Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-10-31

Actors ana the centennial
Kate Fields London Letter to the New York
Trbune.l
ave met; twas in crowd" More
over, it was in a box at DIury Lane
tbeater. -Four OF us-all Americans
were eI joyiug Mr.. and Mrs. BOucicaulpt
admirable acting in The ShaughrGun
When the curtain fell upon the second
act, aud "Connn had r. spondad to en-,
thusisstic applause, we fell to talking
about the Centennial, and the necessity
of making it financial success. 1t is
not often that anybody has an idea, but,
strange as it may seem, then and there
had one. Suddenly, as il inspired by
the genius loci, excl aimed, Cnlonel!h
The colonel turned, and | might as well
state at once that this particular colonel
was John w. F0rney, who, with the in
dustry OF hundred Ee2VeTS, is working
night and day in behalf of the United
States. "COlonel, in one Of your recent
letters you declared thai We ought to
cover ourselves with shame when we
reflect that our government has not yet
voted one dollar to the Centennial di.
rect, while most of the foreign nations
| have given freely to this cause. Now,
| according TO an old story, there
was once 8 woman who did not
| quite agree with st. Paul, so you must
pardon me if, in this matter, don't quite
| agree with even so clever man as your
stlf. European nations, being more or
| less paternal in government, systemati-
| cally think and act for their peoples
consequently the latter depend entire
| ly upon the former. With us it is differ
| ent. We think for the government; If
we didn't heaven knows what would
become Of US; and it will be a sad day
when Americana, forgetting the indie
pendence of Repubiicanism, look to
| Washington for brains and money.
! There are now too many hands in the
| national treasury. European interna-
tional exhibitions have had imperial
support. How much grander will 1t be
for the American people, repelling help
| from Washington, to lake an individual
| interest in the success Of our Centennial
| celebration? PhilRdelphia has done
much, the different States are gradually
waking up to the Importance of the oc-
casion, and / believe it only needs a
thorough discussion of this matter to
open the pockets OF all weli-to-do pa
triots. Would it not be fine II every
trade, every profession, every art,
establishing a responsible COM
/ lISG III cNClS OA1lC1 SO1e
contribution to the general fund?
Think what merchants, lawyers, physi-
clans, manufacturers, farmers, artisans
might not accomplish If they went to
work with hearts and heads. Then there
are the artists, last but not least being
those OF the dramatic profession. You,
as well as /, know that actors are the
most generous Of human beings. Would
il not, then, redoVnd infinitely to their
credit, if, on given day, simultaneous
theatrical representations for the Gen.
teunial fund took place throughout the
| length and breadth of the Upion?" The
! colonel has a speaking counteDance. 1t
! quito giowed at this final suggestion.
! "a capital idea ~ he cried. ut must
| not be allowed to die in this box. Make
il the text of your next letter 10 Ameri-
ca" As Colonel Forney is the Centen-
naps European representative, what
can / do but obey the cOmmander-in-
chief? And [ DO so gladly, because it
seems to me that with co operation the
idea can be carried oui. See what New
York city alone did for charity in 1874,
and for the Bryant testimonial only 3
few months ago. What has b en- done
can be done again. Already John
M'Culloch and Dion Boucicault have
promised to put the proceeds
Of two benefits into the
| Centennial fund. John 5
! Clarke has given one thCusa I'D five hum
dred dollars to the same end. Think,
| then, what can he accomplished if ac-
| tors and managers unite to make the
| Centennial a monument of dramatic art
as vel as Of universal industry! What
hosts may not be marshaled by Edwin
Booth, Lawrence Barrett, Lester Wal
lack, Mr.. aud Mrs. Barney Williams,
Mr.. and MIS- Florence, John 7, Ray
mond, Frank Mayo, Mrs. Lander, Clara
Morris, Charles Pope, John Elsler, Clara
Louise Kellogg, Adelaide Phillips, Mrs.
Van Zsndt, Mrs. Drew, Mrs. d P. Bow
era, Mr.. and Mrs. Chanirau, Mr.. DeBar,
John +. Owens, and many others? Then
! when it comes to managers-judging the
future by the past-tbere is not one in
New York who will cay mo" to a
proper appeal. And are Boston, Phila-
| deiphia Baltimore, Washington,
Albany, Providence, Buffalo, Cleveland,
| Chicago, st. Louis, CINCINNATI, Louis
| vile, Pittsburg, New OT!esns, Rich
mond, Charleston, or San Francisco one
jot less patriotic than the metropo-
lis? Think, too, how the noble army
Oh aUlaleuF5, WIFI NIL DiIu auG VIE
Shook st tier head, can swell the
dramas contribution. Once fred. ma
tive artists may impaIt their en- thusiasm
to Mile. Titiens, Barry Sullivan,
George Rignold, George Belmore, and
Others, who are reaping the golden har-
vest Of popularity. And as il takes
only slight electric spark to put Cir
die round the esrth nowadays, who
ioubts that Joseph Jefferson will re-
spond on this side of the Atlantic /?
May not Sother1, TOole, and Miss Neil
con follow his example? Even as |
write, Miss Genevieve Ward, the
American tragedjenne, who, having
won her spurs in England, is now about
to return honGs under Mr.. StrakSsch's
management bids me say that she will
do no less than Dion Boucic&uIt and
john MiCulloch, Nj. Editor, three
thousand miles away, / can only make
the suggestion. Who will carry it out?