The record-union., 1896-03-29

men who have suffered more from pnys-
ical hunger than he. Once when ne
was making up for Monsieur In his
dressing-room he told the story or MS
early life.
"This is my first play" he said, and
the scene where / am engaged to play
the piano for the guests and faint from
hunger as my fingers touch the keys Is
real. 1t is not so many years ago tnat
gave up painting in Boston and went
to London. There / have sung songs
in the early dawn ait the market places
for few pence with which to get break
fast Often I would go days without
food and dine only on smells. l would
visit the hop breweries and stand over
the steaming CRATES in the sidewalk.
tell you there is strength in the door OF
boiling hops. At last secured my nrst
engagement at German read, as
they were called in those days was 10
play the piano, but as l placed my
fingers on the keys / tainted from sheer
hunger and lost my engagement.
Mansfield had many incidents to en-
bitter his early life, and 1t is not re-
nsarkable that they should nave lett
their imprint on the mind Of the man
who to-day exchanges original poems
with the Emperor of Germany.
Julia Marlowe, the great American
Juliet, made her debut in 1881 unoer
the management of Colonel Miles at
New London, Conn, as Parthenia, and
so great was her success that she mas
ever since called the part her Mascot,
and many still prefer her in that role
She had a trial matinee at the Bl]ou
Theater, New York, in October or the
same year. again playing Parthenia,
and playing it so well that Henry e.
Abbey at once gave her week at the
Star Theater, where so many great
actors have appeared. There she for
the first time played Juliet, the part IN
which, Of all others, she would like to
be remembered. Not that she loves
Juliet above Shakespeare's women, but
because she recognizes 1t as great
acting part. In 1889, her real career
began, when she played a week in Bos-
ton at the Hollis-street Theater which
settled her position One of her latest
parts is that of Prince Hal, in Henry
w." and it is worth something to hear
her own account of learning to wear
l
the one American actress Of whom
Sarah Bernhardt expresses her ap-
proval.
In San Francisco Emile Melville has
organized a small but select company
for the presentation of high-class en-
tertainments, consisting of scenes from
Shakespearean and other legitimate
plays, with appropriate music. Fannie
E. Ryan, a gifted young soprano, will
be the principal vocalist Of the COM
pany and Miss Melville will be seen as
Katharine, Rosalind, Portia and Juliet,
in which Shakespearean characters she
has been highly praised by the foreign
press.
Della Fox has lost another diamond.
Business must be dropping.
Alexander Salvini will be seen here
soon in Hamlet"
Stuart Robson declares that this will
be his last century on the stage. He
turned 60 last week.
Ned Townsend and Clay Greene will
soon have "A Daughter Of the Tene-
ments" for w. A. Brady and Joseph
Grismer to put upon the stage.
Rose Coglan is preparing to produce
at Palmer's Theater new play called
Madame" written by her brother
Charles, who is now acting in England.
Assisted by young Paul Kester, w. D.
Howells is dramatizing his novel, "Silas
Lapham."
A play much talked Of in Paris is "A
Big Fortune" by Henri Meilhac. Its
theme is the demoralizing influence of
wealth and it's strongest scene is one
in which woman, married, talented
and ambitious, sells herself for check
for a million francs.
Queen Margaret of Italy denies that
she composed the music of the opera
"A Marriage of Convenience"
The Bayreuth festival will last from
July 18th to August 29th.
Miss Fannie Edgar Thomas, the Paris
correspondent of the Musical Courier" I"
has been appointed an officer of the
French Academy, a very high honor.
Mascagni says of his little opera,
"Zanetto,". that he will give it to no
publisher and to no theater except that
at Pesaro, where it will be produced
during the coming Rossini festival
Mascagni is reported to have said:
Whoever wants to hear 'Zanetto,' must
come to Pesaro."
Miss Waterhouse of San Francisco,
the Partisan correspondent, has discov-
cred poor old Elisa Biscaccianti in a
Paris hospital, dying of old age and of
starvation, for the hospital fare the old
lady cannot digest, and she lives on
what charity affords her. Old-time
Californians had supposed Biscaccianti
dead. What a history hers has been,
20 be sure, and how closely it is re-
lated to the flush times of California
Pioneers thrill to this day when they
ecall her singing of Home, Sweet
Home" How the fire boys Of San
Francisco used to champion her, and
how she used to contribute by her art
to their glory. Alas! poor Elisa, drink,
an unstable character, magnificent
voice and the frailty of too-generous
nature led thee down to levels woman
should never reach.
The famous German character come
dian George Engels is coming to the
United States in April. Enge1s was
born in 1916 in Hamburg, made his
first professional appearance at the
Woltersdorf Theater, in Berlin, in 1870.
Two years later he was engaged as