the actor had to suit himself to the
play; nowadays the play is written to suit the actor. A comedian can
sing and dance, or "make up" good as a Jew, a Negro, or an eccentric
German, and forthwith he gets some author to write a play for him in
which his "strong" points will be made to plainly appear. Then he
selects his company, picking out men and women that he may deem
suitable for the characters they are to assume. Then the company is
christened "The Great Jones Combination," or "The Great Scott
Combination," as the case may be, and off it starts for a more or less
successful tour throughout the country.

Sterling, old-time actors like John Gilbert, William Warren, Joseph
Jefferson, and men of that school, lament the decadence of the "stock"
company system. But, in the dramatic as in the real world, we must
take things as we find them, and the fact is that there is very
little chance for a young lady who would be an actress to get a
thorough knowledge of her art--that is, thorough as it is understood
by those in the front rank of the profession, who have reached their
position by following the old methods.

On the other hand, the stage never offered so many opportunities for
bright young women with dramatic talent to make a living as it does at
the present time. Every city, both large and small, can boast of its
theatre or opera-house, and in many of the large towns throughout the
country there are town-halls arranged with a view to accommodate some
of the minor theatrical combinations.

The young lady who would succeed in making a fair living on the stage
must, first of all, be attractive. The stage appeals as much to the
eye as it does to the ear, and there is scarcely an instance of an
ugly actress being successful, or, indeed, even having the opportunity
of exhibiting herself on the stage.

It seems to be the general opinion among actors and theatrical
managers that the instruction received from professors of elocution is
of little or no account. As to the experience gained from performing
in amateur companies, there is a difference of opinion. The dramatic
agent whose views have just been given speaks, it will be seen, very
strongly against the amateur actor. Others, however, whose opinions
are entitled to great weight, say that experience gained in amateur
organizations is always valuable. The manager of one of the principal
theatres in New York--a theatre, too, that has had an unusually large
number of tr