San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-11-23
Anecdotes Of RnncicauIt.

Interview with his son Aubrey i'm the
San Francisco Examiner.
AS children we grew up in Here
ford House. This was place my
father bought from a nobleman. 1t
was situated in Kensington. At that
time my father was at the height of
his wealth. and enjoying all these
surroundings of eminent men which
fame bestowed. We had-my sisters
and my brother-all that that the
heart could wish. and was surfeited
with the brilliancy of great men. l
was not in the world of course in
the days when Dickens, Fechter and
lot of the other great authors land
artists used to be constant guests in
the house, but 1 have heard my
father talk about them a great deal.
The letters now in my mothers pos
session in London give glimpses of
delightful times spent in old country
houses in England, and In quaint,
historical homes in London.
My father was q man of most sys-
tematic habits. When he worked he
worked hard, and when he played he
thoroughly enjoyed himself. His
favorite time for work was in the
early morning hours. He would do
more work in q given time than any
man I ever knew. He wrote mostly
on square sheets of white paper, and
in q small, firm Handwriting. Few
corrections were made at the first
draft of play, but when the re-.
hearsals came the drama would I'M
dergo a complete transformation. My
father always seemed to feel his eX-
travagance so far as brilliant wit WAS
concerned. but, unlike many authors,
he never hesitated to destroy any Of
his work which to his mind did not
suit the artistic unity. For instanc e:
In the play Led Astray he led res
hesrsals for thirty days before allows
ing it's production, and in those
thirty days almost the entire play
Was changed line for line.
And he was q stickler for rehear-
sails. He believed in them implicitly,
and would permit no lameness. 1t is
the habit of many artists to leave the
memoriziDg of their lines till the last
minute, and stage managers are apt
to overlook the folly, but with my
father ahis was 8 heinOus offense and
one that he would never tolerate. To
his mind men and women In the cast
were alike, and TO both alike was he
sewers. Always prompt at reh earsais,
he demanded q martinez discipline
from the stage folk, and his theory
was that there should be no excuse
iustifiable to a person appearing in
public who failed to come up to the
entire requisites which an audience
would demand. The public, he con-
sidered, wanted their moneys worth
at q play, and he considered that the
artistic creation must be perfect; that
is, that the effect, and not the means,
was considered.
remember on one occasion when
he said to young soubrette who had
for the moment a line or two in which
she was to show her intense and
tragic fury. The girl simply squesked:
the Governor" whirled about, cry
ing: "Spesk from your stomach, Miss,
speak from your stomach"
He was very quick at repartee. and
always had funny line tor every in
cideDt. 1t happen ed once that friend
came with rueful face to say that he
had been sued for breach of promise.
"Ah," said my father, "but will you
get out of the scrape all right?" The
friend replied: II am afraid not. You
see she has got lot of letters from
me" "My boy" replied my father,
"never kiss lady through an ink
bottle"