The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-04-12
lAwREscE BAnnErr's CAREER.
Poverty and DrudEery Were His Com
pan1ons in Childhood.

Kate f1e3d s Washington.
Mr.. Lawrence Barrett regrets that on
account of illness he Will be unable 20
meet his friends on Sunday evening as
arranged. The dinner will therefore be
postponed. Windsor hotel, March 20,
as.D
1t was to have been 4 dinner at Delmon-
ico's on March -. TO celebrate the profess
sional separation of Booth and Barrett.
Twenty-four friends-mcn-had been in
sited, and all had accepted. Among them
were ex-President Cleveland, Edwin
Booth, John w. Mackay. L. L. Godkin, A..
NJ Palmer. Augustus st. Gaudens, Will
lam NJ Chase, John Drew, William Wiz
ter. 4. w. Glider and Laurence Hutton.
That dinner has been POSTPONED forever.
The night set fo- the festivity saw the gen.
erous host sleeping the sleep which comes
In all of US sooner or later. The separa-
ton it was to celebrate has come in unex-
pected and solemn guise.
4 review of Lawrence Barrett's career is
lesson TO all who basely betray golden
opportunities. Think of this man as born
OF humble Irish parents seven months
child, so frail in physique that for the first
five years of his life he could not lift his
head. When later he went to school it
vas his fond mother who carried him in
her hard-worked arms. He undoubtedly
inherited from both parents the seeds Of
the disease which has taken him away in
his prime; and on top of weak body
nature placed an enormous head which
made the battle for existence all the harder.
Lawrence Barrett, the man, could wear no
hat not made to order, though on one oc-
casion he succeeded in finding a tolerable
1T in John Fiske's when this clever but
aissent-minded philosopher walked of
from Ole Bulls house in Cambridge with
Barrett's brand new beaver, leaving q less
eaticing head-gear in its place. The ira
Eedian remained housed until his own hat
was forthcoming.
Poverty and drudgery kept Lawrence
Jarrett out Of school, and only when sscall
hoy" did he really learn to read. Then
fhatshead of his came to his aid. Begging
eandle-ends from the theater. he would 60
10 his wretched little room and stick them
on tacks. purposely nailed into the floor,
as the ends were too short for candle
stick There, lying nat on his stomach,
the future tragedian taught himself to
read out of an old copy of Johnson's die
isonary.
"I'll wager can trip you up on the first
rage," said Laurence Hutton, on being
told this incident.
iry me, repisc1 Barrett.
4 very extraordinary page is the first OF
unusual words as s'aaronical, ""abacist, "
'.abatis, all of which Barrett spelled and
aeancd correctly.
What's sahacof?'"
"A cap of state used in old times by our
English kings, wrought up in the figure OF
two crowns"
What's .abannitiong' p"
ha Sf,r fcrs fr,r x~rn e.
nlanslaughter.
What's Auditory"
"A place 10 hide and preserve goods in
The very words Of a dictionary that Bar
rest had no. opened for thirty years.
There could hardly be better proof of a
marvellous memory which served Barrett
81 al things. He remembered and applied
everything he read, and he read ali sorts
e books Kant, Lecky, Buckle. Darwin,
history, fction-all were fish that came Ia
his net. The last book on his desk was
Lord Houchton's Life and Letters When
travelling ne sat alone, porting over book
There never was a harder worker than
Lawrence Barrett He deserved the sue
rcss of later life. In his early struggles he
had yeritabie help-meet in his strong and
vigorous wife. who played her part mos,
faithfully behind the scenes. packing and
aEpacking her husbands wardrobe. scour
ing his amor, acting as dresser, relieving
tts oSer-buruened actor OF many wearyin-
details.
Hot-headed and impetuous like his owr
Irish race. Barrett was always ready tC
atone for faults of temper. and would &c
esst of his way 20 do justice to friend and
soc- "A mistake is worse than a crime II
social matters" he once wrote TO an init
mate, and then apologized.
As companion. Lawrence Barrett wa.
entertaining, being not only an actor but
sn intelligent and patriotic citizen. IL,
talked shop well, but only TO those whC
invited his confidence. His aims were
aich. He did more than any other Amer
can for the elevation of our stage by Civ.
!ng native playwrights a chance anC
requiring their best work.