The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-03-09
BURNT CORK IN EUROPE.
An Interesting Interview With Billy Elmer
son, the Great Negro DelineatOr.


our citizens, has been to Europe with Hav-
\ reporter caught him fitting through
Washington last week, and the following
interview" was the result
You went to England with the Nastodons,
believe, Mr.. Emerson" the reporter qucried.
Yes. and II was an Interesting trip through
out was the resDCnse.
Then You must have formed high opinion of
1 the English, and met with greater success than
you anticipated suggested the reporter.
Precisely When we arrived we found Lon
don In clamOr, bordering on Indignation, be-
cause we were going to appear at Her Najesty's
Theater. the smallest place of amusement in
that great city. Minstrelsy had never been popu-
lar with the elite, and Her MajeSty's ThedtOr was
! their Sanctum- sanctorum. Hence the commo-
I ton. Colonel Filkins, Mr. Haverys general
manager preceded us n few weeks, and by his
good judgment and tact succeeded In cultivating
warm friends in advance for the enterprise: we
were not without a welcome. filkinS met with
innunerabe difficulties in his efforts TO put out
our Autographs and posters-mainly because of
their mammoth prOpOrtiOns-the Ike of which
I London had never before He was Obliged
20 rent several entire corner buildings and board
up the wall fronts 10 receive his paper. Even
then he could not utilize an ordinary stand for
bills advantageously. But the alternative of
| boarding up and posting whole building front
/ out of sight answered his purpose more effective
| ly than the regulation fence. 10 attracted more
attention. and people used to 60 out of their way
10 see II. In respect 10 the press, Colonel F1kinS
secured for Us the good graces Of such diStin-
guished Journalists as George Augustus Sala of
the Daily News: MIR. Godfrey Turner of the
Daily Telegraph; Mr.. Sedger, of the Era; Mr.
Wallace. Mackay. of the Dramatic News, and many
Others OF high Standing"
But what about the reception OF your perform
ancess' the reporter interrupted.
''Of that You can not expect me 70 speak mod
estly. Were 10 state the truth should be open
TO the charge of cOneeit. But what success we
met with we earned and shared in common.
Aware of the prejudice that clOuded our particu.
lar line of talent in England, every man OF MS
Ia
and elevate il To the American standard, at least.
! must confess. without egOtiSm. that that was
easily accomplished. The quality and character
OF our programmes assisted US greatly in this
necton Al first the jokes uttered in the entertain
ments fell upon the audiences a. softly as flakes
OF snow upon the ground. but by and by, rs the
points became perceptible appreciation grew
apacc and became more denoustrative. our
singing, dances and sketches took immensely.
however. The press notes were exceedingly COM
plimentary. leading daily was constrained To
say, 'Minstrelsy is an art, and Haverley's MaSto-
don are the artists of course our path everafler
was rosy. We became Nerltable social lions. The
Prince of Wales, who had hitherto attended Minis
trel shows incOgnito, brought his family in state
to our show, aud at the close OF the performance
sent for our manager and expressed himself As
having been greatly entertained. This stately
visit on thepar of His EOyalHigbneSs is the proud
est laurel that we are wearing IN that we have 10
boast that is the first and only minstrel
troupe ever patrOniZed in state by royalty.
After the Prince came the nobility. duks, earls,
lords barOnS and their families The six months or
more that we occupied Her Majesty's Theater was
n series OF OyatiOns. j have not in all my profess
sIonal career. witnessed such succeSSlen of vast
and elegant audiences. The Theater is an enorm-
OTIS one, the largest in London. On the night Of
our first performance the street was mass of hui
manity that fail ly impeded lOComOtiOn. The POI
lice compelled us to open the doors an hour be-
fore the advertised time in order to admit of the
passage of vehicles that the crowd had brought tO
standstill. / shall never forget that sight
could not help recalling Macready and the Aston
Place riot in New York. and forced To hope
that the highly respectable throng before me were
struggling for admission with more pacific inten-
tons. 4 more gOOd-natured audience never
sembled. and n happier one viii never quit
Theater. than that which was present at Her Ma
iesty's TheIter on our opening night"
when did you SAIL Mr.. Emerson
Last July, and got back two weeks ago. We
arrived in New York about p. m, and performed
the same night in Brooklyn, across the river rlng-
ing up the curtain at $40 This was quick work,
when you consider that We had over go pieces OF
baggage to be examined by the Custom House In
spectOrs and carted to the Theater three miles dis
tant IL is the closest theatrical connection on
record. We were not aware that W. were to play
in Brooklyn that night until we saw it advertised
in a New York paper brought on board at sea by
the pilot boat. We were calculating on weeks
rest after arrival but the announcement TO the
ready for Immediate duty. As the majority of us
were contributors 10 the brny deep, SeaSick rs 1t
were you may be sure that we did not enter into
the rehearsal with very great zest
How did the English. as people, impress
yOu?"
"Theyare a wholc-souled race: warm hearted
about il. The specimens that sometimes come
over TO America and deport themselves ridicu-
lousy not criterions TO judge by. Ii you want
TO gauge the Englishman you must go TO his
country, and you will find peer aud cOmmoner
alike in instinct and bearing, atfable and gener
Gus: noblemen especially so, and not in the
slightest conscious of their exalted social status.
A true gentleman of any nationality, whether he
has cent to his name or not, is always treated as
such. The. English care not a raj. for mans
wealth; it is his character they regard the more.
Jay Gould and William III. Vanderbilt, with all
their millions, would not BE- thought any more of
over in England than yourself suppose you try
il ana see If speak truly"
With this valuable suggestion the genial min
strel took his leave, and FASTENED away to catch
the afternoon train back TO Baltimore