Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-23
Price Four Cents.

despair and showing me of the stage saying,
 There. You'll never make anything; there's no stuff in you!'
 But I stuck by him, and he persisted
 was finally cast in low part in the farce The Turnpike Gate.' I committed it, learned
 what was required of me, and when the event ful evening cama I stood trembling gt the wing waiting for my time. The terror of the situation burst upon me all at once, and about 8 minute before my time came I bolted-shot out the rear door and ran up the street, breathless and hatless, and van ished behind block of stores. Of course wasn't on hand to pick up my cue, and the play to that small extent was mutilated.
 Up to this time had never read anything hardly, but now one day got hold of Wor- cester's unabridged dictionary. I took it up and glanced at it. It was mostly new, and I found 1t interesting. Then I began at the beginning and read it through, column by column. It was general revelation to me, and as fascinating as @ novel. I committed whole pages of it to memory, and that knowl- edge has served me all my life. I soon got so that could stand up ans speak my words on the stage. I simultaneously developed Q taste for general reading I studied Parker's Analytical Grammar and took to it just as I had to the dictionary. Within g year or two I read the whole stand ard English drama I left Detroit and yaga- bondized around the country for Q couple of years and then returned. Ny experience en- abled me to command better place At T. l was made leading actor in the theater at S14 a week-but it wasn't much of theater. Detroit was too small to pretend to perma- nent theater. I couldn't dress decently, Of course, on my salary. and one day l meekly hinted to the manager that l would like to ap- pear upon the street in guise which would not bring reproach upon his admirable estab- l. offended with me for suggesting that if, all things considered, he could findit in his heart to increase slightly the remuneration of his leading man -. Here he broke out in 8 loud voice of a5tonishment and rebuke Sir he exclaimed do I understand that you actually demand an increase of the enormous salary which l am now paying not 8 demand, of course-but merely sug- gestion in your own interest Do you know, sir he shoute,i, bringing his fist down on the greasy table where he sat, that you are now receiving the largest salary of any actor in the world 2 In my ignorance supposed it was true. With unfeigned sur prise and humiliation I assured him that I had not been aware of it, and if such WAS the case, I should be quite content to let matters remain as they were. I should think so' he continued; I pay you the largest salary paid to any living actor, and only your unquestionable talent, which I am trying to foster and cultivate, ju5tiies me in the exorbitant outlay. I was just thinking that it might be necessary to cut down your salary
 At the Detroit theater I played many of the leading tragic parts. played CasiHs there with George Jennison as Brutlls, and Joseph Proctor, a well known living actor, as lHdrk Antony. I was r and CdssilLs was the oldest man in the play Instead of being the lean and hungry Cassius was 6 fat, chubby, rosy faced boy.
 T left Detroit after a while, made a cam paign through Indiana and Ohio. got into financial difficulty there and pawned my bag gage at Alliance for a ticket to Pittsburg, where I went to get another smile from my old friend Forrest. He introduced me to his manager, Joseph Foster. You want to actE' he said: you are too small for man and too big for bow But he offered me s % week, and I took it with the promise that should have some of the copying for the thea ter. But he was unjust and tyrannical, and after had made hit in a small part re- signed and went to play in Uncle Toms Cabin. He was amazed and enraged that should dare to leave him, and expressed him self freely, predicting my failure Managers were omnipotent in those days. but I muster ed up the courage to tell him that within a year be would send for me to come and play leading parts. He smiled, jumped up and shouted Get out of here" We'll, it actually happened within year. l was asked to his theater to play Claude Aelnotte, and went
 ''I WAS now making psrceptble progress I read widely I studied the modern Ian guages In 1856 I played in St. Louis for six months as leading juvenile. l saved 50 in cash, and my reception had been so une- duivocal that I determined to come to New York When I arrived here had S2O gold piece left, but I either lost 1t or it was stolen before I had been here two days How to get myself recognized was the question Mrs. Dennis McAIshon was announced to appear in line of heavy parts at Burton's Park Theatre, but had great difficulty in get ting proper support It was understood that the actors would be guyed- joined her company and played leading parts with her for week. It was the most i'm pCrtant week of my life, for at the end of II. spite of all the derision and the crudeness of the surroundings, all the managers in New York, with one exception, came to me and made Iss offers to join their companies Blake, Laura Keene, Burton and the elder Wallack It was the assurance of nay sue cess I went to Burton. About this tiEae Edwin Booth frSt came to the East from California, and We played together and estab- Iished those cordial relations that have lasted eyer since