The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-02-15
STILL LEARNING.
Joaquin Miller Continues to Follow
His Mothers Advice.
Vaudeville a Wonderful Thing as Presented
al Mr. kelih's Theatres.


! the subject Of his little talk. is In Itself
| sufficiently interesting to attract many
| TO Keith's 10 hear what Joaquin Miller
| has TO say about the land Of gold. yet
| It is unquestionably true that the in
| tcrest In his personality Is greater and
"a more potent factor in attracting the
public.
| For many years the poet OF the ST.
erras" has been "A picturesque charac-
| ter In American literature. about whom
much that is as strange as IL IL true
has been published 0s well as certainly
much that is untrue and unjust. HIS
poems and hi prose works and his
plays have had wide reading, ana
yet for long time he was prophet
without honor In his own country Tor
it was not until he visited England that
his poems found sufficient appreciation
To see the light OF the printed page.
Those who see him in his picturesque
Alaskan costume at Keths and who
listen TO his narration of his expert
ences on his recent visit TO the klon-
dixie certainly find much TO gratify the
curiosity that ne has aroused, ana yet
what they see and what they hear give
but n superficial and inadequate idea
of the man. and only In private con-
versation can "A fair estimate be formed.
Perhaps the FIRST thing that strikes
the stranger who makes his ac-
quantancc Is the Iact that,
though he may be sincere To the
utmost mentally, he is certainly
two-sided man physically. As one looks
In his face, covered with long gray
beard. il Is difficult TO believe That Mil
Ter is only 81, for his appearance Is That
of at least IL years more. though his
step is firm, his kindly eye bright his
figure erect and there rs not even a
suspicion OF senility When once ne
turns his back. however, il Is noted AT
once with surprise that his hair. long
and curling in at his neck, is of a chest
nut brown. without a streak or gray,
and then one can easily imagine nm a
man of not more than 40.
His manner is exceedingly gracious
and kindly. his smile engaging, MS
voice soft and musical, his blue eyes
play their important part In the warmth
of his greeting and the easy manner
i'm which he makes the stranger feel
not only that he is at home hut that nc
is welcome, and one can easily imagine
that as a host in his own home ne
would be the most charming or men.
His manners are simplicity IN the eN-
treme. everything he says and does
bears the stamp OF apparent sincerity
and earnestness: and there Is such an
absence OF affectation of any Kind, such
a lack OF evident desire 10 impress his
visitor or TO be eccentric. that one can
not help feeling that ne has been much
and grossly misjudged by those who
have int terpreted his peculiarities as
the tricks of the charlatan seeking no
toriety.
Like a venerable patriarch OF old he
looks and talks. ana there is "A charm
i'm his presence. a magnetism and a
gentle influence that draw one IRE
sistibly toward him.
He seems something like the proven
bial cat I'm the strange garret when seen
about the theatre for this is his first
experience I'm vaudeville, and IL seems
rather difficult for him TO accustom
himself To the new experience, oSpeci-
ally the necessity OF boiling down" his
lecture TO the allotted twenty minutes
though apparently he is rapidly fash
ioning himself into q Roman among the
Romans.
Il am greatly delighted with the peo-
pie whom / meet I'm the theatres, the
performers L mean" he said. They
are all so very kind to me. and l find
them ladies and gentlemen just such
as we find in the world at large, per-
haps no better, but certainly no worse"
giving the lie to much that has been
said and written OF them
do i like vaudeville? Well yes, ]
u
since I went into vaudeville. My mother
always said learn some thing every
day before you go 20 bed and / am
doing il today quite as much as ever.
VIII i remain in vaudeville? Wen, |
maybe. You see, l engaged for one |
hundred nights. and they are about half /
gone, but am now booked I'm a lot of !
vaudeville theatres after we leave here. |
"a wonderful thing this vaudeville is, |
Isn't it? | doubt IL the people at large |
realize and appreciate what Mr.. Keith !
has done and IL doing for them How |
wonderfully comprehensive vaudeville /
has become. l believe that very soon I
you will find high-class literary fea-
ture in almost every vaudeville pro- /,
gram such as Mr.. Keith presents; per- I
haps not every week. but very ire /
quently. II only the time allowed for |
an act as they call IT, were long /.
enough / believe famous artists |
would be engaged to paint upon the |
stage, and 1 would not be SURPRISED q"
find some great dramatic reader, some |
famous actors engaged to read on the |
vaudeville some of the most beautiful |
portions of the Bible What a debt |
the people owe To MIR. Keith Tor driving |
vulgarity and co0rseness from the |
stage in all his theatres: aud his infu- !
cn"e Is extending and broadening all /
the time. SO that naStnesS has been |
driven into tho darkness ana gutter, !
where IL belongs, and self-rcspcCting. /
intelligent. cultured and refined pcopie /
may go 10 such a theatre as his and be |
actually benefited physically and men
tally.
Have [ made hit2' Candidly, / |
don't know. The people seem 10 b. |
pleased, though | don't have time To |
tell them all Td like to: but on know |
| never read .he newspapers about my
self, and SO | don't know what they /
say. Not since 1 came back from Eng
land and the papers began Co stick nee
dies and pins into me have | ever read
a line that has been printed about nc
or my work OF any kild, and SO you
see am serene and my peace Of mind
Is undlsturbcd oh, yes, I am glad 10
meet newspaper men and To chat with 1
them. and | have some excellent friends |
among them. Still. ] let my manager |
get all the pleasure there ~ I'm what
the papers say that Is friendly. ana all
the worry there IL In any unfavorGblc |
comments.
NO. I wouldn't want 10 take The Sc
riOus resDongibilitV of advising any