The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-12-06
THEMONEYHE MAKES
A Glance at the Life Of William
Gillette.
A VERY REMARKABLE CAREER.
The -''Esmeralda"-" by the
Enemy'-"The Private Secretary"-"All
the Comforts of Home"

writer in this country has made the money .
which Mr.. William Gillette's pen has
brought to him His income for the cur
rent year will be larger than that enjoyed !
by any salaried officer, official or corpo- |
rate, and will, if continued for few years, !
make Mr.. Gillette a very wealthy man. /
He was one of the first to perceive that |
dramatic writing would, if successful, be a |
veritable gold mine, and, with one or two /
failures excepted, all of his ventures in that
direction have been successful. His latest |
play shares with the comedies which Den
man Thompson, William H Crane and I
Bronson Towards Shenandoah COM |
pany are producing, the repute of being
great fortune makers, and it is about to be
produced in England. Meanwhile, if Mr..
Gillettes health permits, he will complete
another play, which viii be produced next
summer
Mr. Gillette's career is remarkable in
that he undertook it in the face of the
prejudices of his very distinguished rela-
lions and family friends. He has won not
only victory in the difficult field of dra-
matte literature, but he has also won an
other victory of which the public has not
known, and which, perhaps, is even more
remarkable. William Gillette is a Hart
ford Conn boy. His family was always
distinguished for piety and for rigid OBJ
servance of the strict rules which consist
ent practice of the Calvinistic faith en-
forces. His father was not only godly
man, but was a philanthropist, displayed
at times the qualities of a statesman, was
conspicuous among the early advocates of
the anti-slavery cause, and was chosen to
prominent political posts. He served in
the United States senate in the troublous
times of the Kansas-Nebraska agitation
He was afterwarG a candidate for gov
ernor of Connecticut.
Mr.. Gillette is also closely connected by
ties of blood, through his mother, with the
Beecher family. Mrs Isabella Beecher
Hooker is a relative, and Mrs. Har-
riet Beecher Stowe has been all her
life close family friend. In addi-
ton to these distinguished people, Mr.
Gillette's relations from childhood have
been most intimate with the family
of Charles Dudley Warner, that of Sena-
tor Hawley, and at later period with
Mark Twain. He was brought up in
that congenial atmosphere in a suburb of
Hartford distinguished for high cultiva-
ton and for religious spirit A brother
had the great political honor of defeating
so distinguished a politician and states
man as John A. Kasson for congress in the
Des Moines, Ia, district, some ten years
ago, and is now powerful influence in the
agitations which have characterized the
Iowa agricultural classes.
Brought up amid such surroundings as
these young Gillette early displayed a
fondness for the drama and dramatic lit
erature. He was as a young man of deep
religious conviction, and was conspicuous
among his fellows for his integrity of
character. 1t was, therefore, with amaze
ment and regret that his announcement to
his friends when he became of age that he
had determined upon dramatic career
was received. They had seen evidences of
mimetic ability and had perceived the
bent of his talent during ear youth.
While other members of the family and
other friends were disposed to object seri-
ously to his undertaking such career, his
father felt that if the son could show that
it was possible to be associated with the
drama and yet to maintain purity and in
tegrity of character, and by such example
to do something to elevate the dramatic
profession, it was perhaps a mission which
his son was called upon to perform
The young man declared that he believed
it was not only possible but for the best in
bcECSOS VI ll61l anu women
of religious faith and practice to become
associated with it, and that he expected to
show by his life how practicable and con-
sistent such effort was. At that time a
dramatization of Mark Twain's "Gilded
Age with John 7. Raymond as Mulberry
Sellers, was first being played, and through
Mark Twain's influence Mr. Gillette was
given subordinate part. He played the
part of the lawyer in the trial scene. He
found that while it was no struggle for
him to maintain his integrity, yet that
there were annoyances caused by the con-
duct of associates; but he lived these an
noyances down.
Soon after he wrote play and assumed
the titular part himself. 1t was called
''The Professor" and it was somewhat of
q success. The experiment showed him
that his gifts were in the direction of dra-
matte writing rather than acting, and in
collaboration with Mrs. Frances Hodgson
, Burnett he wrote another play called ''ES-
meralda," which was produced with con-
siderable success at the Madison Square
theatre in New York. This determined
his career and he settled down to the hard
work of professional dramatist. He
produced version of 1.-The Private Secre-
tary." which the critics declared was far
superior to other adaptations played in
this country of that amusing comedy, and
then year later brought out the play en-
titled "Held by the Enemy" 1t was the
first of the plays based upon incidents in
the Civil War, and it was not only pecuni-
arily successful, but revealed originality
and fertility.
Mr.. Gillette's latest play is comedy
farce entitled "All the Comforts of Home -
and, although the suggestion of it was
found in a German comedy, yet Mr.. Gill
lette has treated it with originality and
such skill that it is one of the greatest
dramatic successes. Could it have been
played in New York for the entire season
it would probably have Melted him some
$4,000, but it was impossible to secure a
theatre for that length of time With
pecuniary independence assured, and with
an ambition to do something toward the
developing of purely American drama, Mr.
Gillette's friends think that his best work
Is still before him. E. j. EDWARDS.
A Pretty Christmas Gift.
An exquisite bureau or buffet scarf can
be made of plain hemstitched handker-
chiefs and linen lace. The handkerchiefs