New-York tribune., 1880-03-07
The RECORD OF FIFTY YEARS.
"REMINISCENCES OF A JOURNALIST. /.
By CHARLES 7. CONGDoN.
A DRANIATIC FPISODF.


Nav be permitted TO evade for a moment he
srlendors and the squalors of political annals Ito
pass from tie reality Of afflr,, if only for single
chapter to tie mimic scenes of the drama' Hay-
ing been IN my time a constant haunter of piays,
new hardly once a year see the curtain 20 up and
down, slow filling to the prOmDters bell" con
tent mysc'f with reading the illustrated posters
upon the loardngs and the lively and admirable
criticisms # my friend. the dramatic critic OF HE
TRIBUNE. whose word l do not fear to take.
When. now and then, somebody gives me
a pass, or | spare few sb!llings and go inside
am pretty sure to come away irritateG at best.
uusatisicd Those who shOuld know best aSsur"
me that it is my own fault that th" stage is as
brill ant hat the players as good as ever; that
| am po'hoTing old seXacenarlan. with pre-
obstinate doubts OF the present. and that
sad. strong ytaming for the past which
comes TO most. if only they live long
enough, aud attend the requisite number OF funerals
Perha1seo. do not care TO talk much about it. l
only sha ht my gray locks at them and still ask the
privilege Of doubi lug. Bu' is there anybody now
ever old who mas forgotten his first play about
which Ella wrote so swcetly-the enchamtmcnt
which lasted such a little while the Maaan spleu
dor bf the scenc the thrill which filled his heart 81
the heroic. the sweet mpulsivc, innocent laughter
with which he greeted the comedy! in l63o DI.
Wayland stood up. clothed IN LIS completest "Ihcll
tenors, and warned us not 70 90 70 tho Dolrance
Street Theatre which that night was TO restore the
drama TO Providence. H. said that If he heard of
anv students who were professors of religion
there. he should report them TO their respective
churches: those deiinquentS who were Yet uBcon-
yerted he threatened with suspension. We
listened with due gravity, and those who
had tickets for the performance IN then pOch-
cts were especially solemn. We went all the same,
with ONLY the precautOn Of little disguise. my
self borrowed another mans coat, and the friend
who went with me, DOW a grave lawyer, tied PACK
his long hair. When fairly within the mysterious
walls thought it the most beautiful place which
my eyes had ever seen in my memory, As do not
mind saying. 1t is still most beautiful.
The opening address, which was written by Mrs.
Sarah Helen Whitman, was spoken by Mrs Maeder.
the Clara Fisher whO in her childhood and girl
hood had delighted, upon both sides OF the sea- So
many audiences She PLAYED that night the u ido'c
Choeriy in The Soldiers Daughter odd manager
Cberry's old-fashioncd comedy She had not then
lost altogether her grlish esprit She came gliding
upon the scene full of life and laughter, perfect
mistress Of her art so that deemed every motion
graceful and every tone delicious Her early the
atrical trainin. had made her adept in all the
business Of the stage she sii n little queen
or at least we thought sO---we boys gazing at her
from the pit. She at once pathetic ana humorous
now serious and then full ofbadinage and elasticity.
always showing traces of that dainty taste and mar
yet6 which years before had turned tie heads oi
numbc,less Young gentlemen. We did not mind how
old she aas--sae was young enough for us. Her
husband was one OF the managers OF the
theatre, aud she worked like slave
all through the season to sustain IT'S dn-
bous fortunes, playing everything from Dcs7rm0sa
TT ,1- > a,dos I In
ceipts grew smaller and smaller. she tOed cheer
fnlv though perhaps she had some sad recollectons
of the time when a mob gathered about The box
Office to secure tickets for her performances. and
when hornpipes and the four-fOoted favorites Of
the turf were named after her both in Englanl,a
in a secondhand bookstore and the odds. ere that
You viii lind her portrait IN character She out
lived her sirsh el0res but ii must have been to
her some consolation that she had been honestly
and Justly admired and had given so many pleasure
seekers that which they sought for. In spite of the
temptations which beset her, she kept her honest
name and those who talk foo,ily about the i'm
morality OF the stage may be surprised and per-
haps panied 10 learn that she was good wife,
good mother aud q good woman alt0ge ther.
The Jonathan Quaint OF the evening was Mr. Will
lam f. Gates, alYays fayOgite III New-YOrE ano
with the exception Of Mr.. Warren. of Boston. the
best eccentric comedian whom nave ever seen. In
his acting Mr. Gates was said 10 resemble strongly
Harley, the great London actor; and Ellen Tree,
who went down 10 thc BowcTy Theatre, when she
first in America, expressly 90 see him. Is said TO
have exclaimed. Good Heavens Harleyw as ne
came on. He had that rather necessary quality Of
a comic actor the ability 10 excite lauLhter lie dId
no; seem to have sin.e grain of pathos in his
position the infections of his voice the variations
of his physiognOmy, the cOnt0rtlOuS Of bis limbs,
his walking, his sitting MS 3ntrInc and his exit, all
were comic, whatever he might be acting. He had
the talent of extracting fun from the least proms-
ing character, aud might now, if living and en-
gagged for the pnrpose. impart hllarity even TO an
original New-York drama. He Was immense in
queer Wallets and footmea-thOse drol examples of
serviiity, dishonesty aud eccentricity with which
the stage then abounded. lie did nothing badly.
and whether hc was 10 play Tombstone DOgberyg,
or the First GraUe digger, or some light fdTcical
character lac vas as sure of our were Of
our diversion. j thought no character could be as |
funny in the tex he made it, until / obtained |
the hook. and found that he always letter |
perfect. Perhaps there is to-day in New |
York some venerable and most respectable |
citizen who when a boy frequented the old BOwery
Theatre, aud thought Bill Gales" the perfection
of a drol as he thought Thomas Hambln to be the
greatest OF tragic actors. When Mr.. Hamblin came
to Providence 20 play short engagement, the Bow
cry had just undergone is periodical confa-
gra ton. while NeG-YoTk was in the height of one
of its triennial spasms of morality. and had dscov-
cred that the actor. for so many years fav0rte,
and Justly So was a lcentiOus character and quite
unf TO appear before the pure and uuspotted den
izens of a metropolitan pit. Very abusive articles
about him were published IN the newspapers; and
do not suppose that he was a saint. He was, how
ever. when be fit to be, beautiful actor Of Gle
waited traeedy, OF the true kemble school Nature
had done everything for him. He iall, finely
formed. with a noble head his natural air was
graceful and dignifed. Once IN London before lie
cane 10 America, he played HGmIet in the place of