He had a good head and plenty of sense. He knew better than to copy
after the ordinary actors in the road company to which he belonged. He
had seen good acting enough to be able to distinguish between the good
and bad. Thus it came about that the bad models about him did not exert
a pernicious influence upon him.
Frank believed there were books that would aid him. He found them. He
found one on "Acting and Actors," and from it he learned that no actor
ever becomes really and truly great that does not have a clear and
distinct enunciation and a correct pronunciation. That is the beginning.
Then comes the study of the meaning of the words to be spoken and the
effect produced by the manner in which they are spoken.
He studied all this, and he went further. He read up on "Traditions of
the Stage," and he came to know all about its limitations and its
opportunities.
From this it was a natural step to the study of the construction of
plays. He found books of criticism on plays and playwriting, and he
mastered them. He found books that told how to construct plays, and he
mastered them.
Frank Merriwell was a person with a vivid imagination and great
mechanical and constructive ability. Had this not been so, he might have
studied forever and still never been able to write a successful play. In
him there was something study could not give, but study and effort
brought it out.
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