Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-09-07

Our Ltthe uuu Stucfuttoh.
81 ecinl Correspondence of Gazette and journal
NEW York, Sept. 1.-Some- people
who cast their Bread upon the waters
claim that il comes back to them soaked.
The very small piece that | sent ont
came back to me the other night COW
cred with strawberry jam. That is to
say, we had sailed into New York to
get some fresh frocks and fresh fruit,
and everybody on the yacht was going
to one Of the roof gardens but insisted
on being left cut after had been home
and found an invitation that was wait.
ing for INC there. II was from the mem
bers Of the Whist Club. l was asked to
go to the theatre with them, and was
Informed that the only stranger in the
party would be a gentleman "wot wus
an acter." gave everything the go-by.
i We had box
IN THE THEATRE DOWN on THE
BowERY.
and l was placed we'll to the front, where
/ could not only see, but be seen. The
4 Whist Club, in its best clothes, with
! tendency to blue scarfs, was grouped
about me, and when 1t thought wasn't
4 looking, it waved its many hands ma
jestically at friends who were up in the
gallery and smiled all over its face, as
much as to say, Here's richness p 1t
was a very nice play; everybody was
working against the heroine and the
hero, and every time the lovely maiden
turned and fed the villain wasafter her
as fast as somewhat tight shoes and
a closely buttoned frock coat would per-
nit him. The gentleman "wot wus an
acter" sat next to me. He had stepped
right out of story-book; he was the
living, breathing exponent of the "palmy
days of the drama" He wore shirt
with turned-down collar, and Lord
Byron tie; his frock coat was buttoned
closely, and whenever he stood up, as
he always did between the acts, he thrust
his hands in the breast of his coat as il
looking for his heart, and gesticulated
with the other hand. His high silk hal
had gloss on it that was suggestive Of
vaseline, but he carried it with an all
that made it seem the very last creation
of a London halter. The Whist Clul
boys regarded him as a god, and as fol
me, / liked to hear him talk because HI
was in earnest and because he believed
what he was saying. During the watt
while the villain was intensifying hi
wickedness by assuming pink striped
shirt and red scarf, and the hero wa
putting sufficient amount of powde
on his face to suggest hunger and agon.
and the heroine was being laced in al
evening frock intended to make boil
hero and villain comprehend how Lowell,
she was, the old actor talked to us.
OTHER GENERATION FAvoRITEs.
Said he:
MADAM &nd Gentlemen: The days o
the drama have passed. 1t is no longe
necessary for man to possess geniu
and versatility; it is only required G
him that he should know part that
to run 1000 nights and which, by cor
slant repetition, he grows to speak as
he were a parrot. The present rag
madam and gentlemen, for the so-calle
long runs, has made human phone
graphs rather than actors. In my day
when Johnnie Owens, Laura Keent
John s. Clark, the Bateman children
Mrs. D. P. Bowers and your humbl
servant had the honor of appearing &
the Museum in Baltimore, it was. moth
ing unusual for the bill to be change
seven times in the week. We woul
get our parts when the play was owe
and were expected to be letter perfect
10 o'clock rehearsal. Dear old job
Owens would play "Solon Single" OF
night, CDR. Pangloss" the next, and
the play dragged little get himself u
to go on and sing "Vilikins and II
Dinah" between the acts.
"a man was none the less goc
actor for knowing how to play ever,
thing, and one-part actor would new
have gotten bit further than announ
ing the arrival of a carriage or h
bringing on of the tray of refreshmeni
that in those days were not quite
realistic as they are now. An actc
madam and gentlemen, may have be,
an outcast from society in those day
his world may have been that little Of
in the theatre, but he was more of
artist than he is now, when gigglil
fools and stage-struck women are on
too ready to give him breakfasts al
dinners to convince him that he il
great genius, when, in reality, mazda
and gentlemen, he knows no more abo
acting than the proverbial cat does
Christmas"
PAST AND PRESENT HEROES.
Veal agreed with him, though do
think many Of US understand exact
what the dear old man was trying
get at. l asked him; "Who do y
think is the greatest playwright ?"
He stood up, made bow, as il
were passing the holy of holes, a
answered: There has never been /
one great writer of plays, madam a
conference.-the divine William. OIL
men have written things that may
acted, but when it comes to pictures
life, he is the only man, and he is m,
than a man, who has had the honor
painting them. 1t is at present my pri
lege and pleasure to be reading
works at the Whist Club, of WIFI
madam, l am told you are the Ia
\ hember." The curtain went up j
here, and we all sat and looked at
play, the boys being Immensely int
ested in the heroine, whose blonde Gu
never suggested peroxide of hydros
10 them, but only told of her sweetn
and purity, and how well she was wo
the devotion given to her by the he
When the curtain fell, asked the
actor: who do you go with this s
son %
And he said: "No one, madam. TIL
is no place for me. l cannot and '
not walk on the stage, and think
villainy is represented by dress clot
and cigarette; will not appear
play where there are hours of CONVEX
lion and no action, and although mi
managers have sought me, wave ii
away and decline To prostitute my a
felt sorry then that l had asked S
personal question, but Charlie sale