Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-10-18

AS I knocked at his door did my
best TO clog my usually bounding spirits
with a feeling of awe. mo matter how
vigorous his acting, he Is very old, ="
said / to myself, land | must be very
careful very tactfu and reverent to the
last degree Indeed, | said more than
that to my trustful young self: /
said that | should humor him.
Oh, youth with its pouted chest and
self-cOmplacent goodness Of heart,
can see legions OF bright young men
smugly humoring j. II. Stoddart-I do
not think.
All my kindly prearrangements were
squeezed away in the first grip Of his
hearty hand. That strong splendidly
ugly face glowed with his magnetism.
| may say here as well as any other
place that there Is no dlsenchantment
In talk with "Old Man" Stoddart. He
Is as vivid, yirie and strong off the
stage as on. with him you need not
affect a reverence for mere years which
Is not in your heart. He will meet you
on your own youthful ground, Today
Is as real for him as 1t is for you, He
is contemporary 10 the last minute, ev-
en- though that minute be his seventy
fifth year. He is full of fine old yester-
days that trail back into the times OF
Forrest, Macready Cushman. the elder
keane--but they are yesterdays, well
remembered but not blottlng out the
present.
On the table that stood between our
chairs were the newspapers of that
morning containing the accounts OF
his first appearance in San Francisco
as star. A younger man In his debut
season as a star would have hidden
them--would perhaps have effected not
to have read them. But this new star
Is different--superbly different. There
Is not an actorial pose In his whole
manner. He had read the papers, had
liked the notices lie said he liked
them.
"They cheered me- ne said. owe
never get too old TO like n kindly thing
said of us-do we? Nor"-with.a droll
smile at me-"too young II like TO hear
that the kindly thing for the old gem
tleman has been well saidg'
Can't you see me "humoring' stod-
dart?
He smiled again when ! asked him
how II felt to be a star, and he referred
me TO Joseph jefferson for expert tes-
timony.
"Mr jefferson is my junior by six or
eight months" he said. but he has
been doing this sort Of thing nearly all
his life. And his success has been Won
derfu. For years and years the critics
have been after him for devOiing his
whole life TO one part, but HIS Rip Van
Wrinkle Is more successful now than
q fas
later In life 20 do something OF the
same sort; that is, 10 Identify myself
with a single role for few seasons
that are left before my retirement"
why dld you walt so many years?
Stars were sprlnging up on all sides OF
you"
mot until I was an old man." he cor
rected. when came 10 America from
England in - to join the Wallack COM
pany our featured players-or stars, as
they are now called-were such people
as Forrest and Cushman and. latNr on.
Edwin Booth. There was no royal road
TO the front I played all kinds OF
parts then--and since. We were all eX-
cept the very great ones. soldiers In
the ranks. and soldier-like. a man rose
SYSTEM II made for ensemble and har-
mony: and even a player OF no par
ticular brilliance was taught 81 least
the soldier-like repose that Is invalu-
able TO a career on the stage"
"And IN contrasting the past and
the present.
"You must remember that the condi-
lions are altogether unlike. Maybe
there Is Just as much ability today as
Yesterday: but everything is altered.
There Is no longer a school. The thea
ter is now a purely commercial institu-
ton I'm which the manager finds II TO
his advantage 20 feature q great many
players that in former days would
hardly have been considered ripe 20
graduate from the ranks"
in those days the tailor and me
matinee girls we're not such important
factors IN the making Of stars.
"Nor was a liberal press" he sup
riemented. smiling from one SIDE ~
his big. expressive mouth. The act.
ors that were featured and called
great in those days were great Thej