Daily globe., 1882-09-18
THURLow WEED AT HOME.
The !StOr0 he Told Il ToHUJ Girl aht
Sought MS 4dcice 44bout EecoDni0J a,
-4ctrcSs,

The !Storg he Told I-ou,g Girl who
Sought MS Adcice -4bout Beconiag al
Actress.
New York Sun.
A Sun reporter called at bIr. Thurlow
Weeds residence in Twelfth street, on Sat
urday evening to make inquiries as to his
health. 1t was reported in the afternoon
that he had been seized with a chill on the
previous evening, and had suffered consid-
erably during the night. A trim servant
girl answered the bell and ushered the
visitor through the broad, brightly lighted
and marble-tiled hallway into a cosey
and richly furnished reception room on
the left. The room was dark but by The
gleam of the globed gas Jets IN the hall
Mr.. Weed was discerned seated upon q
sofa, his feet stretched out comfortably on
the thick, soft carpet. His long, siivery
locks fell to his shoulders, and over the
collar of dress coat was low-cut waist
coat and trousers of the same material,
and plain studs shone in the snowy front
of his frilled shirt. On the sofa. sat a
lady dressed in deep black. At his let also
on the sofa, sat girl OF probably fifteen
summers. She was clad in garment of
light color, and had pretty and intelli-
both listened attentiyeiy to what Mr.. Weed
was saying. After greeting the reporter,
and inviting him to a seat, be resumed the
narrative of the following anecdote of a
well-known scientific man.
When was younger man in Albany"
he said, ''there was a young apprentice to
Mr.. Doty, silversmith, who appeared to
be a very bright fellow, of seventeen years.
10 he cxr,;+h I>r,+
more pleasure and eagerness than Shakes
peare and the works of other dramatic
writer's. He seemed to have an especial
passion for such, indeed, coupled with an
inclination for the stage. The time came
soon for the indulgence of this taste, and
he joined company of young amateur
actors who played at a little theater
called the Thespian; The young
apprentices talent for dramatic i'm
personation became the talk Of the town
before long, and when Mr.. Bernard, a no
ted manager in those days, came to Albany
with his own strong company of profes-
ional actors, he was impelIed to visit the
Thespian theater to see the young anna
teur of whom he had heard so favorably
The play that nigat wgs Hamlet and the
manager was so struck with the young &C
y
for him and made him very tempting of
fer to join his own company and adopt the
stage as profession.
Just before this explained Mr.. Weed
10 his auditors, 1.-The young man had re-
ceived an offer of a gratuitous education
from DR.. Beck, the President Of the Albany
Academy, and the night the manager spoke
to him he sought the counsel of two of his
sOl,r Nna af
Thurlow Weed, then a young iourneyman
printer. Both advised him strongly to ac-
cept DR.. Beck's offer. But the young ap-
prentice was still in doubt. His inclina-
ton prompted him to 60 OF the stage,
while his Judgment dictated the acceptance
of DR.. Beck's kind offer. He left at last.
saying he would talk with his employer
about it.
Silyersrsith Doty liked the lad. and be-
lieved that ne had career of usefulness
before him in some learnec, profession; SO
when the lad told him OF the two offers he
had received, he said kindly but firmly
Joseph, you are under indentures to me
for two years yet. II you will accept the
offer OF a free education, viii let you go
freely. But if you conclnde to go on the
stage you must make good to me the loss
| VI IuCSO CWO ears Oi SSfVlCS. lHlS Q0-
termined the lad, and he went to Dr..
Becks, studied faithfully, graduated with
high honors, and became one of the first
scholars of his day.
''Of course said the narrator, with a
quiet smile, you are curious TO know who
he was. [ will tell you. The lad was Dr.
Joseph Henry, late president of the
| Smithsonian institute, and whenever he
came to see me in New York before his
death, he and used to recall how small an
incident it was that turned the tide of his
life into its current of widest usefulness -
The lady and girl arose and bade lIr.
Weed good night. AS he rose and walked
TO the door with the reporter, he said:
Perhaps you would like to know who
the lady and the little girl who just left
are. Well, the lady was an old friend, a
widow, and a teacher, who was one of the
persons who was very anxious that young
Henry should accept the offer that opened
his brilliant career to him. The little girl
is her daughter, whose fondest wish is to
become an actress, They came to see me
about it, and so told them the anec-
dote you have taken note off,
Mr.. Weed. referring afterward to his i'll
ness; said that he had had chill that
shook his body severely for an hour and a
half on Friday night, but added that be re-
covered, and now did not feel the slightest
injurious effect from the attack.
OBIrIJi;,Y