Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 123, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 May 1911 — Atmosphere of an Audience. [ARTICLE]

Atmosphere of an Audience.

The Intangible yet deeply pregnant atmosphere or spirit which Is created by and pervades a large audience at a crucial moment In the performance of a drama Is a striking illustration of brutal and unembeliished honesty. The mask of sophistication is down. Social amenities are forgotten. Impulse rules, and for that one instant the hearer reverts to the elemental state of an honest animal. He is bored, puzzled or pleased. If he feels boredom, but is constrained because of ob-1 ligation, deference or friendship to show signs of pleasure, consciousness and memory will quickly conspire with 1 habit to replace the social harness, but it is too late. His mood has been fused with that of others—here, there, yonder—and it is Instantly the prevailing mood of the audience, as clear and appreciable an appeal to the senses as is the record of a voice upon a phono-1 graphic plate.—Arthur Wilson in National Magazine.