The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-29

TO star at the head n his own company had as
n youth been all apprentice 10 o bricklayer,
lie lost all he made theatrically. Since bis re-.
%tlrement he has been earning q good living at
stage struck and managed to make his way TO
the footlights. lie never rose beyond the rank
of walking gentleman and married u walking
lady. Their present source of livelihood does
not neressitate much pedestrian exercise. He
has taught his wife his old trade, aud together
they paint signs In n small room Mt the back
Of a little stationery store IN Harlem. lie skir.
mishes for orders, while she lays In the back
hanger was. once a second or third light come.
dian. His. ,hosom friend. a harnessmaker was
nov, ,,''I of I rvenI mn man 10 t Ihsy over are t Gc"s old 70 t mSss
when they were "ln the prOfcsh." They find
much pleasure, in exchanging and reading and
halcyon- period. The utility man generally
lends of. when they swap reminiscences thus
When | was at the Gaiety.I was playing BoA!
Mantell's line of business then, you know"
The comedian. is never far behind In the run
Ieses.,. hi his 'd discl irrglnP by " the 6FTiI Rifiemii al sta ar OF Of
whom he was the main support. " out of zeal:
ousy; me hoy, sheer Jealousy because 'honged'
A most pitiabie case of decayed genius came
recently 70 the knowledge Of the public. \
rs beng handy ut odd Jobs. such as cleaning
horses and stables, shovelling snow, attending
to furnaces, sGTnboing kitchen and cellar
and sometimes viii even ask for food. AS no
one can ever induce him to tell his real name,
he Is always called the Professor, probably. be.
cause there is n something about him which Is
indicative Of his hu Sing seen better days. He
must have been good looking in his youth
Poor tatterdeinulioi that he Is, his face Is al.
ways clean and smooth shaven, and the mo-
mcnt his work Is over he makes haste to at
lend to his hand, which, in spite of his labor.
lady set him to do some, garden work prepare
tory for the spring. While he was busy in
that toll which some one has wittily said re.
lady's husband passed by him with n visitor
going toward the gate. disputing as they went
about a quotation from shakespeare. The
Professor, oycrhearing, suddenly raised his
Excuse me, gentlemen, but neither of YOU
Is right. The quotation $50 and so.
This so surprised his hearers that reference
was made to the immortal William himself.
and the Professor was demonstrated exact to
II word. This circumstance confirmed a fleet
ing suspicion more than once aroused by his
manner, artitcially refined for one in his sta
face, and lastly his uneX pected knowledge, so
the lady taxed him with having been an actor!
He admitted it, and showed several old letters
of engagements numbers of laudatorv press
notices. and tattercd ~playbills galore in which
his once well-known name appeared In promi-
nent characters.
Then she rcmcmbered him well, for many a
time In crowded audiences in tirst-class the
utres she had heard that rich, SonOrous voice
kmOiI %'Ilamlet;" .M,ster M,dlter, e The
Hunchback." and similar roles, holding his
own well with distinguished stars of n not re.
mote date. Two reasons. he said. had brought
about his present degradation; The first was
tho falling into dcSuetude OF the legitimate
drama; the second, the almost complete usur.
patton of the American stage by the alien ele,
ment. Down, down. still further down slipped
the old-school actor, until at last his feeble
clutch upon even the outer edge of the boards
gave way altogether. .plpnving him INTO that
none crawls out and resumes his old standing;
Youth he seid: lis every actors stock in
than in any other, but in the days of stock
companies the loss of youth did not also mean
the loss Of livelihood. When the juvenile man
began to flesh up or to age he merely changed
his line of business. From the lovers he glided
into the heavics. from them into the old men.
leave the stage of life. Now i how different!
There are none but young people wanted by
managers even to play old parts. While EN-
lasting in the legitimate days. it yielded such
poor returns that we could at most live and
dress. but not save, so that an actor with a run
of hard luck was doomed to suffer distress.
Thus you can understand how /, through no
/ am not fifty yet with no ability to earn a
decent livelihood in any other than my own
profession. have sunk lower and lower.
until 1 have come to starve along in the most
abicct penury. earning II pittance for food by
the lowest mental work. in summer sleeping
under the stars to save the few, pence shall
require in winter to pay for nightly shelter in
some tramps' lodging house,
rCpdSr The stars!, the old actor said, "a
There is one large class OF show folks, happi,,
ly unaffected by because at present, hey md
the r'dtn l Int aspiring, tNeI bu-TbIllnR An
gIican tide. Their scene Of action is in the
deep and distant heart of the wild and woolly
t wsst; T Thsy h Sa!i 'f hsnrd OF New ,,p9 YORK ns they "S;
have heard of heaven. but it is too far off to
have the slightest influence. upon their dra-
play their variegated talents in temples of art
admittance to which is 10. 20, and even a.
Of nfI sl6 O. they icy give tive, per" a day. pei being
their lingo for performance. Their labors
are not confined TO the interior of the temple.
~ r ave- nrt,tra To ma y Tnttu tho 9 n
with "A band and verify by actual exhibition
the proud boast Of the MANAGER that all his
long to him and not to them. 1t is hardly
necessary to state that Irving. Rernhardt, and
.he like great lights Of The dramatic armament
death dealing wave of lesser foreign theatrical
invaders will roll onward and over his vast ma,
tive tracts. crushing. him out altogether.
1t is customary for the vendors of patent
medicines to travel through the Western
country in covered, spacious wagons. They
halt in the villages, and on the tail of the cart
n negro minstrel twanGs a banjo in accompani-
tuituus entertainment never fails to collect a
crowd. and then comes the chance of the fakir
to descant upon the properties of the pill or
In many instances the advertisers have gone
beyond the solitary minstrel with his, banjo.
and "A man and woman do n little double song
ambulance turn. An ,Englishman lately ar.
rived in this country hoping 70, find an open
ing here for his patent medicines. said the
Americans. by their way of advertising, were
killing the ''p. m. business over there"
why" he said, you no sooner started out
real good advertising wagon with "A negro
minstrel and n man to natter talk than along
came a great, bic. splurging Yankee wagon.
flying flaming advertisements. and n man and
woman doing n soug-and dance turn, And n
f"llar with such II gift of the nab setting forth
the wonders of the latest American scientific
discovery to cure everything. the catholic pill
and N-ray ointment, that the poor little Eng
lish concern was knocked clean out % sight
This is Il triumph n poor one, II Is true, but
II will have To answer until the hoasted Brit
ish love of fair play may incline them to the
atriCal reciprocity, for while they ovcrrun our
theatres, Americans have no footing upon the
British boards. England is not for Americans.
but America 81 for the English.
BILIIST FOR DUCKS.