New-York tribune., 1896-06-03
JEFFERSON WAS THEIR GUEST.
TIE VETERAN ACTOR PRESENT AT THE
BARNARD CLUBS RECEPrlON-HIS
CHARMING REMARKS

The reception given by the Barnard Club FOR Jo-
scph jefferson m the home OF Mrs. William >
Packer No Grace Court on MOsday afternoon j.
one long to be remembered by those who were for
tunate enough . attend. The demands upon MI.
Jefferson's time are generally so great that 1t -
rarely he will accept invitations TO social iuncIohS'
and the club Justly thought !isef honore1 by MS
prese;ce After an hour spent In receiving IN"
guests and pres ening them 10 Mr Jefferson, the
veteran actor addressed the club, giving several
"reminiscences OF his varied lfe. As he ros" 10
sneak he was greeted by round OF appIause- lie
began By saving that there was nothing az dc'"'
likes more than a good round OF spplauSe. IL h"'
only stimulated him. - MI JEFFERSON sdlu' p".
osei,rad him that he welcome IN speaking oi
comedy, MIR. jefferson said that there Is serious
side to f. and those comedians who wer" most seii-
Gus In portraynR 1t are the most succesSiu. AS an
example he referred TO the TWO sraVe-dRSr'S III
"Iramlet" They said very funny things
while all the tine they as serious as phlios'-
phers and In their own minds as wise
Mr.. jefferson followed this by rect'ng the scene
from "IIamlet" where the grave-diggers discourse
on suicide The audience enjoyed the recitation
greatly. Mr.. jefferson. in the course OF HIS -
marks told OF experience he once had VII" -
college professor The professor asked him once II
he did not think that the etarring system was III
t,,rioue 70 the drama. Mr.. jefferson was iecturing
~ the time and he had asked the audience TO put
any questions to him they chose. The college pro-
fessor asked that Mr.. Jefferson told MS "uu'-
once that he rather frightened wheh ne si"
Tho professor coming down the aisle to ask qu'"-
tions. .x.,o.
..Thcre was a time said when thought the star
ring svstem hurtful but had radically changed my
views since | had become a star mysen. once
,oo,ed rnon all managers and stars as tyranis Iha
u,as vhen I was in a stock company. Now look
unon almost every actor as conspirator' u"us"-
,er) Ho; eyer. ! asked the professor not 10 Diane
me for the starring system. / had not invented IT,
That had been done some three hundred years before
NV a gentleman named William Shakespeare IL was
his fault Q-aughter) He had written most oi HIS
,,,s Tor STARS The other parts. while. OF course.
nsssntial to the play merely revolved around the
central figure This central figure is always Illus
.,,Ive Of one OF the human passions The professor
asked me about Romeo and juliet; who was the star
renied that this pay Ike all the Others was wri
ton 10 illustrate passion Otheno illustrated Jcai-
onsve .Richari.' ambition; T'mon OF Athens me
n53dtbrjft: Macbeth fate; Coro,anus. the auto,
crat: Fastaff' the ylutton, while In Romeo "a ana ma
juliet the passion OF love vas hayn
cbaraciersr" daughter ana apl'ausc) ~.
Mr. Jefferson then told a story OF SpTanger barry
u az nadnn -, the same time. There was a great az
pute as 10 which was the better Koheo "eS "a az, :,
entirely different conception OF sh s, yns M
Inliet drst 10 one and then to the other She sald
that ii was impossible to say whcn was t"e
because they acted the part so dH' Tch.Iy, a. ," y
"a en- eager 80 passionate and 50 headstrOng IN ne
balcony scene" she said that am AFRAID II g. me pc
tImc that he Will Jump up TO me. while GaIioK II 50
! fascinating, enticing. so charming 'i"' am
afraid all the time / shall go down to % MN and satd
Mr. Jefferson referred TO Rip Van Winke anu y, a". h
s'n h,man being ana became a my thica personage an
inhabitant Of dreamand or spirl'lISna Frederick p
Be.iamy presented him immense %, bnncn cd on pi
American Beauty roses she made sracrtu, ~
| with many witty and telling points: iheTe W. W.
over a hundred people present. including severa
| from New-fork.