AN ACTRESS ON ACTORS AND ACTRESSES.

Evening Post, Volume XIX, Issue 14, 17 January 1880, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN ACTRESS ON ACTORS AND ACTRESSES.

At a meeting (says the Era) of the Church and Gaud, held at the offices of the English Church Union, WellingtonBtreet, Strand, the large room being crowded by clergymen and members of the theatrical profession, Mr. Davis read a paper on " The- Attitude of Society, past and present, towards the Stage," which was much applauded. In the discussion which followed the reading of the paper, Miss Louise Willes (Gaiety Theatre) said she was about to make a remark which might possibly offend her brother and sister professionals. It was this : that, looking at the present attitude of society towards the stage, they would agree with her when she said the stage was ia a great measure looked upon with disrespect by the public in general, owing to tne conduct and example of members of the stage. (Eear, hear.) The stage had itself to thank in a great measure for the disrespect with whioh it was regarded. They forgot — and town actors and actresses especially forgot — that they lived in glass houses. Things done with perfect impunity by ladies not on the stage could not be done by actresses who should avo : d the lea3t semblance of wrong. There were certain members of society only anxious to tar them all with the same brush — (hear, hear) — and it behoved those who had any respect for their art or themselves to behave in a way that would compel the respect of the public. She knew from her own professional experience that there were many act-esses who led very hard lives, very painful lives, very disappointed lives, very self-sacrific-ing lives, thinking only , of those who belonged to them, and fighting strong temptation with a iirnrheart, feeling there was the same hope for them \n the end as there was for any other class. (Loud cheers.) She would Bay to her young friends around her, "If you find the customs of the theatre not of the best, think of what you lived and learned at horne — keep- to the true instincts of a woman's heart, and let not the stage mould yon to its eviPKabita" Miss Rose (Gaiety Theatre) said" she wished to speak a few words about the frequenters of the stage doors at theatres. Several men of high position, noblemen, supposed to be gentlemen, some of them' soldiers in the English army ' who professed ,to i protect the honor of their country', r but not to protect the honor of its' women — (cheers) — ahejUd not say this of all of them, for no. doubt some were really braye — were.iix. the habit, of standing at the Btage doors ; and she contended that they ought not to be avowed, ta .stand there to tempt young girls who were perfectly innocent. Sue did not speak of those young who possessed luxuries which no woman on 30j a week could herself procure. She spoke of young girls who came from respectable families, who were content to allow themselves to be placed in the cornices, aud endeavored to get to the top of the tree. 5 If girls could only see the conduct of those men who. bowed down to them at midnight—who took off ,their hats and bowed low to them as if they were queens — if they saw how these men jeered at them in the clubs, j saying, " Oh, I know that little ' person," they might keep fairly on their guard. These men ought to be hunted away from the stage doors, whether or not by force she could not say. Some stage doorkeepers suggested that dirty water should be thrown on them ; bui the keeper of the | Btage door at her thoatre said the use of the fire-hose would be an effective remedy for the nuisance. Well, all she would say was — let her young friends not believe in the luxuries, but in the talents the Almighty had given them The discussion was continued by the Rev. Arthur Mozeley, Canon Shuttleworth (St. Paul's), the Rev. Mr. Ridgeway, and others, and votes of thanks to i the chairman and Mr. Davis closed the | meeting.