accounted for that by her inexperience. She had been in the city but a comparatively short time, had come from the country, filled with ambition to do great things. Her manner, half shy, half scornful of Smithers's sage cautions, was delightful. He learned of her antecedents, that they were modest country folk who wished she would come home. Smithers made the object of his visit that of telling her that he, an experienced critic, believed in her talent and would be glad to do anything he could for her. She asked him earnestly to call again. He solemnly promised to do so.

Smithers was not quite sure before paying the visit, this the first, that he was not about to make a fool of himself.

If he had missed something of savoirfaire in her manner; if he wished, the least in the world, that she had questioned his right to call upon her, become downright angry-not half so-at his daring, were he, Smithers, to advise her, a stranger; he put such thoughts from his mind as foolish.

She is a little crude," Smithers thought, "but she has in her the makings of a wife any man might be proud of. I shall ask her to render me the happiest man in the world in about five weeks."

And so he probably would have done, had he not changed his mind and had not another woman come into his life. It was the leading lady, she who played the adventuress in "The Fulness of Life."

He previously had had an indefinite prejudice against blonds and sedulously had avoided meeting such prominent women on the stage as he knew his duties would require him to estimate. He had thought that to know them socially would prejudice his judgment of their work. But Eleanor Lane had sent for him. She was a widow, a shrewd woman and really a good

Meantime Eleanor Lane's vanity had been hurt by the indifference, first professional, now personal, of the critic, and she resolved to bring him to her feet Smithers dropped in to the theatre one evening, not long after, to renew his admiration for Miss Gilbert's talent. But it seemed to him that she was rather absurdly lacking in force. Why did she appear so bashful? He noticed that Miss Lane played with remarkable vigor and wondered why he had not noticed it before.

After Mr. Smithers's next call upon Miss Gilbert, she went to her room and cried. It was what he had not said that brought the tears. He had paid but the most formal visit, had not spoken of her future or of her present, except to ask if she were ill, or why she seemed so weak.

Ernestine understood. Smithers understood, too, and he hated himself; but not so deeply as to exclude the thought that he was lucky to have found it out before he had spoken of marriage. After all, the girl was only one of an enormous number, without sufficient force of character, though having some talent, no doubt, who may early fail and drop from the ranks. Why should he, Smithers, throw away his life in bringing up a woman of her calibre, when the leading woman at the Empire, for example, with her brains, position, respectability, had given a dozen tactful indications of being remarkably well disposed toward him? Clearly, to tie himself for life to a mere nobody would be ridiculous. A month later 66 'Miss" Lane became Mrs. Smithers. She still holds her position as queen of public hearts at the Empire. Smithers looks after her press-notices with marked punctuality and is allowed to carry his wife's money to and from the bank. There are those who say that he does not love his lady, but fears her. Smithers is known recently to have written over a nom de plume a serious article on "Should a Man Marry for Love or for Professional Advancement?" It was offered to the North American Insight, but the editor returned it, with a note saying that his magazine was not intended to meet the wants of the feeble-minded. Smithers is getting over his youth. He spends his leisure, such as he has, in wondering whether it is better, on the whole, to have a wife to live up to or down to.

I

VIOLENT GESTURE IN THE PULPIT.

ATTENDED one of our leading churches this morning and the minister (a university graduate) always gesticulates in a loose, disjointed fashion, but this time he became a little warmed to his subject and made such a hard gesture that he strained his left arm so much that he almost fainted, and it was fully five minutes before he recovered; then his arm was fastened up, and he could use it no more during the sermon. And yet there are people who contend that we do not need Delsarte work, elocution, or training of any kind for pulpit oratory, claiming all that is necessary is to be natural. Such an accident as this should be an object-lesson to those people, and I do not think they could claim it as the work of the Spirit. I never knew the inspiration of the Spirit to break a man's arm. It was wholly awkwardness, and would have been ludicrous in the extreme, had it not been for the man's intense suffering. Texas.

Fanny Robinson.

NEED OF THE BEST LITERATURE ON PROGRAMS.

In the April No. you asked a question that I feel called upon to answer, viz., regarding the use upon one's program of Tennyson, Browning. and Shakespeare. Something was added about how severely one should be criticised for attempting such. Yet I can not feel that the presentation of poor stuff is worth criticism at all. For the rest, it seems rather arbitrary, and I was somewhat surprised at the suggestion of doubt regarding the use of great material, because I thought it was for that we were studying. I mean that we studied human life, thought, feeling, and character, and, naturally, the great authors who have presented or manifested these most perfectly. It seems to me one must behold the beauty of the world around -just as I see with clearer vision the color, light, and life on these wonderful Scotch moors and hills-after an hour with Tennyson. I do not take popularity into consideration at all. If people are so unfortunate as to fail to appreciate what is fine, why there is our mission. A leading light in expression, when giving some excellent artlectures at the World's Fair, said that we were doing poor work for ourselves by merely looking at pictures; that we liked pictures that simply pleased the fancy of the untrained mind. Even if the best literature could possibly be looked upon as not desirable nor pleasant, I have a grim idea that I should like to meet such people with the remark of a London nerve-specialist, who said, when the taste of some medicine, doubtless excellent in itself, was criticised, "You did not take me for a confectioner!"

I should apply that, but with a difference. Because I have such faith in the beauty, the good to one from the best, I think that people must like it in every way, must feel its sway, and be grateful when it is given to them. I do not myself present, nor permit my students to give, what is known as a "popular program." My programs are seldom composed of miscellaneous selections. So this, to some extent, answers your question, if one uses entire programs from a single author; and I should add from one subject. I mean if one gives a lyric recital, or an old ballad recital, or one from American humor, or a dramatic recital, etc. I have used other subjects-personal choice-and put together the best I could find relating to it. I have prepared and presented sixteen programs myself; each from one author or on one subject. Occasionally I have used on the same evening, the works of two, possibly three, authors, say of a certain school. These were my own programs, there are others for preparation, and my students have given a great many more. Hence you will see that I can not well state at this time and distance the subjects or the selections. It would require, I think, a large manuscript with copious notes and you would hardly want that.

Permit me, in the interest of accuracy, to correct your statement in the October No. that I am a representative of the Rush school of elocution. No one school or system, SO far as I am aware, can claim me as its disciple. I certainly teach many things that are old and some that I think are new; but whether my newness is identical with that of the so-called "new school of elocution, I do not know. Judging from what I have heard in the public readings of its exemplars, I think it is not. course, the last remark is not intended to reflect in any way on any person or school, but merely to indicate a possible difference between them and me as to the theory and the practice of elocution. New York.

Charles Roberts.

FROM A SOUTHERN ELOCUTIONIST.

Of

"School or Private Teacher?" in the October No. makes me wish to express my opinion. An uninformed person who wishes to become an elocutionist should read at least twenty-four copies of WERNER'S MAGAZINE. It champions no particular school, but by impartially praising the good, and condemning the bad, it creates in the public mind a high ideal of expression. I do not say that

Mrs. Siddons so nervous that she finally stopped in the middle of her number, and asked the couple either to cease talking or to please leave the house. She then asked the audience to excuse her for ten minutes until she could compose herself, after which the recital went on. Next morning she received a note from the young man, demanding an apology for what she had said to them-a couple from society's élite. This, of course, she did not do. The courteous attention and silence that this incident brought Mrs. Siddons from her Atlanta audience will never be forgotten by those who were fortunate enough to be there. When the recital began, the doors were locked, and no one allowed to pass in or out. So perfect was the silence, that the people seemed not to breathe. Not a sound disturbed this quiet save the beautiful tones that fell from the lips of the beautiful reader (for truly she was a beautiful woman then), moving her hearers to smiles or to tears.

A WORD ABOUT BREATHING.

I have been greatly interested in Mrs. Georgen's paper in the November No. My experience has been that with careful attention to position, with physical exercises to strengthen the muscles of the torso, and vocal exercises which require the action of these muscles in controlling the diaphragm, with the simple breathing-exercises for development and some slight attention to regular, passive breathing (I use the term as I understand it in Mrs. Georgen's paper, breathing without vocalization), all faulty breathing disappears, and much more rapidly than where great attention is called to the fault, and much time given to its correction by means of breath-gymnastics. Pennsylvania. Lydia J. Newcomb.

CORRECTIONS FROM MARY H. BALDWIN.

Kindly permit correction of two statements in the November No. Miss Stella King refers to Miss Baldwin's "novel method of tone-production by developing the muscles of the back, and rear of the neck and head." It should read "tone-production by muscular action of back, neck, and scalp.' The development" of those muscles is merely a result of right action. Georgen quotes, Miss Baldwin's direction to speak in the back of the head." I protest most emphatically against such interpretation of the Rev. Dr. Russell's reference to my work. I use the whole skull as a bellresonator, expanding in all directions from

Mrs.

the naso-pharynx, for both song and speech. Shakespeare never gave a better rule than : Do not mouth your words. The whole question of voice is utterly simple and beautiful. Give the right muscular action for breath, increase that muscular action, add the resonators (always above the level of the mouth), start the tone and speech motors into action, and the result is speech, responding readily with pleasant tone and clear articulation to every change of thought or of emotion. Still further increase that muscular action for breath, and also increase the expansion of the resonating-cavities (all of which are above the mouth-cavity), and with tone and speech motors in control speech will be prolonged and rounded out into song. To produce clear, vibrant tones, both speech and song must be given during inhalation, instead of during exhalation. This method may be "novel," but it is not an invention, and is mine, only by right of discovery, for the method itself is as old as humanity.

New York. Mary Hurlbut Baldwin.

MR. BELL'S LATEST TREATISE.

Allow me to call the attention of your readers who are elocutionists to the late pamphlet put forth by that indefatigable scientist and expert in phonetics,-so widely known and justly honored-Alexander Melville Bell. It is a very brief but invaluable treatise upon Phonetic Syllabication." I know of nothing upon articulation so good as this. It is so entirely simple that anyone can apply its theory immediately and successfully. I have already introduced it into my classes, and shall always make use of the theory. Mr. Bell has placed the English-speaking people under great indebtedness to him through his various treatises, and this is in nowise inferior to his other works.

"Early! That's not a little girl's name." "Oh, yes it is. Don't you remember you read to me about the little girl who was to be the May queen, and who wanted her mother to call her Early?"-London Answers.

-SHE: Do you think I can ever do anything with my voice?

He: Well, it may do in case of fire.

-MISS FOSDICK: Blanche Trivvet plays the piano on the Scriptural plan.

Miss Gaskett: I never heard of the Scriptural plan of piano playing. What do you mean?

Miss Fosdick: She never lets her left hand know what her right hand is doing.-Judge.

ΟΝ

Obituary.

ALEXANDER SALVINI.

N Dec. 15, Alexander Salvini, one of the foremost romantic actors of the present day, died at Florence, Italy, of intestinal tuberculosis. He was born at Rome in 1861, and was the son of Tommaso Salvini Salvini, the celebrated tragedian.

père strictly forebade his sons from becoming actors, so his namesake was sent to Naples, Florence, Genoa and to Switzerland to study engineering. When he was twenty years old he visited the United States in company with Charles Chizzola, manager of Ernesto Rossi, the tragedian. This seems to have been the turning-point in young Salvini's life, for we next find him acting in Rossi's company, remaining with it until the close of its American season. The ruling purpose of Salvini's life now be came to master the English language, which he began to study with avidity, in every way endeavoring to overcome his foreign accent. In 1882, Manager A. M. Palmer became interested in him and engaged him for Belot, a small part in "Article 47," which Clara Morris was then playing at the old Union Square Theatre, N. Y., -now Keith's. This was Salvini's début as

an English speaking actor. He then joined Margaret Mather's company, acting such roles as Orlando, Claude Meinotte, Romeo, and Clifford. Subsequently he left Miss

Mather's company and toured with "A Celebrated Case," "The Two Orphans," and "The Lights o' London." About this time Tommaso Salvini came to this country, and Alexander, having gained his father's commendation of and consent to his acting, joined the company that his father brought with him, in the capacity of actor and stagemanager. On his father's "off nights" Alexander would star in "The Duke's Motto," and other melodramas.

About 1886 Salvini the younger was at the zenith of his popularity here in New York. He appeared in several "character" roles with great success, some critics claiming that he was better suited to that style of drama than to the romantic roles with which his name is so closely identified. His work as Baron Hartzfeld in "Jim the Pen

man

and as Henri Borgfeldt in "Partners" was specially lauded. He also played Launcelot in George Parson Lathrop's dramatization of Elaine." Salvini remained under A. M. Palmer's management for three years longer, and then again joined his father's company, appearing in "Don Cæsar de Bazan" and in 'A Child of Naples," on those nights on which his father did not appear. When the elder Salvini finally returned to Italy, Alexander launched out with a company of his own, presenting" The Three Guardsmen,' The Student of Salamanca," Cavalleria Rusticana, "L'Ami Fritz." "Zamar," and

Hamlet."

It was as D'Artagnan-le beau D'Artagnan,-in The Three Guardsmen that Salvini scored his greatest triumph, the

dash, fire, and grace of that character being particularly suited to his nature. It is said that no actor since the days of Fechter approached so nearly the ideal of what a romantic actor should be.

MRS. CLARA POWER EDGERLY.

It is with deep regret that we announce the sudden death of Mrs. Clara Power Edgerly, so well known to the readers of Tableaux this magazine for her artistic Mouvants and Poses Plastiques." She was the pioneer in applying the Delsarte principles to statue posing. In her opinion nothing equaled statue-posing for teaching repose of manner, perfecting bodily carriage, and developing facial expression.

Mrs. Edgerly was born in Boston in 1864 and was the daughter of Tileston C. Power, a retired real-estate broker. Her education, the groundwork of which was laid in the Boston public schools and in the Girls' High School, was supplemented by a thorough training in elocution and the Delsarte System at the Boston School of Oratory, in which, after graduation, she became the teacher of the Delsarte System. She remained at the school for seven years,-until October, 1892 -when she and her husband, Julian C. Edgerly, to whom she was married in 1891, opened a new school of expression called the " Boston College of Oratory," of which she was the principal, and Mr Edgerly the business manager. Some of the leading lights in the elocutionary profession were enrolled as her assistants, William R. Alger, Marie Ware Laughton, William J. Rolfe, Howard M. Ticknor. The school grew rapidly, pupils flocking in from all over the country. In 1895 ill health caused Mrs. Edgerly to withdraw from the school, which was consolidated with Dr. S. S. Curry's School of Expression, and she and her husband removed to Manchester, N. H., where they were living at the time of her death, Dec. 26.

Mrs. Edgerly was a member of the N. A. E., and official lecturer before the Mass. Federation of Women's Clubs. During the World's Fair she was one of the advisory council of the women's department. But it is as an exponent of the Delsarte System applied to statue posing that her name is inseparably associated. Among her tableaux that have appeared in WERNER'S MAGAZINE, may be mentioned "The Toilet of the Bride," "The Dance of the Muses," "The Niobe Group," "The Death of Virginia," Tribute to the Minotaur," "The Sacrifice of Iphigenia,' Bacchus and the Bacchantes,' The Parting of Orpheus and Eurydice," Fates," Home-Scene from the Greeks," Gaul's Last Straits." Mrs. Edgerly was also an advocate of hygienic dress for women.

·

46 The

ACHILLE ERRANI.

'Night,"

The

Achille Errani, the well-known vocal teacher, died at his home in New York on Jan. 5. Born in Lombardy, Italy, in 1823, Errani, after several years' study under