Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-20
HCNAR1lN ACADEMY

leading heavy man in the Grover Theater
Stock Company, or the Alexandria Stock
Company, or one Of the other stock com
panies.
He sits now amid his world of ghosts
thinking OF the times gone past forever
and Of the men--the great. magnificent
men. whose faces he will never see again.
There We're Barrett and McCul.ou.n and
Booth, and any number more that he
knew and played with Then he was
once manager himself. and with a glow
OF pride he assures his visitor that his
shows We're not half bad
He has run the gamut, Frank Foster
has and he knows the stage as the
clergyman does his prayer book or the
mother her child. 1t has been almost
child and almost a religion with him.
He was reared of theatrical parents and
trained for the stage from his infancy.
He was taught that his was a profession
and an art combined. And that 1t was a
profession and art than which there
was no higher. He will tell you that in
mis- days the present time view of the
stage did not exist. Shakespeare was
played as it should be played. The must
cal comedy was not quite so predomi
nant and the classics were more highly
appreciated
Shakespeare. Beaumont and Fletcher,
Bulwer Lytton-he has played them all.
He can even now recite long passages
from these great playwrights. though he
has not played the parts for a decade. He
has been callboy. prompter. heavy man.
leading man, walking gentleman. man
ager. part owner and-Well he Is a door
keeper now. and he sits in his little chair
from seven in the evening until seven in
the morning and muses. on the times that
were.
Yes" he said one evening not long ago
as he sat in the semi-darknesS of his
room ard gazed thoughtfully at the por-
traits of his dead contemporaries on the
wall. yes. I have seen the whole game
1t is a fascinating life. with success
awaiting all who try and are deserving
Even the failures have the knowledge of
having fought bravely, yet determinedly.
for laurels. and if they do win-well they
have had the pleasure of fighting anyhow
I'VE rarely save. he continued land
1t seems to be natural to grow poor as
we grow old. My father was worth a
small fortune several times and died with
out hardly cent | was we'll nigh a
bankrupt several times during my career
and as many times I regained my fortune
played? Yes have played every state
in the Union EXCEPT Texas. I don't know
why never played III Texas There was
no particular reason. except I never got
that far. ] could have gone to Europe
several times had | felt so inclined. but
America was good enough for me-
Fosters Interesting "reminiscences
Foster is a man who in his day has
met and known the greatest lights Of the
stage. There are few OF the names that
embazon the stage OF the generation past
tina, are not known TO this ex-actor. He
has made study of the men, and his
discoveries in his unique line of research
are both novel and interesting. All have
read of Barrett. Mccullough, Booth and
others. and they are considered only as
names
Under the magic touch of personal &C
quaintance Foster makes them real. They
are not dead mariouetteS, stripped of their
laurels and resting in the sodden earth.
They are alive and. stepping from the
CHASTITY pictures on the walls. they meet
and talk.
Barrett is known as A melancholy man.
with dark hair and a piercing eye--a man
who was fond of his friends, kind and
generous to his enemies and totally de-
voted to his art Mccullough is q red
rather portly. jolly. hail-fellow- well-met
sort Of man. willing to drink with any
one. fond of his jest, and. above all. not
taking himself too seriously. Booth is