The sun., 1904-06-24
WILLIAMS& WALKER ARE HOME
N SYMBOLIC COATS, WITH A POOR
OPINION or THE ENGLISH,
they're a Cold People and Laugh According
to Precedence-This ls the Real
Country for the Colored Brother AZ.
ter All-Seventh Avenue ReJOices.


Country for the Colored Brother AZ.
ter All--Seventh Avenue eJoices.
Seventh avenue does not need to be told
to-day that Williams and Walker came
back from England on the Cunarder Au-
rania yesterday. Seventh avenue knows.
The avenue was so well informed on the
subject yesterday, and was 80 joyous that
an automobile procession, in which the
sixty-two members Of the Williams Il Wal
ker theatrical troupe were making a tri-
umphal progress uptown from the pier, had
to be broken up and dispersed.
Williams and Walker, with the sixty
other American negroes who make up their
theatrical company, have been abroad
since April, 1903. In that time they have
filed a nine months engagement at the
Shaftesbury Theatre, London. and have
toured the provinces with great profit to
the cotnpany's treasure chest.
Of all these things the press agent Of
Hurtig h Seamon will sing loud to any
one who will let himself get locked into a
room TO listen. But the unprofessional
observers of the returning Dahomeyans
were more Interested yesterday In study
ing the effect on them OF the trip abroad
Ill OtI"tli Signs III llNhtN
development
The outward signs were generally re-
,ardan as rather amusing. George Walker
for instance, wore a wonderful coat which
he proudly displayed as having had made
in London after original designs" He
described it a. having "a Norfolk front.
kinder symbolical OF the Southern origin
OF most Of the company, and Richmond
back, with historic reference to the recent
visit 10 England
The Jacket is very short and is very loose
in the back, with a short belt to take up
the slack. In front it is very plain except
for huge flaps on all of the unnumbered
pockets Mr.. Walker informed his man
ayers yesterday. with indiscreet confidence,
that he had caused the manufacture Of
eleven different suits of clothes along these
identical lines, so infatuated was he with
his own combination of lines Of grace and
beauty.
The fellow members of his race, as they
observed Mr., Walker seated beside Mr..
Williams in the first OF the sixteen auto
mobiles which delighted Seventh avenue
yesterday afternoon, took instant note
Of this costume, and the rapid breaking up
OF the crowd was In no small measure due
to the haste of many Seventh avenue and
Fifty-third street exquisites to get TO their
tailor shops with the utmost speed.
Most negroes who have sought glory
abroad for their literary or dramatic abili-
ties have come back emphasizing the social
courtesy with which they have been re-
ceived on the other side. They have dwelt
upon the absence Of any color line" in
England, and have delighted their auditors
by gravely announcing that they have
met and mingled Familiarity with royalty
and have found the King or the Prince Of
Wales "a perfect, gentleman. Williams
and Walker abandoned this custom-beat
path.
To be sure they did give performance
on the lawn at Buckingham Palace on the
birthday Of oungster OF whom Mr..
little prince % Eddie Of Wales. And Ada
Overton Walker. did give lessons in cake
walk dancing to Lady Constance Mckenzie,
Miss Muriel Wilson and other persons with
desire for novelty: They had crowded
But" said George Walker yesterday.
"we have not returned with any delusions
about this not being the best land in the
to live in. There is color line here, yes.
but II a negro wants job in this country.
he can get It, II he can do the work. He
will not be forced to starve to death just
because Of his color.
kindness and appreciation in England.
We were amusing. We we're curiosities.
We were freaks, II you choose to put it
that way. But everywhere !! went, every
sCep OF tne way l. telt tnat II were not N
the theatrical profession if were not with
the rest Of our company. more or less Of
novelty, l would be allowed to starve to
death before I would ever get a chance
to do lick Of work to earn the price of
% Yes, "ss Clipped a in o0a Mrs COW WaiEer I they
won't laugh in a theatre until Mrs. So
and-So has laughed. They are all watch
ing her II she doesn't laugh, then their
eyes dance and they are entertained, but
L. - -I<.v L
everybody laughs. 1t isn't free country
$--But did Williams and Walker ever make
Mrs. So-and-So laugh?' asked the inter-
viewer.
Sure We did," reioined the head of the
house Of %ake hsr BHt what we I'm mean is
one else TO give the cue before they dared
express their own real feeling. We may
got all kinds of talk about the color line
over here. For myself and for Bert Will
any trouble and hat never knew the self
respecting sensible colored man who did.
But we know that at bottom the people
OF the United States, no matter how much
they may differ in color have some heart
in the right way, and i could say, without
deprecating the many kindnesses we re-
ceived on the other side. that the same
kindness was not always discernible over
there-it would express exactly what my
leennRS were.
1t was Just a year ago to-day that the
Williams 4 Walker company was COM
manded to appear before the royal family
at Buckingham Palace. The event is
fittingly commemorated on the stationery
OF the company by the emblazoning thereon
of the royal coat of arms and INTERVIEWING
therein the Williams 4 Walker frm name,
with the date of the royal appearance duly
inscribed below. There was a report on
Broadway last night that all the members
Of the company had their undergarments
emblazoned with the same device, over
their monograms.
Mr. Walker explained further what he
meant by saying that Britishers did not give
the negro a square deal as man and
brother.
4You let a black man get into an auto
mobile and start of with it over there"
said he. "The folks on the street will
tare and shiver like they were going to
throw a At. l don't know, but hope that
we taught them a little something about
the mental capacity OF the American negro:
They are used to colored folks from all
sorts OF outlandish countries. They would
come up to US with all sorts of foreign
"kce-wee! Polly -woofuzzy-az' says the
first man who was introduced TO me over
there
mo friend says I. Not that for me.
In, 7 l. oil