The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-01-03
E. A. SOTHERh'S HUMOR.
RULING PASSION OF THE CREATOR
OF LORD DUNDREAaY.

The Big Joke in Which He Was Assisted
by Florence and a Minstrel Company.
The story of the genesis of Sotherns great
part, Lord Dundreary, is a very curious one
On May IL, 1858, was produced for the first
time the piece known as "Our American
Cousin" by Tom Taylor Much to his dis
gust, Sothern was cast for the subordinate
character OF Lord Dundreary, who was in
tended to be an old man, and who had only
forty-seven lines to speak. At first he de
clined to play the part, but subsequently, on
the condition that he should be permitted to
rewrite it OH lines of his own undertook it.
Then he commenced putting into it every
thing he had seen that had struck him as
wildly absurd. On the first night the part
was by no means a success Indeed it was
some two or three weeks before the public
began to understand what an actor whose
name had hitherto been identified with char.
acters of a serious and even pathetic type
meant by this piece of wild eccentrcty
Only one thing connected with the i'm
personation - the quaint little hop, that
odd impeachment in his gait" which be-
came much part and parcel of his lord
ship as the impeachment in his speech-was
the result of accident. At rehearsal one cold
position, was endeavoring to keep himself
warm by hopping about at the back of the
stage when Miss Keane sarcastically inquired
if ''he was going to introduce that in Dun
drearys" Among the Outstanding actors and
actresses this created laugh, and Sothern,
who at the time was out of temper with his
part, replied in his gravest manner: Eyes,
Miss Keane; that's my view of the charac-
ter" Having SO far committed himself, he
felt bound to go ON with it, and finding as
the rehearsal progressed that the whole com
pany, including the scene shutters, were con-
vulsed with laughter he at night made CAPT
tai out of a modified hop.
| ''BIRDS OF FEATHER"
The following example of Sotherns plan
of putting into Lord Dundreary all the &C.
centric things he had ever heard is told in
the actors own words. 1t has to do with his
habit of twisting about familiar proverbs"
which, it may be remembered, constituted
one Of the great ''hits'' of the character:
"a number of us were, years ago, taking
supper in Halifax after performance, when
a man entered the room, and, looking at us,
said: oh, see Birds of feather!' l in
stantly saw the weak side of this fragment
of well known maxim, and winking at my
ance, said: What do you mean by birds of
a feather? He looked rather staggered, and
replied: What, have you never heard of the
old Eng fish proverb Birds Of feather flock
together?"' Every one shook his head He
then said: 4 never met such lot of igno-
ramuses in my life That was my cue, and
began to turn the proverb inside out | said
to him, There never could have been such
proverb-birds of feather! The idea of
whole flock of birds having only one feather!
The thing is utterly ridiculous. Besides, the
poor bird that had that feather must have
flown on one side; consequently, the other
birds couldn't fly at all, they couldn't flock
together. But even accepting the absurdity,
If they Hooked at all they must flock together,
as no bird could possibly be such fool as to
| go into a corner and try and flock by him
self. Our visitor began to see the force of
the logic, and was greeted with roars of
laughter. made a memorandum of the in
cident, and years afterward elaborated the
idea in writing Dundreary."
Sothern often organized his ''sels" as his
biOgrapher calls them, on a scale so gigantic
and SO elaborate that they may be classed as
farces in real life. If we can forget the an
noyance that must have been caused to the
unfortunate victims, many of them are ire
sistibly laughable.
THU BANQUET IN BOHEMIA
1t was with Miss Nelson's husband, Mr..
Philip Lee, for a victim that he perpetrated
that which was probably the most extensive
(and expensive) of all his eXtravagantly con-
| ceived and carefully carried out ''sells." I'm.
fortunately for Mr.. Lee, he expressed, on his
first visit to New York, and in Sotherns
presence, doubts as to the existence of the
wild and delightful American Bohemian life
| of which he had heard. SOthern told him
that his letters of introduction were all to
the wrong people, but that if he liked he
could Introduce him to the right set, anG, Mr.
Lee having expressed his gratitude, a supper
party was arranged Covers were laid for
twelve, Sothern presiding. and Mr.. Lee, as
the guest CT the evening, sitting on his right
hand. Previously, it should be stated, he had
been introduced by his host and Mr.. W. j.
Florence (also an inveterate joker, and, of
| course, in the secret) to the other supposed
notabiities, who gathered round the sumptu-
ously spread board For time all went
well, but while the soup was being served
| one well known man was seen to take from
under his coat battle ak, and another cele-
I brity drew from beneath his collar dirk
knife with blade over foot long, which he
gravely unclasped and placed beside his plate
Then another took a six shooter from his
pocket, while his neighbor drew scythe and
policemans staff from under the table and
laid them in the middle of the board.
"For heavens sake" whispered the aston
ished Mr.. Lee into Sothern's ear. "what does
| this mean!'
Keep quiet" replied Sothern, cit is just
what l most feared. These gentlemen have
|
a friend of theirs, Mr.. Weymyss Jobson
quite an eminent scholar and very estima.
BILE gentleman; but l hope, for our sakes
they will not attempt to settle their quarrel
here. 1t is dreadful; but I hope, dear boy,
that they will go away quietly and have no
row. 1t is fashion they have here to settle
their disputes at table, or wherever they
meet. All we can do now is to await events
''But there will be murder here!" exclaimed
Mr.. Lee. "Can we not give warning to the
policeg'
impossible, my dear fellow said Sothern,
regretfully. ''Were you even to be sus-
pected by these men of any desire to leave
the room, you would be shot like dog, and
no satisfaction would ever be given your rel
atives i'll a court of justice. Such is the
country"
sit is an Internal country, then!" muttered
the guest.
For a few moments all went well, when
suddenly quarrel broke out at the end OF
the table and one of the party, springing to
his feet, tiercely exclaimed:
Whoever says that the History of the
French Revolution written by my friend.
David Weymyss Jobson, is not as good book
i'll every respect as that written by Tom Car
| lyle on the same subject, is a liar and a thief;
and if there is any fool present who desires
to take it up, am his mani"
All the guests rose suddenly, and every
man grasped his weapon; shots were fired