River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-04-18
TOO lire for ne Money.
dramatic News


When the American dramatist does write a
successful play, or gets somebody else TO do
it for him, its returns are big enough in all
conscience. Take the case of the Gilded
Age. Mark Twain wrote the book, or to be
more accurate, threw it together. ltoccurred
to some one no matter who. that in the part
of Colonel Sellers there lay the germ OF a
humorous character. He tried his prentice
hand on it. and failed. Then somebody by
the name of Green had fly at it, and suc-
ceeded. Upon which, John /. Raymond,
eager for q new piece, swooped down on II as
a purchaser, and upon which Mark Twain
went for il hot-foot for his royalty. Raymond
made the part as Green made the play, but
Twain made the money.
1t is needless to tell how Clemens, with
his weather eye always open for questlona-
bly, fair dollar saw the expanding blossom
that slowly unfolded itself from the wayward
and trivial seed he had cast out on the road
side. AS soon as poor John Raymond be
gan to pay his debts like gentleman, Glenn
ems arranged 10 become his principal credit
or, and evolve as substantial a bank account
out of Raymond's clever performances as
Raymond could himself.
There is picture somewhere or another
that represents spider spinning web in a
! human skull.
| So it got to be with Raymond and Glenn
ems. Raymond went on acting and acting
| and Clemens went on rolling up his deposits
1 in his Hartford bank. By-and-by Ray
mond, patient as he is, was suddenly struck
| by the idea, that he might, with
some disadvantage to himself, shake off this
| Old Man of the Western Sea. AS a means
| to such an end he consulted Sothern
| sothern suggested arbitration. Arbitration
| lassoed Twain, and Twain peacefully con-
scented for consideration to retire from the
box office of every theatre in which Ray
mond might be, for the time being, playing
/ Colonel Sellers.
Three weeks ago the aggregate sum which
John T. RAYMOND had paid Samuel l.
Clemens for the right to apply the name OF
| Colonel Sellers to one of the cleverest OF
original creations was 100000. 1t would
be an exaggerated estimate to suppose that
| Raymond made as much for himself.
The fact, therefore, remains that Clemens
the humorist, the genial, breezy wag, the
| liberal, free-handed man of letters, took one
of every two dollars that flowed into Ray
mond's honest pocket.
! Theequestion occurs, What consideration
did the humorist and genial, breezy wae
| afford?
This-he sketched parsonage, and gavs
him three bold, striking traits. Then he
| refilled his pipe, turned over and lazily cogi
tated how to make another honest penny il
| the same easy way.
| The hardihood Of such tol-taking woult
be best paralleled if Matt. Morgan were II
sketch scene for Millals TO finish in oil
with months of elaboration, and then de
mand both the credit for the painting an6
two-thirds of the price that the pre-Raphael
| tie got for it.
| One hundred thousand dollars for Twain'i
play in Colonel Sellers is almost, If no
quite, the biggest joke he ever perpetrated
| But it isn't a joke, and Twain, not conten
with what he has got, has notified Raymond
that, if he plays the piece in England, ht
| shall want 'smore - Let rs, therefore, re
mind Mr.. Raymond that, under the laws O
Great Britain, he is under no necessity t.
pay Mr.. Twain one penny for the perform
ance of this s'play"