Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-31

an enterprise were carried out to the fuil
possibilities land this, Of course. would be
| the hope Of its projectors). 1t would mean
| Capitalization of artistic power, which
might very easily develop into tyranny.
Mr. William Jennings Bryan, as an anti
imperialist, would scarcely approve OF 1t.
Advocates of states rights would regard 1t
with suspicion, and antitrust promoters
would foresee new monopoly and only the
| few actors and playwrights who came under
its shetering wings would feel themselves
tangibly benefited. 1t would require an
immense amount of fraternal regard. an
almost limtless breadth of ethical lib
crafty to prevent the players and littera-
, system from feeling that they were being
Disseminated against by partisan clique.
and the public would probably go on seeing
1.-THE Sleeping Beauty and the Beast ana
king Dodo'' just the same.
Yet it is strange that men DESTROYS OF en-
downing phianthropic or educational 11stl-
tutions neglect the theater so completely;
There is no institution, which could wield
more potent influence in manners and opln-
ion than the theater. Even on Its present
purely mercenary and speculative basis II
Is a center of interest, and with many peo-
pie takes the place of the library. An . ei.
fort to do something for the stage In the
same spirit that Mr.. Carnegie is displaying
as a founder of libraries would unquestlon-
ably insure enviable and permanent 1ame TO
the promoter. But it is an enterprise tnat
would require something more than bricks,
mortar and bank account to bring II TO
worthy conclusion.
Little Eleanor Robson. who Is now fea-
tured by Liebler 6 Co., in Audrey" came
very nearly being an artist-meaning, Of
course. with the paint brush. That Miss
Robson is entitled to the histrionic term Of
artist" few will deny. but that she pos
sessess talents of different order has not
heretofore been disclosed. Some years ago
when Miss Robson was attending con-
vent In New York the good sisters discov-
cred that she had talent with the brush and
advised her mother to send her to Paris
to study art. This was agreed to, the prep
arations were made to send her abroad. The
mother, however, met with an unexpected
obstacle. the desires of the daughter. Il
do not wish to study art" said this positive
little woman. 81 want to be an actress like
you and grandmother" Madge Carr Cook,
Miss Robson's mother, made the usual pro-
tests of parents, professional or otherwise,
against their offspring going upon the
stage. The preparations for the girls de-
parture for Paris went forward but slowly,
because so much time was taken up In dis
GUESSING the matter. Her mother woke her
each morning to hear. Mamma, I'm not
going to Paris Her meals were all enliv-
ened by her daughters remarks about her
determination to be an actress. The re-
suit was what might nave Deen eXpeCleu
This was in 1897. when Miss Robson was
sixteen years old. 1t happened that Mr..
Daniel Frawley needed young girl for
minor parts in his stock company in San
Francisco. He engaged Eleanor Robson for
these roles. Soon afterward Gladys Wallis
resigned from the company and the ingen-
ues who succeeded her did not share in the
opinions of the management sufficient to
be available. There is nothing to do" said
the unhappy manager, but try that Rob-
son child in the part" And this Is how
Eleanor Robson came to be an actress.
X X
Flora Zabelle, the pretty little Armenian
soubrette. who Is Interpreting the role Of
Annette in king Dodo," has declared an
intention Of sending an all-American lyric
| organization of about forty people, includ-
ing Miss Zabelle, to show Armenians and
Turks in Constantinople just how we enter
tain ourselves over here.
Miss zabelle was brought to this country
some fifteen years ago by her father. Rev.
DR.. Mangasarian, who migrated from
Stamboul and became the pastor of the
| Episcopalian Presbyterian Church Of Phila-
delphia. Miss zabelle was educated at
Wellesley, and after her father became as
| ISOLATED in the work Of lecturing on ethical
culture in New York, the young woman ap-
| piled to Mr.. Savage and filed season with
| the chorus of his Castle Square Grand
| Opera Company at the American Theater.
| The following season she Interpreted the
| title role in San Toy" and last year was
| prominent in the feminine support Of James
| L. Powers In The Messenger Boy"
| X \
| If Raymond Hitchcock, the custodian of
| the title role in King Dodo" had not been
born with a lugubrious cast Of countenance
! and a pathetic tenor voice he might still be
| working in the bank at Canandaigua, N.
| Y. where he was born and reared But
| "Old man Hitchcock's kid Raymond" was
| a sad and sandy youngster with a mop of
| hair han ing down over his eyes and a big
| mouth that turned down at the corners.
| Raymond never knew that he was a genius
| until one day when he was offered So to
| sing two solos at a funeral, and then he had
| hard work to make himself believe it. All
| the prominent citizens who attended the
| funeral, said that his singing was the most
affecting thing they had ever heard, and as
a result Hitchcock worked up quite trade
! in the funeral music line. This gave him
his first idea that was cut out for a comic
opera comedian.
One day the w. T. Carleton Opera Com
pany played an engagement in a nearby
town and Raymond went over to give an
exhibition Of ground and lofty tenor for the
benefit Of the manager. That important
person said he could use Mr.. Hitchcock s
voice in his chorus at ten per, and Ray
mond accepted on the spot. He was to join
the company on a Monday and on the pre-
ceding day signalized his departure from
the church choir by singing I'VE Sail the
Ocean Blue" as an offertory solo. The good
church people were very much displeased
with his theatrical ambitions, and in one
voice said that Raymond would come to no
good end. They point to his present emil
nence as a comedian as proof that their
prophecy has come true. A few months in
the chorus of the Carleton Opera Company
convinced Mr.. Hitchcock that he would
have a hard time being as funny as he
could in that organization, so he quit It at
the first opportunity and became an end
man in Charlie Whites Minstrel Company.
For two years he ratified the bones, thump-
ed tambourine and helped to pull the in
terlocutor's chestnuts out of the fire, but
he found II such hard work heip0 f,,rnx,