The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-14
"Trip VAN wINkLE."
JefYerson's Account of the Genesis ana
and Development of the Play.

Joseph Jefferson in Boston deraiu.
Art has always been my sweetheart, ana
have loved her for herself alone had
fancied our affection was mutual. so that
when I failed as star, which certainly
did. thought she had Tilted me. Not so.
I wronged her. She only reminded me that
/ had taken too great liberty, ana that
If / expected TO win her l must press my
suit with more patience. Checked, but UNI
daunted in the resolve, my mind dwelt
upon my vision. and still INDUCED III day
dreams of the future
In casting about for new character my
mind was ever dwelling reproducing an
effect where humor would be so closely al
lied to pathos that smiles and tears should
mingle with each other.
During the summer of 1859 ! arranged to
board with my family at queer old Dutch
farm house in Paradise valley, at the foot
of Pocono mountain, in Pennsylvania
Stray farms are scattered through the val
ley. and the few old Dutchmen and their
families who till the soil were born upon
it. there and only there they have ever
lived. The valley harmonZed with me and
our resources
On one OF those long. rainy days that
always render the country so dull / had
climbed TO the loft of the barn, and, lying
upon the hay. was reading that delightful
book, 1.-The Life and Letters of Washing
volume, and was much interested in it,
when to my surprise came upon a pas
sage which said that he had seen me at
Laura Keene's theater. and that l re-
minded him of my father lin look. gesture.
size and make"
] was comparatively obscure, and to find
myself remembered and written of by such
a man gave me thrill of pleasure can
never forget. put down the book and lay
there thinking how proud I was and ought
to be, ait the revelation OF this compliment.
What an incentive 10 youngster like me
to go on,
And so thought to myself Washing
ton Irving, the author OF the Sketch
Book I'm which is the quaint story of Rip
Van Wrinkle" Rip Van Winkle, There
was to me magic in the sound of the
name as 1 repeated it. Why. was not this
the very character I wanted? An Amer
lean story. by an American author. was
surely just the theme suited to an Amer
lean actor.
In ten minutes had gone to the house
and returned to the barn with the Sketch
Book l had not read the story since /
was boy. l was disappointed with it not
as a story. of course. but the tale was
purely narrative. The theme was inter-
esting, but not dramatic. The character
of Rip does not speak ten lines. What
could be done dramatically with so simple
a sketch? How could II be turned into an
effective play?
Three or four bad dramatizations OF the
story had already been acted. without
marked success. Nothing that / remem-
bered gave me the slightest encourage
ment that 1 could get a good play out of
any of the existing materials. Still, was
so bent upon acting the part that / started
for the city. and in less than a week. by
industrously ransacking the theatrical
wardrobe establishment for old leather
and widowed cloth. and by personally
experimenting the making OF wigs. each
article OF my costume was completed: and
all this, too, before had written line OF
the play or studied a word of the part.
This is working in an opposite direction
from all the conventional methods in the
study and elaboration of dramatic charac-
ter and certainly not following the course
would advise any one TO pursue. merely
mention the out-of-the-way. upside-down
manner OF going TO work as an illustration
OF the impatience and enthusiasm with
which I entered upon the task. can only
account for my getting the dress ready be-
fore / studied the part to the vain desire
had OF witnessing myself in the glass.
decked out and equipped as the hero of
the Catskills.
got together the three old printed YER
sions OF the drama and the story Itself.
no pay were III III Two aus. Il NhbAS III
Il would be an improvement in the drama
TO arrange II in three. making the scene
with the spectre crew an act by itself.
This would separate the poetical from the
domestic side OF the story.
But by far the most important altera-
ton was IN the interview with the spirits.
In the old version they spoke and sang. 7
remembered that the effect OF this ghostly
dialogue was dreadfully human, SO / ar
ranErnH that " kpt Pins Shnft1H he
| heard. This is the only act on the stage in
which but one person speaks while all the
others merely gestculate. and was quite
sure that the silence OF the crew would
give lonely and desolate character to the
scene and add 10 It's supernatural weird
ness. II required some thought 10 hit upon
just the best questions that could be
swered by a nod and shake OF the head.
and 10 arrange that al times even Rip
should PROFOUND a query TO himself and
answer it.
In the seclusion OF the barn studied and
rehearsed the part. and by the end OF the
summer I was prepared 20 transplant IL
from the rustic realms Of the old farm
house TO a cosmopolitan audience In the
city Of Washington. where I opened al
Carusis hall under the management OF
John T. Raymond. I had. by repeated ex-
periments. so saturated myself with the
action OF the play that few days seemed
20 perfect the rehearsals. I acted on these
occasions with all the point and feeling
could muster. This answered the double
purpose Of giving me freedom and OF Oh
serving the effect OF what 1 was doing
on the actors
There was in the subject and the part
much scope for novel and fanciful treat
uent II the sleep OF twenty years was
merely incongruous. there would be room
for argument. PRO and con. but as II Is an
| impossihility felt that the audience would
| accept 20 AZ once. not because II vas an
| impossibility. bat from desire ~ 80"
On vhat condition a mans mind would he
| II such an event could happen. Would ne
| be thus changed? His identity being DE-
nlel, both hy friends. strangers ana lam