The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-07
A CHAT WITH EMMA ABBOTT.
The Little Diva Talks About Rev.
Gambler and Other Matters.


Over coy little dinner at the Pulaski
House yesterday afternoon with Emma Alb
bolt and her husband, the little diva as hos
tess chatted away for an hour and told many
interesting things about her life and expe-
riences
Miss Abbott is known to the pub
lie as Emma Abbott, but in private life she
is Mrs +. J. Wetherell. Her husband
travels with her and is her business mana
ger Their apartments at the Pulaski are
away up on the top floor. II want to be
next to the angels" she laughingly said cor
can't sleep" | always write ahead and
say that ] must have sky room, and you
wonder whys Well, up here | am all by
myself and can be quiet If |
want to. Down on the
first floor. with a lot Of drummers play
ing poker or something else over my head
till 4 o'clock in the morning, and the chill
dren playing hide-and seek in the corridors
before breakfast, why just couldn't sleep
a wink, that's alln
Eyes, oh, / know its an awful ways to
climb before you get here, but then its so
quiet and nice, and just feel that | am at
home"
Since her visit here two years ago Miss
Abbott has studied a great deal abroad.
Last summer she devoted herself entirely TO
study. 81 am charmed to get back TO old
Savannah once more, :" she added, and then
she fell to talking about Bonaventure and
the places she has visited here
BY dlnt of questioning the little lady was
finally led TO talk upon that most interest
ing Of iects-Emma Abbott herself. OF
course, it is impossible to go into details of
scenes and incidents, but it may be of in
terest to know how she got her start
II was born in Chicago she said, but
tell my friends here that it only took six
months to find what a wicked city it was
Illinois was my native State, but | am a
good deal like Topsy, L jes growed.' l
have been on the stage since | was S years
Ct age, but have been in opera only about
nine years"
When she was young girl in her teens,
Miss Abbott sang in DIR. Chapin's church in
New York. The people Of the church
greatly admired her pretty voice, and they
raised by subscription $4,000, to enable her
to go to Europe and cultivate it, Rev
Henry Ward Beecher was one of the CON
tributors to this fund. That is the way she
got her start. Everybody is familiar with
her success.
After awhile the conversation turned
upon the Nashville episode. DO you
know said Miss Abbott, when was in
Atlanta the other day they brought that
thing up again there, and won't you lust
sd lOl llio bUdb Jne CndtEe UDdJ inter-
rupted the services in Mr.. Gamblers church
is not so. The services were over and Mr..
Gambler, after having made the attack
upon me, which everybody by this time
knows about, had taken his seat. There
was no interruption. | have been severely
criticised for that, and some of the critics
have said: If we were to rise in the theater
during one of Miss Abbott's performances
and answer sentiments expressed upon the
l. d. -
pariSon is not a Just one. If you were TO
come to the theater, and l, instead of sing
ing The Last Rose of Summer
should commence a TRADE against preach
ers, claiming that, as there were some black
sheep, all preachers were corrupt-lf | were
to make that sort of a speech-you would
certainly rise and denOunce it. would you
note / could have little respect for the
Christian who would not resent such state
ments. And that is just how felt when |
heard what | considered slanderous TRADES
against the women of the stage
In talking about her Nashville experience,
the little wOman's eyes filled with tears
81 just couldn't help doing what did, y she
said II couldn't sit there quietly and lis
ten to that man and not defend myself |
know | was excited, but / couldn't help
that, and | stood up and challenged him to
impeach the beautiful character of Jenny
lAHu, Ol wary AHueISoil, Oh OnaFIOJUe CuSn-
man, of Parepa Rosa, of Albani, and what
did he say! He said that being woman,
be would not reply to me. If he had been
a gentleman he would have acknow lodged
his error after | had pointed it out to him
would have acknowledged that there were
some exceptions, at least, to the broad state
ment he had made about the purity of
women upon the stage
Miss Abbott has a large circle of ad-
mirers here who have stood by her at all
times and they like her pluck. Her rooms
yesterday afternoon were filled with callers.
She is a charming hostess and has pretty
way of making her friends feel perfectly at
home.