The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-05-12

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will be his last professional tour, have
frequently been applied to by those inter
ste in dra natic art, for sue infor ,natioI
[ could furnish regarding him, | am the
more ready to eccede to the request whic
las been made of me- More special so,
IS / have been somewhat amazed at some
ecent, and, TO me, apparently uncalled for,
Iislaughts which have been made in the
~ lie press on that national school Of act
9 OF p hich he is, | can safely say, afte
making allowances for nv filial partially
the most noted exsmplar. 1t has been
charged thatt Italian stage, as col trasted
Vi h that Of its neighbor France, exem Ii
d the phy>ic ! and drastic, rather than
he intellectual sub lie, side of histrionic
art. To an educated Italian such a charge
would appear to be due more to malice
than ignorance, but | am perfectly con
inced that the latter S ate of mind alone
was responsible.
The fact that my father has been seen
ere in certain parts of an heroic nature
the characters be ng, "a it were, semI-bar-
oaTic and requiring the display of almost
oarbaric force, and the further fact that the
truthfulness of his art gives to his creations
The absolute flavor of reality, has ridicu
.1uS as il may appear, given an impression
hat the actor himsel, is man of hasty
tud uncurbed temper. To those who know
i'm, to his son especially, such an idea Is
absolutely ludlcrouS. | can conceive NJ
unan bel & possessed of greater tender
ness or sweetness of disposition than my
-dther, or one whose temper Is more abs 10
utely under control Indeed, have only
ee him moved to forclble expressions OF
niger when confronted with evi ence OF
neaness, or lack of rectitude on the part OF
anyone in whom he may nave ropo ed faith
Ny father Is a man, too, of peculiarly
riot and precise notions of morality, bot
ocial and commercial To him his word
bsolutely, and by no figure of spsech, as
is bond, and to any c lntract he will ad-
Iere with scrupulous fidelity; Jnly on tn
ither and he ca not under stand that { e
'arty of the other part, as legal document
ay, sh uld ! ct do likewise, and any sus
ilcion that he Is bel g unfairl5 dealt with
auses him at once to be up arms gainst
he offender. This preciseness mingle
With a loving regard for habits and Gus
jDms, to which he clings with true old
world conservatism, runs through his whole
ife and affects even tn ordering of h.
4 uS9GOld- Oar town-hou e, or palace as
We call it, in Florence, is conducted wit
he precision of cl ok york. Every NOR e.
ing at the 50 ne hour the early cup of cot
fee Is served to each one in the bedroom
At the same hour to a second the ia nily
isSemole for the dejeuner a la fourchette.
l on the stroke of 10 clio dinner Is
-erved every day and the servant lifts e
over from the so D as the clock strikes.
Even II my father himself Is late we do MOI
'alt for him un4eS We would wish TO inc u
lis displeasure. Yet, do rot mean to inn
" that my fatuer is ma tinet in his
IousahoId--only that he is careful an
netbodicA in his ways. o casiopally the
order Of things will be seriously disarTAnged,
This is when there is a guest. My fathel
quietly and unobtrusively find, QUO the
o-rs to which his visitor Is &C ustoYned aud
then everything if necessary, is alter Ell so as
sui. the strangers habits. wlo frequently
ever dreams that any differences is being
made.
In bis library and study the same love
rider prevails. Not a PAPER IS out Of /
place and be can in an slant put his hand
ay book or cument he many
luire. He never destroys a tier but files
{ carefully away for future reference, and
| am sure a search through some oil t.
larger boxes in which he keeps his earlier
correspondence would result il the discoe-
sry of much valuable ami interest ng his
orical treasure trove.
In his professional life my father exhibit
the same methodical and Conservative
abits II mind. A clever but inscriptions
Jusihess agent who n he had olce empl yed
Dut ha dismissed, soug It to tn ow ridicule
N him by refere ce TO the incredible aud
narvelo S fact tn It my father in his CO..
ract insisted On having four new wax can
lies every eve ing in us dreSsi groo II d
ct lined the unburnt portions uf them. The
irst haf Of his accusation | have no Doubt
5 De fe" ly true, ana perhaps the la ter half
also. This | d. not know. IL is the fash
ion IN or cou try for the dressingroom T.
e SO / Illuminated, aad m father having
cen u,ed to his four wax ca dles every
ght would, | slmo think, be unable TO
CT unless he had q st "made up by the
&c 'usto ned light His ms stance on is
id ella Sc, therefore, was thoroughly char
,cte istic Of two phase, of hi ch racter
FIRST his Scrupulous nicely regarding his
,greements and fear of ANY Iop-noie for
controversy bel g left open, an secondly
is lima e conservatism aud devotion 70
be customs OF life time.
IL other ways, o, this latter feeling GRO
out NY father always packs aud ulpacks
as sage trunk uimself, and ARA lges hi,
costumes. He arrives the theAter a full
o hours before he time set Tor the rising
Of the Gu rain aid leisurely be 1ns his re-
uara ms for the eve II g'S makeup. AL
though he ge orally ha, "dresse'n n at
tendance be rarely makes use him, bu-
prefers TO uaSe his stage toilet unasSis,ed.
During the waits etSeen the &c and
while he is not on e stage be leisu ey
QUITS a small cigar which ISIS him, a. a
rule, during the entire evening. ABOUT
these cigars, too, there is quite a little his
tory.
MY father his always smoked a particu-
lar sort Of Italian cigar, hich | mu
frankly own is, my private opini N, alb "a
the worst specimen of INA utactured TO-
bacco III the world. B, they what they
may though, these are the cigars that h.
likes to smoke, and for fear Of being de-
p1ved OF his fav rite brand he brings W g.
hin from italy, wnsn be is travelling in this
or any other country, stock which 70 are
full calculated to Exactly outlast the
length OF his stay You may Offer hi n The
q est J avana cigar In the world d h.