Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-15
IRVING IS DEAD;
ENGLAND EMPTY
WILLIAM WINTERS TRIBUTE
TO GREAT ACTOR
Saws in Death of Sir Henry the Stage
Has Lost Its Most lIlustrious
Figure and World Great
Benefactor
England is empty now"

ENGLAND is empty now"
"In the death of Henry Irving the
stage has lost it's most illustrious figure
and the world has lost a great bene'
factor"
Thus spoke William Winter the
noted dramatic critic and the friend ol
Sir Henry Irving for thirty years.
"Tell you of his life?" he said to the
renorter. .'It was a wonderful life; the
world will never know all that 1t mas
meant.
"Today as I have been sitting here he
has never been out of my mind ana
can not yet realize that 1 will never
see him again
William Winter was at his daughter
home in Angeleno Heights. He was
there when he received the news of lrv-
ing's death and the shock was so great
that he had to decline to see any one
that night.
Just starting on his career and l nave
watched him all these years" he said.
'T met him abroad in II. He was a
Young man and at the top of the tree
The destiny of the English stage was
under his control People were adVis-
ing him to appear in Hamlet and one
day he came to me and asked my ad-
vice.
Advised by Winter
"Edwin Booth is already the accept,
ed Hamlet, and no difference how Wen
Won play it you would be at disad:
Vantage told him. Play the Bells
said, and that is what he did.
'.The night before he sailed for Eng
land had supper with him. The after
noon of that day, Henry irving, Rlcn-
ard Mansfield, my son Jefferson and
myself lunched together. Jefferson
gave him a picture and asked MIN TO
write on it. He did, but neglected TO
eign his name. Jefferson handed 1t back
to him and he signed his name many
times. The pen was the last he ever
used in America, the picture was thG
last he signed. My son has both and
he will always treasure them.
"That night 1 went to the perform
ance with Irving. 1t was his last IN
America, and the people gave him a
great great ovation. They applauded again
and again until he had to go before the
curtain and make them a speech. HIS
words were full of tenderness and love
for America and the last sentence ne
uttered was God bless America.
I'VE had supper after the perform
ance that night and about O'Clock IN
the morning we drove to the dock and
he went aboard the steamer. That was
the last [ ever saw of him, but l did
not dream that l said good by forever.
Loved by the English
"As great as the love of the Ameri-
can people for him was, the English
thought even more of him. The people
would crowd around the door OF the
theater in London and wait for him TO
come out.
close of a performance. We were just
coming out the door and the people
were lined up on the sidewalks. l can
see him now with that curious high
shouldered walk, Good night 'Enry,
man in the crowd called out, Just
Iaborer. a man without an H, but that
made no difference.
'''Good night my friend he answered
as he removed his hat. That was just
the way it was everywhere; the peo-
ple all knew him and they all loved
him, The man meant no disreSpect
when he called him by his Christian
name. His tone was full of respect, and
Henry Irving knew it,
'eTrving was very strongly opposed
to the production of the lbsen plays
and others of that class.
"It would be so easy to beat these
people at their own game, if l would
condescend to do it, he once said to
me when speaking of the actors who
produced such plays.
MANY people say that he did not
appeal to the emotions but to the in
tellect, but that is not so. Every
appeal he made was to the emotions
l have seen the men crying and the
women sobbing at some of his per-
formances, and you know how a man
hates to cry.
He had the greatest range of any
actor who ever lived. He played be-
tween 900 and 700 parts and played
them all well.
Il had son who was killed when he
was fourteen and if he had lived I
feel sure he would have been a great
actor. Irving often visited us at our