The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-25

, are certain that II they win he pay. The
knowledge that -ione OF them hss proves no
| Encouragement. They continue to gaze with a
yeaTning and ccveiing eye on his ten-car special
| trains laundering across a thousand miles Of
t.ese realms in twenty four hours. his houses
and servants. his 9Ncn-and his asses, VI which
, he has sevcTsl prime specimens in his employ
and the things that his And in the contcm
plation the heart OF them is filed with a great
desire
\ dresser gets his ears boxed for wanton i'm
pudence. and he sues. 4 trusted secretary is
caught in a deal with ticket specuators and is
discharged. lie sues. silly women. half-tratncd
in the art Of acting, get the aaectations slang
wbaneed out OF them. They sue. \ vulgar
| parTenu becomes POSSESSED OF the dclusion that
he has written thu best play anybody has written
since Shakespeare ds-i. lie sees how easily this
| suing trick is turned. SO he
Have YOU heard OF OF these suits being
saincdg Upon my word ! haven't.
| II only the financial aspects OF the case were
10 he considered it wouldn't be worth consider
ing at ali.
But inevitably these farcical litigntians detract
| from the dignity of great artist and noble
man.
That is the reason-and the only reason-,he
public has right TO know the truth about the
! Mansficld suing habit
! For people who think once before they speak
I at all, no iaborgd defence of the present master
/ OF our stage will he required. They will suspect
/ the motives of tbose who 70 having it so de-
honairiy on grounds which. in the business world
! woui1 he laughed out of Justice shop
Blu. in that queer. naive world OF the stage
! the oldest notions of responsibility and honor
maintain Its standards of financial lrobity have
I been r1otoTiously and scanlslousiy low
Until the syndicate injected some OF its sturdy
commercial methods into the business conduct
of theatrical ventures every eminent star was
s'irronrde,i bg eechiug parasites. whose success
in thieving cqualed only by the aplomh with
which they stole MIR. Goodwin has suffered as
a result Of their operations, ard heavily. too
Sir Henry Irving. his side Of the water was
brought to absolute financial ruin by the gang
b ffnuT awrF..a 81,
This is notorious fact. and IL explains why in
his old age Sir Henry CONES trooping TO America
These great men, and others | could name
gave their talents to the art of The stage. They
have reserved in vCry full measure tie rewards
The stage eonfcTs upon her chosen children Tacv
also have paid, TO the last farihing and the
uterrnost heariachc, all the penalties and hu.
Mutations the stage demands of the ftiec,s.fui
it seems inevitable that they shonld arouse !
many bitter and apparently incxpliGahle crHii- |
ties There Is now PLAYING in this town an actor !
o. The nfzt rank, whose press agent attempts 70 |
leddle 10 the newspapers matter derogatory 10 /
Mr. Mansfield. TIE actor himself i never more /
happily employed than when he can. in safe !
privacy. d7Iide the Mansfield walk. the Mansfield |
gestures. The Mansfield voice. the Mansfield pcr.
s'nality- Hate. Shiny and cowardly oozes from
every sentence he speaks concerning his great
coDfreIe. Ire useful press agent who distributes
typewriter spretds Of the same tenor once was
a well-psid ernp!oye Of the masters
HIS cN-eHrlorts seem always to find a market
for their scurTilities
During slr Nansfeld's engagement here 4
year agD l sitting il Mr. Hanln's office a. (
the Grand Opera House when one OF this rcntrT
who had Just been discharged for dr,iHkennees |
lurched into the room.
Lhve heard drivers Of army trains express
their sentiments in moments of despair and sux
iety but | rsHu heard anything at all 10 com.
pare with the remarks OF this PLAYER for general
FiilsinF. yu.garity, and wiekedness. lie cursed |
the Mansfield stock root. branch. and flower |
and, after beng gently eyicisd. carried his iale
10 professional and non-pTofe-ional friends tar. !
rying N cur midst good while. by the war be- I
estse no seh-resperting manager would touch
nm with a pair OF tuncs
. II IS from such malignant. backbiting cattle
from discharged undeTstrarpers disg-untled plar-
wrigiits, dishonest business agents. and ietlgi,s
rivals that the tradition. nief lpiies Ricb,rTi
MlI'sield into an ogre and a rrrfaan erusUafrs
Believe mC-aFd know the man welI-he who
has touched and upiifted the heart OF 50 many
,housaeds Is nc, ravening JekyilHyde. nor does
ne perform the loYeiie>t and most unselfsi ba,a-
factions one moment to become the ysufon ~ |
suffer OF women the next
ihst he has high temper and is easilr do |
pressed or exalted is quite true. II he weren't !
OF mai cisangefui mysterious temperament now
lfoouv and now iridescpnt with poetic feeling |
he wouldn't he able to give YOU the wonderful |
creations he does His nerves quiyer responsiveIy
to every gnsty wave Of feeling. He pours out |
inc best Of himself for aiGa=einent and de.
iight, and spares no pang Of grief or iov ths; |
snail make The mimicry ring true 4 doctor
toiu ne not Ions ago that it was beyond his
i -
act Of ''C'yrano'' for a whole s-a.ou win tba |
ire and abandon Ir. Mansfield displays. ard not
go mad. He is nerve specialist. this doctor
sha was considering the matter in the light Of
his special knowledge.
But the actor who does 80 oornplctely ,,f,-e ;fs
immense gifts TO his art and lis public wio !
loe7 50 thflil US when he is in good spirits and
gay, wien his heart i heavy and liz I,.Jy !
irf- cannot indulge himself in q breezy ebullifi.p
temper without being made mock from one |
md Of the country To the other
For 0ffn I -,
rs know about-sonc OF his secrst benefaction, |
should Ike You to know of the pretty partissI
and the lavish gifts with which h. delights | ,
chu9Ten, 50 many OF whom regard him as !
good fairy come out Of book s.ould like |
you who hear only Of his biting sarra.rps 10
know OF the good. kindly deed, he performed /
IN the day, wh'n he ate the bread OF discomfort
and adversely. when he went hungry and ,s,
meanly clad ard cold. He did not MAI, for tho ! ,
coming Of renown and riches to be a very present
aid TO them that we're troubled
ne siiared ms crust and divided his cloak
kntWing these things. YOU will think II
bitter ausiness that he should find 50 little 10y
atty in his splendid encourage Of today: tb5t !
Lhose who never achieved one single uot.l.s | q
, -,,feis excerpt undcr his Immediate. constant.
ana iahorous tutclage, should lift their hands
against him; that he should be the shining mari
Tor loot and spite c
Il was 50 with the great Gauics. Indeed.
when isn't l. 50? {
Things have to pass whore ANYBODY. en. /
harently, can call Mr. Mansfield 4 rlllflan and {
gain some measure ri credencr .
ogre he may be. but be distinctly is not
iooi-not yet-and ne does possess a vcry, nro- :
bounced sense Of the ridiculous. Hence YOU mas, !
account 1t fact that there has been some YER,
an eNaggeration IN the interviews which ch,re,. |
nm with having fllunled himself as a ee,ifs r
and therefore privileged TO saw OF do ap1 ia,, |
css thing be pleases /
That VI. Mansfield should regard himself ,s c
me endowed with somewhat mote than ordinar,. !
lifts is quite likely. l
lie could hardly cscapc having m i,tlir, 81, | b
hat f1ct. | n
Even 50 sone and gentle soul IS Ellen Terry \
oniessed 10 something like the same impression &
Oncefning herself in the course of an hours ~ ! =
he had with interviewer the other dlv
81 VIII not deny she said, chat there have I
zen times when ielt there was something sbout S
ne-some gift spell-Rhich gave me 4 strange
,ower over nv ag ,ienres'' | y
Now. after that naive confession. hail We all d
Hardly y
Something like that fancy Mr.. Mansfield NAV
ave said. but that he uttered the ''Bchold-a- v
Genius, B0w-Wow, Bow Now rot that his fair Il
rosecutriz-to-be credits him with. do not be- 81
ieye. For. you see. he has 81. sc of hurnor
nd keen appreciation OF the lidicrous Ono
owerer, he exercised this appreeiation--apd tn | .
is own discomfiture-up a reporter ,rbo ! u
Oiled into his dressin-room at a Cincinnati ! ~
heatre with the brilliant question: How do n
Oh regard yourself an actory' d
Mr.. Mansfield without hitting ash. cracked ! S.
sck with, "oh, think I'm the Z eatest man | 4
nce Carried" The danger in answering fool :,
his instance. For this particular fool didn't te
luei'. as per expectation. hut went his asinine o
ay and printed the quip in chilling type j,
Mr.. Mansfield has often confessed that his -
eres git horribly tangled, and he told me .,
e Internally hard man t. work with | "
Dme such remark that has been twisted into P'
le lama genius rubbish the papers have -
zen making much OF. you may be sure II
Anybody Who has witnessed the almost miracu- r
manifestations OF Grass stupdty made btl n