Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-11-17
SOL SMITH RUSSELs WORK.
Something About His Antecedents ans
His Ambition.


There was great fun among the sol
der boys at Cairo. ILL.,, in the. first
weeks Of the civil war when they heard
that Il drummer boy attached to one
Of the Illinois regiments-a lanky.
queer looking boy of about 14-was
about to appear on the stage in that
town, so suddenly transformed from
dismal sleepiness into the widest ex-
element They had not yet seen any
thing of the stern side of war. and they
were disposed to guy and have
fun out Of everybody, and especially
anybody who made pretensions to amy
thing exceptional, says the New York
Commercial Advertiser.
But the event hardly bore out their
expectations. They had fun, indeed.
but it was the fun the ambitious boy
intended they should have. 1t was not
fun ut his expense, as they expected.
Even the wild and often rough young
fellows, Of whom the early regiments
were largely composed, as well us the
youth from the larger towns and cities.
who knew something OF stage playing,
recognized the fitness of things i'll
the boy they saw. They recognized
that there was one more case where
the gift to do a certain class of work
WAS 50 undeniable that it imperiously
compelled its poSsessor 10 its exercise.
The boy was us naturally and irresis;-
ably an actor as the duck is Il swim
| ming bird.
The boy was Sol Smith Russell. and
part Of his name was then familiar to
the stage, for Sol Smith, to whom he
! was related had been one Of the most
! versatile comedians of those hard
working days of the theater. The bent
was SO strong that it made Roadway
against the wish of his parents. and
was in large degree guided and
trained by the veteran comedian whose
| name he bore. 1t was odd, too, that
Sol Smiths grandfather was a drum
-, mer boy Ut Bunker Hill, another OF the
family Il drummer boy on tsae famous
frigate Constitution, still another Il
drlm1ner boy in another place i'll the
Old lighting days, and now the young
fellow was a drummer boy in the
armies of the union.
It would take too much space to fol
low out the details of the story of the
young comedians career. 1t is enough
| to say that it was the usual laboEious
one of those decentralization days
He passed through all the hard ap.
| premiership of the art. out Of winch
/ only the .'fttest survived to make any
mark He started ia with the distinct
ambition TO make Il legitimate COZ
| dian, as his blood relatives Sci SIN.
and Mark Smith, had been. and he
| passed through many of the rough and
trying experiences of those early days
always poor, sometimes i'll actual want
often east down, but never losing his
braTe and CHEEKY spirit. never yielding
to the temptations that have swamped
losing sight Of his early ambition te
climb as high as his gifts and IN I'm
conquerable spirit would allow in the
ranks Of legitimate comedians
| He came of family one branch OF
whlch had developed exceptional gifts
| for the stage, others in later years tool
high rank us fearless and origina
preachers Of the gospel and still other:
shone in the legal arena. AL alik,
/ have shown that fine grain of Humanity
| that refuses TO be stained by contac
with evil. and that elastic temper tina
is not easily Turned aside from higl
aims In the course OF his eAperienc,
he was for some time member o.
Augustin Days company, and peotitet
from the intelligent discipline and thu
fruitful suggestion of that unsurpassed
dramatic drill master