Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-01-21
NENVG AZ.


name, but it was the one unsS.r which he
was best known by those who best knew
him. 1T had been thrown at him in "a cafe
one night by newspaper man after The
performance, and had chung to him. It's
Significance lay in the fact that his "gars"
supposedly comic things said by pres,im-
ably comic men i'll nominal opera or bur
lesque-invariab were old The man who
bestowed the title upon him thought it a
fine bit of irony
Newgag received it without expressed
resentment. but without mirth. and he
bore its repetition patiently as seasons
went by. He was accustomed to enduring;
calmly the ests, he indinaities that were
eiioted by his peculiar appearance, his
docful expression, his slow and bunglmg
speech and movement, his Ill tiident manmrr.
He was one of the forOearing men, the
Inauy who are doomed to continual suffer
ing Of a kind that their spnsitivencsS and
timiuity make it the mole difficult for
them to bear. UndynH ambition burned
beneath his administrative surface:
daunvless courage lay under his lack of
ability.
E}e was an extremely spare man, of OK
traordlnary height aud the bend OF his
shoulders gave the small head a comical
thrust forward. His black hair WAS with
out curl and it would tolerate no other ar
fanGement imam b3!hg compeu back
straight. it was above TO- soy Gown
ward until il scrapcd the back Of Nevgag's
collar Il device Ior cohceaihg the meNSer-
ness of his neck,
lie hau a Smooth, psic lace, siantihy
from cars 10 HoEP hke WedSe; and the
Nmness OF the BIT, eyes added to itS in
Prospective cast ne b,iiAe'I a. rule,
when he met new acquaintance or was ad-
dressed slptieil%' llt A"d il ai"onE COX
and heaita'ing way Of speech. An aldU'-
ing spectacle WA hia mecA meal looking
smile, Whicu' wien h" ht'l1' ro"Sel"ls
OF 1t, passed through several Nta+es eN-
presslve OF eln"aI1'i ~t'tHt tutil his normal
mourntul aspect was reached.
AS he usually appeared in Il sac'; coat
when Off the stage, the l"a4tn Of his legs
was divertingIy elnp.Wsl1f1. After the
FASHION OF great actors OF Il yEoA" genera
tion, he wore a soft ti=rN ivIt hat, hinged
i'll the crown from front to rear.
RE mao entered 'Vh1 profession from the
amateur stage by way OF the comic opera
chorus. and TO that chance was dU" his
beng located II the comic opera wing Of
TIE Er2at hiStrionic edi''ce. lie had ori-;
inaiIy preferred tragedy but the first con
slderation was the getting upon the stage
by any means. Having i'll |Striouely
worked his way ont OF the chorus he had
been recoNc'ied by haMt to his environ
mont ana had come to a7pirr to enincnce
therein. lie had reached the standin-; Of a
secondary comcdian-that is TO say, man
pi+yin& Etconl larry comic roles in the pieces
t"r WnicA he J., cast, lie was useful III
such co'lpaui'| as were directly or in
directly controlled by their .ca'iiA% come
dams, for there never could be any fear of
ms oUtshininS those autorratic p2rTona1tcs.
Only II his widest hopes Cid he ever look
upon n center OF the stage asa spot posi-
be for him TO attain.
His means OF eVokln@ laughter upon the
stage were laboriou5 uDoA his part and
myStilyinE to the thoughtful observer. He
took noticeable pains to change from his
real self. 1t n&ttereI not what were the
nature of the part he filed, he invariably
assumed an unnatural, strained, ras2iGG
voice; ne stretched his mouth toits utmost
rench and lowered the e%;remitio, Of his
lips; he turned his toes inward NATURALLY
10 4 il.,<l ~,