by feminine hands flashing VI
momentarily TO coiffures, heads bob
bing back and forth in fruttless ell
deavors TO see about the boobinf
heads of those ahead. and twitchint
shoulders of the other supernervou
| ones.
We are coming rapidly TO the pom
where a place CT public gathering II
| a place Of calisthenics rather thai
one Of rest and recreation. Are W.
! becoming a Nation of neuroticsP W.
most ecidedly are not, but we ar
a Nation of squirmers, WriGglers
knuckle- crackers and what not. W.
| must relearn poise and dignity ant
the answer to the unasked ques
ton is:
do not fidget."
| tCopyright. l925l