Stage Confidences | Page 2

strength of hope for the future stage existence.
Every city in the country is freely sprinkled with stage-loving, or, as
they are generally termed, "stage-struck" girls. It is more than probable
that at least a half-dozen girls in her own circle secretly cherish a hope
for a glorious career on the stage, while her bosom friend most likely
knows every line of Pauline and has practised the death scene of
Camille hundreds of times. Surely, then, the would-be actresses can see
that their own numbers constitute one of the greatest obstacles in their
path.
But that is by no means all. Figures are always hard things to manage,
and there is another large body of them, between a girl and her chances,
in the number of trained actresses who are out of engagements. There is
probably no profession in the world so overcrowded as is the
profession of acting. "Why, then," the manager asks, "should I engage a
girl who does not even know how to walk across the stage, when there
are so many trained girls and women to choose from?"

"But," says or thinks some girl who reads these words, "you were an
outsider, poor and without friends, yet you got your chance."
Very true; I did. But conditions then were different. The stage did not
hold then the place in public estimation which it now does. Theatrical
people were little known and even less understood. Even the people
who did not think all actors drunkards and all actresses immoral, did
think they were a lot of flighty, silly buffoons, not to be taken seriously
for a moment. The profession, by reason of this feeling, was rather a
close corporation. The recruits were generally young relatives of the
older actors. There was plenty of room, and people began at the bottom
quite cheerfully and worked up. When a "ballet" was wanted, the
manager advertised for extra girls, and sometimes received as many as
three applicants in one day--when twenty were wanted. Such an
advertisement to-day would call out a veritable mob of eager girls and
women. There was my chance. To-day I should have no chance at all.
The theatrical ranks were already growing crowded when the "Schools
of Acting" were started, and after that--goodness gracious! actors and
actresses started up as suddenly and numerously as mushrooms in an
old pasture. And they, even they stand in the way of the beginner.
I know, then, of but three powers that can open the stage door to a girl
who comes straight from private life,--a fortune, great influence, or
superlative beauty. With a large amount of money a girl can
unquestionably tempt a manager whose business is not too good, to
give her an engagement. If influence is used, it must indeed be of a
high social order to be strong enough favourably to affect the
box-office receipts, and thus win an opening for the young débutante.
As for beauty, it must be something very remarkable that will on its
strength alone secure a girl an engagement. Mere prettiness will not do.
Nearly all American girls are pretty. It must be a radiant and
compelling beauty, and every one knows that there are not many such
beauties, stage-struck or otherwise.
The next question is most often put by the parents or friends of the
would-be actress; and when with clasped hands and in-drawn breath
they ask about the temptations peculiar to the profession of acting, all

my share of the "old Adam" rises within me. For you see I honour the
profession in which I have served, girl and woman, so many years, and
it hurts me to have one imply that it is filled with strange and terrible
pitfalls for women. I have received the confidences of many
working-women,--some in professions, some in trades, and some in
service,--and on these confidences I have founded my belief that every
woman who works for her living must eat with her bread the bitter salt
of insult. Not even the plain girl escapes paying this penalty put upon
her unprotected state.
Still, insult does not mean temptation, by any means. But careful
inquiry has shown me that temptation assails working-women in any
walk of life, and that the profession of acting has nothing weird or
novel to offer in the line of danger; to be quite frank, all the
possibilities of resisting or yielding lie with the young woman herself.
What will tempt one beyond her powers of resistance, will be no
temptation at all to another.
However, parents wishing to frighten their daughters away from the
stage have naturally enough set up several great bugaboos collectively
known as "temptations"--individually known as the "manager," the
"public," etc.
There seems to be a general belief that a manager is a sort of dramatic
"Moloch,"