The times., 1899-04-02
CHATS WITH THE PLAYERS.

|
CHATS WITH THE PLAYERS.
After the Monday matinecs were over
and just as the labor of the night was
about to begin two callers dropped in at
The Times. One of them was Harry Ed
son and the other was his dog Doe" an
intelligent animal which is just now max
| ing the rounds of the vaudeville houses.
Mr.. Edison entered first and doc" after
| having quietly closed the door through
which they had come stood still and wat
ed for orders. His trainer introduced him
self to the critic, and then turned toward
the brute. Doe he said, 'let me pre-
sent you to the dramatic editor OF this
paper The little beast Immediately stoo
up and offered his paw. The Times nan
shook hands, and the conversation became
proper.
The New York daiiies have been max
1 ing great deal of Doc remarked Mt.
Edison, and as result he is quite par
tial to scribes. My statement on the pro-
grammes at the Grand that my assistant
here has "a human brain is made in good
| faith. Doc is the only dog / have ever
seen that really understood what was said
to him and did not do tricks in the Sc
quence taught him or by taking a cue from
| the tone used in giving commands. Docs
abilities are not exploited consecutively,
and his training stands him in as good
stead III the street as on the stage. You
noticed how he took pains to shut that
door after him. He shows the same care
in everything he does, refusing to go up
or down stairs until l have preceded him
and obeylng me to the letter in every
thing. That he gains no Information from
I m inf invl- ha i1x
Watch him.
Mr.. Edison took a biscuit from his pocket
and poised it before the animals expectant
eyes. If you catch this he said, aimost
as though making supplication, you may
eat it," He tossed the bit into the air
and Doc made a frantic effort to seize
the morsel as it fell. Failing in this, he
remained in his original attitude without
so much as looking at the tempting food.
Get it," quoth Mr.. Edison, without vary
ing his tone in the least. The beast obeyei.
Bring it here" ordered the entertainer.
still pleadingly. Doe laid the biscuit
! in his masters hand Take it back The
brute once more assumed possession of
the cracker Now" added the young fell
low, eat it, The command was given
without the slightest variation from the
note in which the first speeches were
couched, but Doc" did not hesitate a Sec
ond before devouring the portion held in
his jaws.
When this remarkable performance was
over Mr.. Edison turned to The Times man.
Il have been in the show business ever
since l can remember he explained. My
attention was first called to the wonderful
possibilities OF animal training during The
brief period in which | was with Gentry's
Dog and Pony Circus. Shortly after
bought Doc then the merest puppy. He
was three-fourths pug, and as pugs are
repTably the most stupid creatures on
earth, did not put much faith in his abil-
ity. One or two incidents soon proved to
brute. and l began work on him, re-
peatins the lessons / wished him to learn
hundreds OF times until / was sure he knew
about what ] was talking. The members
of the organization with which / was then
playing first laughed at me and then be-
gan to think me crazy. But | persevered
and finally brought Doc to his present
state of proficiency. A phrenologist exam
ined his head recently in New York and
told me that the brute had always had
good mind. but that it had been wonder
fully developed within the last two years
What do you think of that?
. Doc is very commendable fellow. He
is patient and works hard. but occasional@
ly he gets into a bad humor and then l
have to be very careful of him. 1t would
not do TO whip him or to punish him In
any way. Invariably he has to be jol-
| lied out of his fit of the sulks, and you
would laugh to see me playing with him in
| an attempt to restore him to his usual
| temper. Recently / have been very easy
/ on him because | have been afraid of brain
! fever. I have TWO very good pugs in train
ing and when their education is complete
l shall retire Doc on half pay and his
| past honors."
Mr.. Edison turned toward the door. Doc"
came over very civilly and put out his
| paw to shake hands. Then both left. A
moment later The Times man looked out of
window and saw the two companions
walking down the street together Doc"
was roaming from one side of the nave
ment TO another, as any common dog might
| have done. No one TO have seen him would
have imagined that his mind was of a
! superior grade and that at that moment
| he might have been dreaming of some
algebraic problem or proposition in chem
istry. But then even intelligent dogs. like
intelligent people, have appetites. and. as
the dinner hour was near, perhaps 'Doc's''
| thoughts were on something more mate
| rial and much more common than algebra
or chemistry.
| It was in the parlor of the Oxford Hotel
| va last HtNlitSudg IuOTUlUS tldt q
pectiye interviewer met Christie MacDon-
aid and began to talk with her on operatic
work ia general and soubrettes in particu-
lar DO you know" enquired Miss Mac
| Donald, without any semblance of the man
ner in which William Gillette used to de-
liver those words, that good people arc
scarcer in my line OF business than in anv
other. SOubrettes of any account are very
rare. Neither Francis Wilson nor Franz;
| Daniels is supplied with a specimen of that
commodity since neither Lulu Glaser nor
| Norma Kopp may be placed under such a
head, and when Della Fox had gone star
ring and Edna Wallace been divorced De-
Wolf Hopper was forced to manufacture
that important item in his support after
| having obtained the material from the
ranks OF the amateurs. Fortunately, Alice
Judson proved a marvellous little woman
but there are not many Alice Judsons.
There are two reasons figurable for the
| scarcity | mention In the fret pIona .