is the servant of the mind. It Is the in
strument on which is transmitted the
various emotions. It is ordinarily stiff
and unwieldy; it must be made supple
and commandable and trained to respond
instantly. In this age and generation we
don't get half enough exercise. Living is
made too easy. It is as though we had
to fight nature, overcome civilization in
a way and get back to the primitive, so
we can bend our body and twist our trunk
and arms and head without showing the
strain.
"Practice with dumb-bells . makes the
body. strong; using the gloves makes the
arms forceful and gives them character;
Indian clubs make the entire body lithe
and supple; fencing makes -•. the ..;. body
The first step is to get the body under
perfect control of the mind. The body
playlng part, 8:15 to 11:15 p. m.; studying
part. 11:20 p. m. to 12:30 a. m.; sleep, 1 to
7 a~ xn.
Of course, the programme is elastlo
and must give way on matinee days, but
her work is not allowed to lapse for so
cial functions and for the most part out
of the eighteen hours that Miss Forbes
is awake every day thirteen hours and
lorty-five minutes are given to conr.ta.nt
work, three hours for meals and forty
live minutes to dressing in the morning
and un<iressing preparatory for sleep at
night.'Siind^thirty minutes for rest. . On
days when the Neill company gives mat
inee performances one hour is given to
ihe gymnasium or the fencing of Pro
fessor L. Tronchet, and the afternoon
rehearsing for that day is omitted.
Four of the hours are given to physical
training. '
;One hour every day, ."bike" riding or
no "bike" Riding, gymnasium or no gym
nasium, .she must-spend with .the profes
sor- of voice\culture. . ..One "hour;.,, many
days .is- given. 'to [.the study. of • facial ex-
. V- ¦ ¦ :'
constant 'work, and while The voice and
intonations are still to be persistently
perfected, _the physical; strength, tiro and
grace of gesture must be . worked : upon
also. Four times a Week she goes to
Professor : Tronchet and takes fencing
lesssonsfor two hours each visit; three
other days of'each week she is" obliged to
.ypend at a ladies' gymnasium." The, days
that she does 'not go to. the gymnasium
aho spends two hours riding .- horseback
or > on < a bicycle.
Tears pay no taxes.
Stress makes strong.
Is like' a student of painting who has
canvas and brushes but lacks the colors.
"The student who takes up 'elocution
vith an eye for the stage. should study It
in connection with stage work or at
least In connection with some practical
Bide of ' stage workl
"Elocution as taught Is" not elocution
according to the dictionary. Webster de
fines it as 'the proper expression of
thought." The elocutionist speaks as If
he knew the technique of expression
the actor speaks as : If he thinks. The
underlying thought i3 the main thing, so
first-let the aspirant for the stage mas
ter the thought, and try to get an in
spiration out of it, and this mastery of
thought; will show in the delivery of his
lines if he has the indispensable ground
work of an education and the ability to
enunciate.
"And even if his delivery bo contrary
to the set ideas of elocution, the. actor
* endowed by nature for the stage will
grasp the inspiration of the situation and
be capable of. creating an Illusion, while
the elocutionist will be more apt to show
the evidences of his .work and its "me
chanical limitations in his self conscious
; ness and his -adherence to the technique.
¦ The . cultured, cold and correct actor will
not be so true: to. the -die as the rugged,
vehement, impulsive soiil that appeals Dy
natural methods to, the sympathies of
the listener.; The one by carefully studied
intonation and a nice punctuation into
- sentences may excite admiration, per
haps,' but does not. always carry convic
tion "with it. The other will -emphasize
A recipe is not^ a cake.
A selfish success is a saj failure.
Cowardly fear finds no favor with God,
Many words do not. make much wisdom.
The chureh Is weakened by wicked
vealth.
Heaven oft takes in what earth casts
Liking leads to love and love to USta-
The braggart deceives no one but Lim
it takes a great man to comprehend
himself. :.,;;•; /
Many a man must lose his all to find
himself. •
Religion without Joy is a sun without
light.
A state religion does not make a reli
gious state.
"When God's showers cease man's sup
plies fall.
Actual liberty centers In essential loy
alty, i
The path to greatness with God lies
open to all.
The great life Is made up of greatness
in littles.
Sincerity Is the best sermon agamst
hypocrisy.
The pearls of truth lie deep In tha sea
of patience.
The true martyr does not hire out to a
museum.
-A man may. be Judged by his judgments
of others.
It is hard to be healed ' when wa hid*
our wounds. .
Success is not salvation, but salvation is
success. ' / •
No man falls of success who conquers
himself. . • .
God wants flowers on hearts more than
on altar cloths.
It is still worth while to be right, no
matter who is wrong.
The foolish bark at truth because it :s
a stranger to them.
No one is* nearer heaven by belonging
to the upper classes of society.
The things that make us happy ' are
these,, to which we have given our hearts.
Milan ha.i a curiosity in a clock which
Is made entirely of bread. The maker.)?
a native of India, and has»devoted three
ye^rs of his life to the construction of
this curiosity. The dock Is of good size
and eoea well.
SdBtll to ThM About
The moral of this story is — well, what
is the moral, anyway? — Brooklyn Eagle.
"That," he commented, "will even tha
matter up for the poor woman."
He said nothing, but when she had left
the room ha put the clock half an hour
ahead. ~
thing I hate it is a practical joker. Even
mother missed her train."
"Yes," he said, regretfully, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" she demanded sharp
ly.
"That I set the clock," he answered.
"Is— is she going to-morrow?"
"If she can catch the train," sha said
pointedly.
"Oh, you set It!" she exclaimed. "For
two weeks we have been deducting fifteen
minutes from the time it showed, and then
you- set 'it You thought it funny to play
a little joke on your children and your
wife. I suppose. Your perverted sense of
humor made you think It amusing to trick
your only son Into tardiness!"
"But. my dear—"
"Don't speaK to me! If there is any-
"And," added his wife, "mother, who
intended to leave us to-day, was late for
her train. Did you fool with that clock?"
"Why, my dear." he explained, apolo
getically, "I set it."
Dinner was late for all.
But one morning the head of the house
hold became suddenly particular. He had
spasms of thfs sort occasionally and there
were never any preliminary symptoms.
He demanded punctuality and accuracy
in everything, even clocks.
"Outrageous!" he exclaimed, after com
paring the clock with his watch.
This, is what followed his sudden awak
ening: - ".-
His wife was late at the matinee.
His son was late at school.
His daughter was late for her music
lesson.
PRAY note how a good impulse and
a creditable action may put things
all awry.
The clock was fifteen minutes
fast. It was not in the least what one
would call a sporty clock, but it was fast*
and it remained so for two weeks. As
It maintained a steady gait, keeping jU3t
so far ahead of Father Time, this did no
harm. Every one knew It was fast, and
figured accordingly. It was easier to d»
that than it was to set It.
AM inn ton fas Trouble
eye for a future triumph.
"We watched them stepping about the
stage and j reading their lines in a low
voice which made the pantomine seem
like a' take "off on the real .Barbara
Freitchie,- save for the earnestness that
marked both these young faces. It seem
ed rather weird, this saying of lines and
appealing' to a houseless audience.
"Do. you" believe in elocution as a stage
requisite?" ~
\ "Elocution with practice — yes," answer
ed Mr. Neill, "but the trouble is that the
mind of the elocution student Is crowded
with ideals and theories that only irrl
. tate the managers, and excite ridicule
and . have to be' suppressed,, while a
knowledge ; of the real technique of the
theater and preparation for the stage is
being obtained. He who takes up elo
tutidn and labors alone without the ac
cessories and other stage characters
which go to. make up a picture and' the
ensemble .that appeals to ¦'. the audience
and suggests dramatic"' action lacks
the inspiration of imaffinate listeners and
graceful, and gives it poise as nothing
else' can do. -
' ".. '"Voice culture and 1 ; breath .control are
• great' factors in emotion or in .any work
in expression. V -'i -••..- .".".. .
"There .is no 'magnetism ' In wasted
breath. A person who does not know how
to use, ; control and.fglve out her > breath
for the emotion' lmquestlon loses just so •
much power over s her audience. It Is just
like | the/ boiler of an engine that is . con
stantly leaking." ; V: . , -;•
: -Miss Forbes has had two years of stage
1 1 raining ; along :^the lines % usually : experi
enced by the beginner, an.d she is now in
the period of her evolution to engage in
other practical efforts. She has .taken
hundreds of lessons in elocution andyofce*
culture and has played small parts in
some ! thirty-seven different plays. Sne
nas been taught to an effective degree the
art,, of stage "make-up" and the consist
ency of style and color In stage gowns.
All this has been / gained by hard and
pression, . four hours each day to the re
hearsals for the regular Neill perform
ances and- three hours each evening to
playing the;, parts assigned to her in the
regular Neill performances. f
Mr. Neill ;was seated on a piece of
stage property back on ' the stage in the
California Theater and just as he spoke
In dashed the subject In question. Miss
Forbes,' with book in hand and an every
minute-counts 'expression on her face.
"I am a minute late," she said, breath
lessly. "But I have my lines letter per
fect to-day; I studied till 1 o'clock Ia3t
night oa them." "• . : ."
She was talking to Scott Seaton, who ap
peared Tfrom the opposite wing of tha
stage ' stretching himself and looking
most apologetic. Miss Forbes, It appears,
Is going -to take>>the\^role of Barbara
Freitchie next season with Mr. Scott
Seaton as manager and in connection
with her other work she is crowding
in a rehearsal now and again with an
Pointers for
Girls V^ho Are
Interested in
a Stage Career.
*T CW did she arrive?" asks the In-
I A quiring mind after witnessing the
I I performance of a star; "by what
J process of training did she acquire
that hypnotism that holds me and
makes me believe she is the character she
portrays?"
It takes more than grease paint and
make-up to perfect this delusion, but just
what more — that is the question.
It is an interesting evolution, the mak
ing of an actress, and one that to the
audience, settled back In comfortable
chairs, is a pealed bock. They see the re
sults of hours of patient applipation, but
if the training has been effective the no
ticeable traits are not obtrusive ones.
They are grace, simplicity and entire ab
sence from affectation.
For this reason, perhaps, it is that the
idea of apprenticeship is not dwelt upon
by the lay observer. The stock company
Is the normal training school of the
embryo actress. This is the budding
ground, where the tender spear of ability
is placed, fertilized by endeavor and
strengthened by the virility of environ
ment. Girls who are interested in a stage
career will doubtless be glad to know
what this system of training Is. Many it
may be will be deterred thereby, but it is
well ho, for there is no royal road to
learning, here as elsewhere.
Coquelin, the celebrated delineator of
comedy, once said, "Comedy is serious
business." It is an art to hold people's
attention and to make them laugh.
In the Janes Neill company Blanche
Petes and many another now famous
actress went through their first struggles
toward recognition/ He has an Interest
ing story to tell of' the systematic train-
In? that he considers productive of the
best results.
"If you want to strike conviction be
yond the footlights you must first feel it
yourself," said James Ned. "Earnestness
Is the keynote of success on the stage, as
it is in other walks of life."
The Neill company at the present tima
has a novitiate in training, and if earnest
ness of work counts each day sees a cred
it mark placed to Mary Elizabeth Forbes*
account. Miss Forbes is a sweet, unaf
fected girl of the Gibson type; demure,
healthy and alert, and fresh with the en
thusiasm of twenty summers.
The powers that the gods have given
her she distributes through the twenty
four hours of every day as follows: She
rises at 7 o'clock and allows herself an
hour for breakfast, and then the day's
programme begins: "Bike" riding, 8 to 9
a. m.; studying part, 9 to 10 a. m.; re
hearsing. 10 a. xc to 12 noon; luncheon, 15
to 1 p. m.; gymnasium or fencing, 1 to 3
p. m. ; rehearsing, 3 to 5 p. m.; voice, 5 to
6 p.m.; dinner, 6 to 7 p. m.; rest, 7 to 7:30
p. m.; "making up," 7:30 to 8:15 p. m.;l
A study^ of the dally routine of Mary
Elizabeth > Forbes, a beautiful, charming
and talented girl, will quickly dispel that
delusion. How many factory girls, how
many milliners, how many dressmakers,
how many, stenographers, how many
young lady clerks are thera who are
obliged to work nearly fourteen hours a
day, Sundays included, to gain recognition
in the line of endeavor to which they hava
addressed their efforts?
"Genius and hard work may not bo twin
companions, but they' are so. often found
together that one is warranted In assert
ing that they are closely allied.' As soon
as a new genius is sprung on the world
the wonder often is, '"Why were -they not
discovered before?" and the answer prob
ably Is that they have not had time to
work hard and long enough. There are
hundreds of young women with ambition
to shine behind the footlights who hava
not the temperament nor the desire to
work hard enough to reach their cherish
ed goal. There are also many of splendid
natural ability for conception of stage
characters who fail when they do final
ly have an opportunity, for lack of per
sistent and constant endeavor. Then
there are others ambitious for tha stage
who believe that all an actress has to do
to gain an enviable reputation as an
artist and the accompanying enviable
salary is to wear fine gowns, receive tha
flattering attentions of numerous admir
ers, countless bouquets and late suppers,
where glasses clink to the music of gay
laughter."
the thought In a way that will appeal to
his audience.
"And that Is what it all means after
all; It is the power of convincing: the au
dience, of making them feel that your
emotions are real. That is what carries a
piece on to victory.
"The question of , training for the stags
has been a difficult problem to solve with
any degree of "satisfaction, and with such
results as will elicit the recognition and
encouragement of the managers who en
gage and the public who patronize stags
artists. In no. art is "it more- clearly
demonstrated by the artists -who acquire
prominence and fame that experience is
the best If not the only^teacher. Acting
Is. Ulce swimming; all the.- theories In the
world will not serve until the first plunge
is made, and as water is necessary for the
learning to swim, so are accessories and
audiences necessary to determine tha apti
tude or unfltness. of the aspirant for
dramatic laurels. It Is with a full appre
ciation of the difficulties that beset the
beginner upon the stage that employing
managers and producers of plays are
obliged to" reject so many, applicants.
THE SUNDAY CALL.
3
THE TRAINING
OF AN
ACTRESS