The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-01-23
Ipn,ladelpnIa Times ]

ernool ApriI 4, 1880. His parents were
vell.to-do folk, and he was educated Dy q
oriya,e tutors tutor for whom ne cbe-
rtshed a kindly regard because bis name
vss Rcdhead, What the tutoring would
mad 70 was somewhat predetermined. his
esther thourht that II would lead TO sur
vrry. Sothcrn, who was always the most
oblieing OF morials, accepted this dispense
fIon. and for couple OF years walked the
boards Of the Middlesex Hospital-though
even AZ that time he inclined strongly TO-
ward the boards on which In due course ne
vas destined 10 win his fame. But al last
the bad smells and horrid sights Oh the n .,s-
initial oyercame his f!ial oocoience. ms
S,atiept spirit rebelIed. and ne sougnt tue
parental sanction TO enter upon ne" ca-
reer. This. after some sHirm'sn'og, was a.,
srcoraed. and be entered upon-of all
shines m the word-a course OF theology !!
Eortup.tely. nj the end OF another two
years. he came TO a realizing sense OF the
iect that he was not Just the sort OF person
20 become clerk in holy orders.
HIS FIRST APPEARANCE.
Then, at last, when Just turned OF twenty
one, he hit upon bis vocation. Ills nist up
pearance or any stage was attse lnealre
ROYAL, under the management OF Cnar'es
Poole, in the Island OF Jersey. lie p'ayeu
Othello, for love. and although u was, az ne
himself has said, "an exquisitely bad per-
sormance.v Poole made him an offer to join
the company at the iordy pay OF thirty-bve
sb,llincs a week. This off-r be g mag
nnnIIy refused being well satisfied that
fortune and fame were Just within BIS
vrasp. Poole laughed, aud did not IN
crease tie offer: and rs the tragedian OF the
future was short OF cash be iouDd nlln-
self reduced little later 10 the Illuminating
necessity OF accepting bUeen-shi-
ing engagement at Guernsey. TINS engage
mont was meteoric. "On my ARRIVAL ne
writes, 81 found the play OF Hamlet an-
pounced for The first night. ana mat
was cast for Laeries, the Ghost, and The
Second Acier. How staggered | was al
thatlv BY way OF keeping himself straight
he stuck up memorandum IN the Mes Dy
which TO guide his entrances and exits anu
by way of keeping him crooked the wag OF
the company took The memorandum down.
"The consequence was that, relying on my
memory, was continually boundlhg on tue
stage In the wrong character. On, Tue ago.
ny OF that night! j was Immediately dis
missed for incapacty. In TACT, mat entlre
norton OF nv professional career was
marked by frequent dismissals for incapa-
city,"
FIRST SUCCESS IN AMERICA.
II was, indeed, in America that Sothern
achieved his first genuine success-but not
until be had had some pretty rough eXpe-
riences even here. For awhile he struggled
Along in the English provincial theatres,
doing light and low comedy and working
lp TO tbirty.fiye shillings week; and then
mir. Lacy, the London dramatic publisher,
offered him E5 week to 60 to Boston. His
first appearance in this country was al the
National Theatre, under the stage name OF
Douglas Stewart. i'm September, 1852, in
"Dr. PaDgloss" and farce. my failure
as Pangloss was complete, although the au-
dience was kind enough, as | was stran-
ger. to call me before the curtain and so
give me every encouragement. The papers
cut me up mercilessly and unanimously,
but / had just enough common sense 10
know that their remarks were strictly true.
was again dismissed for incapacity. then
went to the Howard AtheDaum TO play iu-
venie pal Is at a reduced salary.
EARLY STRUGGLE.
He writes: "DiscoveriDg that Boston
was not exactly the field for success l went
TO New York and applied to Barnum, who
was then running his Museum. told him
in straightforward manner all that had
occurred, and asked him to give me the OPP
portuDity 10 play twice q day. | felt that
All | wanted was constant practice and ex-
perience. He engaged me at salary OF
twenty dollars a week, and little while
after raised it TO TWENTY-FIVE. / played
twice day, and on Thanksgiving-day six
times-but it did me an enormous deal OF
good"
sOTHERN AS "ARMAND."
His hard work at Barnum's Museum gave
him much OF what he wanted, and he pres
emily rose to respectable place in his pro-
Iessi0n. He played at the Broadway Thea
ire, and at the National Theatre, Washing
ton, for forty dollars week at Baltimore,
under Laura Keene. for fifty dollars week;
and then, at the latter figure, was engaged
by James William Wallack. ltwas at Wal
lacks that be made his first hit, playing off
hand, and very successfully, Armand TO
Matilda Heron's Camille. This decided turn
in the tide came at the right hour; he was
lust on the point OF going back to England 10
try to earn living off the stage. There was
no luck about his success. While accepting
minor parts he made 1t rule to study lead
ing parts; and so when his chance came
and he was asked TO play Armand at short
notice he was ready for Ii. My Stars
how ] used TO work In those days" he
writes; soften until or A O'Clock IN the
morning, and four or five hours day when
there was no rehearsal but it was work
well put in. After four years Of serviceable
training under Wallsck, and shortly after
his hit Us Armand, he joined Laura Keene's
company playing for the first time at her
theatre May -, 1853, as Harry Arncliffe in
An Unequal Match" for Joe Jefierson's
benefit. IL was in the same year that he
first played Dundreary.
THE AMERICAN COUSIN.
As Tom Taylor wrote "The American
Cousin" Dundreary was ga fOurth-rate old
man, with only forty.seven lines TO speak,"
Az first, so odd are the workings OF fate,
S0thern positively refused the part. Final
", compromise was effected he accepted
Il on condition that he should be permitted
entirely to rewrite IT, This he did, "throw-
ing into IT. as he says, "eycrything that
struck me as wildly absurd" He writes Of
the production Of the play "My part the
+ first night was by no means a pronounced
success. In fact, II was two or three weeks
before the people began to understand what
I was about. | had acted SO many serious
parts before that they evidently considered
that every tone OF my voice ought 10 be pa
ihetic.n But even New York audience
SUCCEEDED in seeing into the inimitable fun
At last; and when this penetrative feat had
been performed Sothern was set fairly upon
the high road to fame. The fact Is not un-
inteSestisg that this great success was won
under bis own proper name; his pseudonym
having been east aside when he Joined Laura
Keenc's company. Thus from his first pre-
sentiment OF the part Sothern and Dun
drosfv have haen intarcha m 90 able terms