The times., 1899-06-18


worship him, land after twenty or more
years of study and experience, l am not
| sure my confidence in him was unfounded.
He was great genius and the most won
| derful student l have yet met. After a
year with him9I was engaged by Lawrence
Barrett and the five years with his COM
pany nearly proved my ruin. Barrett was
man of imposing personality, whose
forceful traits impressed themselves upon
you SO that you could not help from imi-
tating him. He was a man of great power,
but of such pronounced mannerisms that
his tutelage was pernicious. He used his
voice so peculiarly"
Here the star of Rosemary illustrated
his old masters impossible reading of a
simple Shakespearean line by bit from
| the fifth act of Julius Caesar" making
the room ring with the mouthed intona-
tion. Then continuing Finally, l found
what hold these eccentrcities had upon
me, and sometimes in the midst of a
| speech the thought would come to me.
| Now l did that like Barrett and strive
| to break away from it and overcome his
influence. 1t was nearly impossible. All
actors are inclined TO initiate. In those
great dramatic festivals in Cincinnati. the
leading stars Of the country appeared in
! the classic and standard plays, each as
| suming important roles The companies
of Barrett and John Mccullough were
used in support and the difference between
| them was so remarkable, | always wonder
ed at it. Here each company had been do
/ ing the same line of work, yet were as diff
| ferent as one might imagine. When unit
ed in one company they reminded one Of
the Monongehela and Allegheny rivers as
they meet at Pittsburg. These streams
! follow separate course for miles down the
Ohio, the brick red of the one and the clay
| yellow of the other failing to unite-a
marked line of difference being noticeable.
MeCullough's actors were all deep -chested
old Romans with cavernous tones and man
ifest dignity. Mr.. Barrett's company were
snappy scrappy Romans, always looking
for trouble. We made strange support
ing company, for we all gave up our good
parts TO the stars and took the bits.
The result of this training with Bar
rett was that when we had our long run
in New York, l was a young and pretty
successful actor of the good youthful parts,
but literally filled with Barrett manner
isms and eccentricities. 1t was during
this great run in Gotham that | received
letter from Mr.. Daily offering me the po-
sition of co-leader in his company. l to
receive all the straight leads, while Mr..
Drew was to get all the comedy parts.
finally accepted and am glad | did so. Mr..
| Daily was my salvation and although !
afterward had trouble with him, as did all
his other people, l cannot close my eyes
to his beneficial effect The five years
with him made me all the actor / am to-
day and without that experience. l would
now be playing the wilds of the West, for
my manBerisms would have killed me ar
tistically During the days you are learn
4 ing the alphabet of art you are most sus-
ceptible to either good or pernieious in
fluences.
Yes, was with the Daily company when
Z n -
frightened lot of players you never saw.
We were playing little adaptation from
the German, called "128," in small and
little-known theatre. Tooles by name. We
anticipated an unfTiendly reception from
''the pit, yfor every English actor had told
us of the liberty given this free and easy
crowd in the mother country. So we were
all pretty frightened when the curtain rang
up. But in the audience were large Lum-
ber of Americans, including John T. Ray
mond "Aunt Louisa Eldridge, and others,
now less we'll known. They had determine
ed to make US welcome, and as each artist
appeared a royal reception was given lin
or her. The boys in the pit looked askance
at each other and consulted. I'VE will see
who gets the welcome" said they to them
selves and when it became evident to them
that each bloody American was so to be
received hiss mingled with the plaudits
/
stopped right there, and when l came on
later in the act the house vas as quiet as
Westminster Abbey.
Next year we went over again and play
ed the Strand, with better business and
more warm reception. At the end OF the
ten or twelve weeks We had made a nota-
BILE record and Sir Henry Irving determin-
ed to give us a banquet. 1t was a stag"
affair and took place in the room OF the
nII EIirI' in ba h,rfIl
ing Several members of the nobility and
Terriss and one or two of the old actors
were there, with the male members of our
I; company. Sir Henry invariably entertains
in palatial style and this spread was no ex-
ception. Toast after toast was given to all
the crowned heads and all that and
finally some one proposed the toast OF Mr..
DAILY. He never rose to respond, and if a
wet blanket had fallen upon the table the
effect would not have been more marked.
1t hurt Irving l am sure although he
never showed his resentment until he came
to America a couple of years later and
DAILY gave great banquet in his honor at
Delmonico's. !. was n representative
gathering. including our leading actors,
novelists, wits. statesmen, and soldiers.
THE banquet was a regal one, confection
statuettes of Sir Henry and Miss Terry
standing at each point of the star adorning
the table, the great floral piece being done
in red, white and blue flowers. When ITv-
ing was toasted he rose, and after express
ing his endorsement of Miss Terry's ad-
miration for Miss Rehan and scratching
his left ear with his right hand, jumped in
and dissected Days company and the
Shakespearean production of the evening
very courteously but nevertheless very saw
agely. The great crowd was thunderstruck.
and DAILY himself was transfixed with hor-
ror of it all. Many excuses have been Civ
en- for this lapse of etiquette, but believe
it was Irving's manner of returning in
kind Days discourteous act at the Beef
steak Club two years before
During the early portion OF the coming
season Mr. Skinner will be seen in the
play used during this year TO star John
Drew, Henry Arthur Jones' The Liars"
This business arrangement is made in Ie-
sponse to the very general request from
the South and West, where they think
there is no actor like Skinner, and are
more than nine-tenths correct. After q
three months tour in the society comedy
the present star of Rosemary" viii go
into New York with new play, as yet
unsolicited and unnamed. for a run. Sew
eral vehicles are being considered by Mr..
Skinner. and it is sincerely hoped he may
secure piece commensurate with Lis par
amount abilities. This is all he has needed
for years to make him the recognized lead
er of his profession. After the New York
run of his new play the piece will be seen
in Washington
James Murphy. a brother of Tim Murphy.
is at his home in the city after a season
on the road with his brother Few Wash
ingtoniaRs would recognize the well-kuOwn
aptp nlrf a 1It -1,iJnf S.and m al