The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-20

organiza ton that he has ever banned to-
gether under his OWL lnanagemcnt.
Israel Zaugvill was married i'll London
the other day, and he received, Of course.
many letters, kilograms and cablesrams
bearing the congratulations and good
wishes of his friends-for even Israel
ZangwilI has friends.
And the ueatest of these was sent by
Eleanor Robson who has done go much
for the Jewish author by lenans her
sympathetic personality and true talent
TO the name part IN Merely Mary Am.
Wrote Mics Robson
May the little birds in your heart and
your wte's always s:2g the hi,R syfs aIs"
One OF the NEST touching, scenes In
Merely Mary Arm" occurs in the last act.
when Lsncelot confssses to Mary Ann
that the canary she gave him for keep
sake Ia dead.
And So" she says. "all the other little
birds IN my heart. love. innocence. sym
pathy. are dead" And then. after she has
tations Of love for her and bns Ned from
the room, she returns. 1.-The little birds in
my heart started singing ~ asain'" she muT-
murE. and I ssms back ,.,. ,,,,. Poisson
drew the inspiration for her message. ano
Mr.. Zangwill doubtless could not have had
her well Wishes expressed to him IN terms
Nat Goodwin's friends are telling n
new story on him. After sad wrestle
with Shakespeare, the comedian WIS
packing up HE goods and chattels at the
New Amsterdam Theater. New York. pre-
paratory to silently stealing away. just
then he remembered that his vile was
to be the next occupant OF that dressing.
room, so he pinned this note TO the wall:
"Be good, dear, and save your money; Tor
remember you are the breadwtnnsr !. new
Goodwin has secured the rights to Ed
win Milton Royle's luughable piece, MY
Wife's Husband"
Something of the actors unseen life-the
reverse side Of that glamorous shield
which lures such constant adrniration-is
disclose in an excerpt of an old letter
written by Otis Skinner several years ago
to close professional friend. 1t sings
Of the seamy side, with the same pathos
found In Carnio's beautiful lament-"On
with the Motley, the Paint and the Pow
der
Il have studied and striven for years to
make Shylock-my Shyiock-an original,
or, at least, an individual creation-Dorn
of my own conception and built from my
own ideas and imagination.
1 am now oppressed. almost discouraged
with the complete knowledge that my
Shylock is but an imitation Of that great
Il must get away from 1t. l must be
myself, else must fail.
But how? The more I study the role
and the more I think on it. the more /
am impressed with the keen. sure truth
of Mr.. Booths perceptions and treatment.
l. played in the piece with him many
times that / fall naturally into his meth
false"
in, JrI,p
Otis Skinner first essayed the Jew. throws
an eloquent searchlisht on the trials OF
the ambitious actor in his study hours.
This is one of the common expressions
Of the fine fibered artist. and surely 1t is
not without pathos. 1t is easy to under
stand how an actor of Mr.. SINNERS art
istic constituencies would be impressed and
for time dominated by a personality and
an art SO commanding as those possessed
by Edwin Booth.
But finally he broke away. through the
encompassing wall imposed by the mem
DRY Of Booths wonderful portrayal, and
discovered a legitimate opening for new
Shylock and his own -
Skinner recently. II searched all the conf
.nentators. but could find no definite agree
ment for Shylock's age. Booth. Irving
and all the rest had played him as an
old man, yet each at the same time, APP
parently, sought to make him Il type
man Of the Jewish race. II occurred TO
could represent his wonderful race in the
full vigor of strong and seasoned middle
age This was the cue, and / worked
around this new idea until l had formed
n conception Of the creation at least my
own. No serious bar appears for crit
icism.
'Jessica Is tender in years. and to me
the entire play becomes stronger with
the thought that as n younger man Shy
lock could feel his wrong more deeply and
stand without iniirmity, or age. a greater
Tr1aays Ayt AINan IL fssa
All the Shakespearean commentators
agree that the story of Shylock and An
t9ntos pound of flesh IS pure myth. and
is quite foreign to Jewish instinct for this
race has ever been peaceful in its meth
DDS. The Hebrews as a people detest vio-
lence.
But for all this. there is authority for
the notion that the character of Shyiock-
anyway his name-was taken from that
of a Venetian of prominence. who was liy-
ing between 1904 and 1907.
Marie Tempest. she Of the days asone,
has returned to Ncw York in a comedy,
The Marriage of Kitty. and straight
way called back TO her feet all the admir-
ing ones of the old days She is voted n
clever comedicnne. and her play declared
10 be the NEST entertaining. Ii is AN
adaptation from the French with the
French cut out, made by Miss Tempest's
husband, Mr.. Lennon.
Recently she was speaking of her iuInp
from the musical TO TIN. dramatic, Said
she: Il left comic opera FOR comedy be-
cause they do not have the comic operas
now that bike. II seems 10 me they have
deie;ioratcd into musical variety shows
'Icnlct.y. think, IS "A better and more ar
tistic field. You aye net Handicapped as
you arc in comic opera.
still. keep UP my music Wherever |
go insist upon having a piano in my room
IN the hotel. Every day l practice about
an hour. more for the pleasure of il than
anything else"
While Miss Tempest is a very energetic