The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1896-07-17
STORIES OF STETSON.
ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING MEN
EVER IN THE SHOW BUSINESS.

ssricai Circles .. Well ~ within Then
There Is "A man born now and the
with sort Of humorous silver spoon i
his mouth. Uninterrupted good forum
asa humorist smiles on him throug
life. and that, too. with no seemin
effort Of his own He somehow acquire
an early reputation for saying or dom,
funny things. which. once gained, moth
Ing can take away. All the jokes in hi
line OF his generation. and often som,
OF earlier and later generations. ar,
credited to him. and nobody cares I.
dispute the honor. Collectors Of Joke,
are ready to accept Joe Miller as 10,
Miller. but no literary scholar believe,
that he originated all the jests in hi.
alleged book. Anybody can think fol
himself Of two or three similar examples
in the present half century, and, even
so. it is not likely that John Stetson
ever really said all or half the amusing
things that were attributed to him
They were good stories. some Of them,
and they were told Of Stetson. just as
the story OF fiddling while Rome burned
was told Of Nero, not because they Were
true. but TO show what kind Of man
Stetson was
The stories which it was thought
proper to fix upon John Stetson Were
those which exhibited any broad, COM
prehensive and picturesque ignorance.
He was an ignorant man no doubt-ig-
norant enough, perhaps, TO say all the
things that ii was ever said that he
said, but the chances are that he did
not say them all. But the stories are
none the worse for that Years ago
Sophocles' "Gdipus Tyrannus" was
played by the students Of Harvard col |
lege and excited great comment through |
out the country. 1t was discussed one (
evening at a dinner at which Stetson
was present. and he cheered the COM
pany by announcing that he had con-
tracted with Sophocles for the writing
OF q new play TO be produced by him
the following season.
This story belongs in the same class 4
as Q somewhat more elaborate one.
Stetson once took possession Of new I
theater and discovered in the lobby ,
picture that did not meet his artistic /
taste Take that picture down." he s
.aid h
But. Mr.. Stetson," somebody re- b
that picture was painted Il
BY Michael Angelo" y
Michael who," said Stetson. .
Michael Angelo" U
We'll. take it down" said Stetsou.
and discharge Angelo. / won't have
my Of these foreign scene painters A
round my theater; I'm going to en-
10y Americans -
This so amused those who heard il n
hat they at once told the incident to :,
riends OF Stetson and themselves, and II
mong them was Jack Haverly, the q
Amous negro minstrel manager Hav- a
rly did not laugh when he heard it, n
ut simply looked puzzled He thought .,
~ few moments. and then q faint ii
nile came into his face, and he said. n
Oh, yes, see; there ain no such per- h,
IN as Michael Angelo.' o
This answer was thought good enough :,
} take back To Stetson, who, it was as a.
lmed. must have taken pains in the i,
to inform himself Of the his >,
ny OF art sufficiently to understand it. :,
What do you think, Stetsony" said his h,
lend I'VE have told Jack Haverly .,
hat you said about Michael Angelo, n
Id he said, oh, i see: there amt no n.
Ich person as Michael Angelo!' Ia,
Stetson looked blank in his turn for a n,
oment and then received his own little
as TO the humor OF the h,
ing. why, the ignorant old fool" n
said; "of course he ought to have o,
i'd. There isn't any such person as II
ichael Angelo . n
This story again recalls another with lco
similar touch in it. The conversation 81,
ice turned on a clever passage in W. m
Florence's old play. THE Mighty 81;
ollar," in which Bardwell Sloat ex- AZ
'ses his Ignorance by referring to q IN
'ckman whom he had encountered in ~
enice Yes" said Stetscn, that is ON
ever; Of course they don't have hacks no
Venice; it's such slow place they as
mt have anything but omnibuses and ",
ule carts This fable found its way M
TO print again only few weeks be-
re Mr. Stetson's death.
What do you think OF So-and- so,''
etson asked Of q friend, naming one ha
the actors Of his company. He meant rel
ask what his friend thought Of the in,
" the actor was playing the part in Fla
itch he was then engaged, but the he
end supposed that he meant to ask do
lat manner of man he thought him. en-,
he answered. Hes well enough. sh,
~ he seems to me to be a little too an,
iantic.' do,
This struck Stetson as a good word. ual
ne stored it UP in his memory for pie
'ure use A few days later, when he beg
{ the actor. he said. II was in front gre
itching you last night and thought the
didn't play that part quite as pc TIL,
itic as you usually do. phi
Mr. Stetson's expressions
ounted to epigrams II will be re-
that when Gilbert and Sulli- 4
Is THE Gondoliers'' was first done late
IL. -. l..