Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-07-12
TOLD 6T JOSEPH JEFFERSON.
Some Yarns lie Eecently Spun at the Al
thors' Club.

tnors' tlub.
Our chairman said something tonight
about the lovely lack Of jealousy among au.
thors and its prevalence among my and al
lied professions. / must dissent from the
idea Why, have you net all observed the
harmony which prevailed among the oper.
atlc stars whose season recently closed ct
the Metropolitan Opera House: laugh.
ter And then take it in my own profes-
sion. If an actor is discharged from a com.
pany, are there not always plenty Of his fel-
low actors ready 70 take his parti latter a
silence, laughterl
preparation, to return to my text, is
most essential in the players profession. II
we are not prepared, we cannot retrace, re-
tract nor repair. The speech once delivered
cannot be recalled. You authors may cor.
rect and revise, the painter can scratch out
and paint over, but how would it seem in
me TO pause after speech on the stage.
scratch my chin and say: That infection
was not quite right. | will deliver that
line againf
Possibly may have paid too much at,
tention to preparation in my profession.
One critic has abused me frequently fof
that, and he laments that leave nothing
TO chance. That worries him, but assure
him he is right. never leave anything TO
chance.
II will confess between ourselves that I
did neediessly prepare for one occasion. Mr..
Florence and j had been playing together
in comedy, and when the time approached
for our final appearance together Mr.. Flor.
ence said, and IL seemed reasonable TO me,
that as the audience would doubtless call
us out and demand speeches at the conclu.
sion OF our last performance we should pre-.
pare something. So we did. We rehearsed
it all very carefully. Mr. Florence was to
be first taken by surprise, and overcoming
his emotions make a farewell address, In
which he was to refer to me. Then was
to be taken by surprise, but suppressing
my swelling feelings was to answer Mr..
Florence and wind up the impromptu
bcene.
Mr.. Jefferson paused, lifted his wineglass,
put II back on the table and added:
But the audience did not call us ont after
that performance. Laughter But that
was no excuse for mistake Florence made
Rfterward. He was playing in what we call
the New England circuit-Hartford New
Haven, etc. One night he was called out
after the performance and said:
This Is mark Of appreciation which
peculiarly touches me. ! know many OF
the men before me-knov them personally.
| played marbles with them under the
shadow Of the Hartford Baptist church,
shared their boyhood joys and sorrows, and
assure you that shall never forget this
last act Of kindness which you people OF
Hartford -
Just then a voice from the gallery in.
terrupted him:
This is New Haven, Mr.. Florence.
Laughter
Preparation Is essential. Once a man.
ager was obliged to apologize TO an audience
for the nonappearance Of the leading man.
who had been suddenly called to another
city by the death Of his mother
at happened that the manager that even.
ing was suffering from tired feeling. lie
WAS trfe unsteady as to voice and legs,
but his dignity stood firm on both feet. He
said:
THE leading man, gentlemen and la.
dies, is-this is first time excuse has to be
made this tbeater, but - well, anyway,
mans mother Is dead. Never before oc.
CURED this theater dsappoint audience,
and--you see mans moth is dead. | regret
that after 80 years experience manager
theater, audence-which | mean to say
mans mother il dead, but shall never oc.
cur again. ,"
Mr.. Jefferson told the story In voice sc
richly affected by the disability the man.
ager suffered from that all his hearers reach
ed for their glasses. New York Sun.