Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-01-04
Olive Logan-A Sketch of Her Career

celebrated actor, chiefly distinguished
for his talent in comedy, was playing
an engagement there at the time
After a few days she was taken from
that place and never visited it again,
until To fulfill u lecture engagement
IL 1868, under the auspices of the
Yong Mems Christian Association
She says she Cannot remember
when she was not familiar with that
curious place Behind the Scenes -
She must have been carried there
when she was baby in long clothes,
as she cannot remember when the
mnsiy stage trappings and pasteboard
goblets, the wooden thrones and can
VAS tombs were unfamiliar. She first
went on the stage very much against
her will, when only four or five years
OF age Her childhood debut was in
the character of Cora's child In Plzar-
70, az Cincinnati theatre, when her
father was stage manager then al
Damon's child in the play, Damon
and Pythias. The child had nothing
10 say ~ these parts, but was never
theless sadly frightened when called
upon to play. Fancy a girl-baby
being fought over with broad-swords
by Il party of actors! Although the
actress who presented Cora, gave
her sweetmeats, nothing could recon-
cile the child to the stage Her
mother tried her best to relieve the
little one of the irksom task, but it
often happened that The child who
had been engaged TO play the part
failed to appear Then little Olive
would be routed out Of her sleep to
go on the stage.
By-and-by she got into speaking
parts but the whole subject was al
ways distastefu to her, and TO this
day she can never see child 90 up
on the stage without experiencing a
throb Of sy mpathetic pity.
Her father had large family
six girls and two boys--and strove
manfully to fit them all for the battle
Of life to that end Olive was sent TO
the Wesleyan Female Seminary, and
for sometime enjoyed all the advan-
tages of that institution. Soon her
father died, and the family was scat
tered. All OF the girls, driven by
necessity, one by one, took to the
stage OF the boys, one became q
doctor, the other lawyer. Thus at
the age Of fourteen, we find Olive
Logan supporting herself by playing
upon the stage at Philadelphia. AZ
ter that we find traces of her at the
different theatres in the country, un-
til 1867, when, she went to Paris to
make it her home.
She remained some seven years in
France, residing in Paris all that
time, but making frequent trips to
London she was the guest of various
members OF the English nobility at
different times. including Lady Pal
merston, the Countess Crowley, etc
In Paris her own house was the re-
sort of numberless shining lights in
the world of art, literature and fash
ion, and she was in constant attend
ance on those imperial festivities
which make Paris so brilliant and
dazz ing TO the votaries of pleasure.
There she met Thackeray, who was
one OF her most enthusiastic admirers.
speaking in glowing terms to many
OF the lady's friends in praise of her
beauty and wit. There the Prince
Of Polignac, Count Ostroski, Edmund
About, the novelist; Michael Che
vaier, the political economist; Roth
elmel, the artist; Greenough, the
sculptor, Gardoni and Tamburni, the
operate Ienors McHepry, the CAPT
talist, and other distinguished men
rallied around her-wilh q Herbal
sprinkling OF lesser lights There
the Princes Metternich openly ex-
pressed her admiration of Isabelle
Americana" saying; III bad that
face, | would have the world at my
| feet "a mot that was buzzed about
the Partisan saloons There the EN-
peror's Chief of Cabinet, the cynical
old Mocquard, was softened by her
sweet disposition, and became her
most earnest ally. How Mocquard
awaited bimselt Of Miss Logan's in
tellectual culture and dramatic talent
for what tho play arghts call ''cou-
struction," is modeaty Swallowed
forth By the lady herself in hcr arti-
7 r.o III Harper with Tine celebrated
7 Chiefs name tor title.
Am,d all the gayeties OF such Il
life, Miss Logan did not neglect her
literary tastes, but wrote profusely
for both French and English journals,
besides getting out two volumes en-
titled respectively, photographs of
Paris life" and Chateau Frssac, or
Home Scenes in France" These
books were published in London by
iTinsley, and in New York by Apple
toms.
On her return to this country.
Miss Logan yielded to q generally
exp, essed desire to see her on the
stage. After brief starring season
at Wallack's Theatre, New York.
she made the round of the other large
cities
But becoming Disguised with the
obscenity, vulgarity and immortality
which are constantly crowding upon
the legitimate drama, and being sat-
isfied that no pure-minded person
could follow the stage without being
contaminated, she left, as she trusts,
forever, the career of an actress. and
made war upon the indecencies and
immoralities which have nearly or
quite overwhelmed the modern stage.
Her attacks upon the nude-women
performances of the last few years
have drawn on her head the VEN
goance of theatrical managers and
performers who were interested in
them, so that she would have been
driven from the field, had not the
better classes of the people rallied TO
her support, and wrote her words of
cheer, bidding her God-speed in her
determined efforts. Cergymen and
the religious press have nobiy added