Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-01-24
A NEW SUPERSTITION.
ALTERATION AN AUSPICIOUS
AMULET.

Nt"Se1ts
Proposed by Effie El,sIer's Agent
There Appears TO He Something
In Ii, for on the stage Allitera.
tive Names Have Achieved He.
nown.
H. A. Darcy, who was in the city
Jew days ago, in the interest of Etfie
Elisler, is poet, playwright and pro-
FOUNDER of ideas. He has invented
new superstition which, if unreason-
able, is at least an interesting study.
He argues that ALTERATION in names
is lucky and offers examples in stage
life to bear out his theory. He says:
at is quite number of years ago
when 1 first noticed the large percent
age OF theatrical names, the initials of
which corresponded. 1t occurred to
me that most of these names were as
sumed ones and adopted in the inter-
est of euphony, but l found this was
not so; then / discovered beyond
doubt that ALTERATION was lucky
quantity.
Efiie Ellsler, when playing Juliet in
the balcony scene, voices one of Shak-
speare's most famous axioms. Miss
Capulet is awfully "gone" on young
Montague and bemoaning the fact
that his name is Objectionable to her
family, says that a rose by any other
name would smell as sweet" The
young lady may be correct, but she
has no more proof to back up her as
sertion than have to the contrary. l
hold that if the rose had been named
cactus" it would not have been the
ideal flower we know. There is much
in names or why do poets and novel
lets christen their virtuous maidens
Martha, Gladys or Madeline, while
they invariably call their adventur-
esses Cora, Lima, Mana, Lena or some
such name with four letters and end
ing with ga" But, I am only discuss
ing one example in the value Of names
which, as before stated, is ALTERATION.
Couple two or more names COM
mencing with the same letter and as
sure as you do 80, it will influence
good fortune. l would need q column
Of this newspaper to give the examples
of which know. / will start with q
few and give the reader chance to
continue the list.
Some lucky women OF the stage are
Effie Ellsler, Charlotte Crabtree, Char
lotte Cushmsn, Charlotte Champion,
Maggie Mitchell, Maggie Moore, Amy
Ames, Flora Finlason, Lillian Lamson,
Grace Golden, Daisy Dixon. Billie Bar
low, Minnie Maddern, Marion Manola
Mason, Katherine Kidder, Millie Mis-
ks, Bessie Bonehill, Lille Langiry,
Emma Eames, Marguerite Msther and
Dorothy Darcy.
What excuse has Lillian Russell got
for acting? Nothing, but the mascot
name and she can write her check for
$50 900 any day.
Some lucky men are Collie Cibber,
Joseph Jefferson, Walker Whiteside,
Dore Davidson, Frank Frayne, Harry
Harris, Melbourne Macdowel, Mark
Murphy, Harry Hawk, Edward Eddie,
Charles Ceote, Roland Reed, and hum
dred of others. I met Marcus Mayer
on Broadway one day and he said ::
I'm in that" and Albert Aronson
added me, too" Only last week I
was seated at dinner table with three
ladies OF certain melo.dramatic COM
pany and remarked the fact OF alliter-
alton in their names. 1t had never
occurred to them and yet they were
companions. Fancy. Clara Coleman,
Alice Ainscoe and Florence Forter
Fleming, and all assured me their
names were not assumed ones and
each admitted that Dame Fortune was
more than kind.
Some lucky partnerships: Harrigan
& Hart, Henderson & Hanley, Harri-
gan & Hanley, Barnum and Bailey,
Hallen & Hart, Murray & Murphy,
Murphy & Mack, Booth & Barrett
(whO, though great actors, were sig
nally unfortunate until associated,
when they made the most colossal
fortune known in the profession), Rus
sell & Rosenquest, during their part
nership made 100000 and lost the
same after they separated. Havlin,
Hagan & Hutton, managers of thea
ters in st. Louis and Chicago, may
date the commencement of their COL
lective fortunes to the day they be-
came associated In management.
1t may occur to the reader that be-
being theatrical man 1 am taking all
the value of this charm to my own
profession. Not at all. 1t may be
traced in the history OF the world.
Was it fate or design that Mahomet
was born in Mecca and buried in Me-
dina, or shat Wellesley, Lord Yelling
ton won Waterloo? That famous bat
tie was fought on Friday, the unlucky
day for all fatalists. Had Blucher
been arrayed on the side of Bonaparte,
the issue might have been reversed.
When a man takes up arms against
government, if he fails he is a rebel !;
if successful he is patriot. No man
ever took so great a risk with results
on his side as General Guseppi Cara.