Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-03

m0NEQ IIOu the uuE~hlbAA ~ "a ~
night class. through the two-night grada-
tion. Singular as It may seem, the re-
ceipts for the second nights performance
Of the recent engagement were greater
those Of the hrst night, and this
despite the fact that II only rained the
first night, while snow fell on the second.
Next year when Mr.. Mansfield comes to
Omaha It will be for four performances
three nights and a matinee. Each OF his
new pieces will be given twice. II is a
little early. perhaps. to reserve seats, but
there is no reason to believe that the
house will not be sold out for all perform
ances.
The death of Mr.. Stuart Robson removes
one Of the NEST eminent OF American come
dams. For many years he has been known
as a man Of delightful parts, a veritable
fountain Of impertuTable good humor on
the stage, and a most genial and desirable
companion off. He has been q great friend
OF Omaha during a quarter Of a. century
and had man warm friends here, not to
speak Of thousands OF admirers, to whom
his death came as a personal loss. Mr..
Robson's last appearance in Omaha was
last fall, when he played Dromio OF SYRIA
cuse In TT Comedy OF Errors" and BERTHE
the Lamb in THE Henrietta"
Stuart Robson was the stage rame of
Henry Robson Stuart. His parents In
tended that he should be a Methodist min
OF immorsiIty and degradation. Stuart
Robson used to say that when he began
his stage career his parents were so hide
matches an Invention Of the devil. Stuart
Robson believed that the stage was capable
Of exerting greater good than the pulpit.
He once said. to an audience In Chicago:
You might as. well condemn the print
Ing press because II sometimes strikes on
bad books; or condemn the pulpit because
a minister or a deacon sometimes falls into
evil ways. Pure, wholesome plays, and
players OF clean. moral lives are as great
the churches. Forty years ago / was ban
ished frcm Delaware because | was a play
erfolk; nearly fifty years ago l was ar
rested In the University city of New Haven
because I could not paw a license OF 500,
my nights receipts being but SIS, and ]
was kept In Jail for two days. when the
late Noah Porter, president of Yale, who
was then bssinning to see the light, made
up the IS difference and / was released from
prison. All that is changed now, and the
ridicule, scorn and even adherence"
Robson made his first appearance on the
stage the evening of January 5, 1852. John
r; owens, one of the greatest comedians OF
his. time, was playing at the Baltimore
museum-theaters were called museums
and through John Sleeper Clarke, who was
playing a small part, Robson met Owens
and made his debut as an actor. The part
was that of Horace Courtney, In a play
called Uncle Toms Cabin AS It Is" The
part was a sentimental one, but instead oil
bringing tears Robson seemed to amuse
the audience Immensely. After that he gave
all his attention to low comedy work, play.
ing in Washington and Baltimore. Their
he went to the Arch Street theater, Phila.
uelphia, the home of so many distinguished
players, presided over by Mrs. John Drew
After this two years. of low comedy parts
followed on the road and in Washington
| and II Ia TpnnFdan that In q N tnfarxraI ukrav
Robson was out of an engagement he pu
In several months as a printer and com
positor In the office of the Washington Star
He was engaged for the season of 1856 al
second low comedian for a little theater II
Troy at a salary of 81 a week. In Phila
delphia Robson had become friendly with
the editor of the Item, Colonel Fitzgerald
who, prior to Robson's departure, told hin
to write a weekly letter on theatrical af
say anything he pleased about himself, pro
vided II was in moderation. So Robson
commenced to, review his own perform
words for himself. Toward the latter par
OF the season Mr.. Burton, the creates
Ssgement 0 With the the fay' T fo~e STOCK 70 Rla eom ap eT
and after the performance Robson wrot
his criticism as usual He praised Burtoi
brilliant as Mr.. Buttons Performance
was 1t did not succeed in ecllpslng the worl
Of several Of the local favorites. Indeed al
the people of this town cohcede to the tai
ented young comedian, Stuart Robson, SUI
periority to Burton himself"
The notice appeared as written. Robson
believed the editor printed II as a joke.
The firm of Robson and Crane made It
nrst appearance in public In Chicago Sep
TENDER 3, 1877. The play was ''ForbiddeI
Fruit" It was a success.
Robson knew John Wilkes Booth and sat
of him:
John Wilkes Booth had a mania for tor
turing cats and other animals, even at tn
risk OF his own life. In some ways job
] Wilkes Booth was a very remarkable actor
His voice was so beautiful and his intensitl
so. great that when he became aroused Ger
tain mispronunciations were not noticed
His Richard III was the most melo
dramatic piece OF acting l ever saw, an
he would arouse the audience to a pitch o
enthusiasm that, so far as my recollection
goes, has never been equaled."
Stuart Robson's home as a boy wa
Townsville, Ga, a small town. now a win
ter resort. Whenever he was I'm the stat
he would play there, sometimes severa
nights although the theater-going publ
was not numerous enough to fl the nous
for a single performance.
Stuart Robson was born in 1886 in Ann
apolis, Md. He was married to May Wal
dron, leading woman Of his company'in $50
They have one child, a boy.