The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-03-29
HOW JAMES. o,NEILL BEGAN.

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 Tn The Theatre Magazine Tor April James o.Neili.,. the we'll known actor tells the story of his early beginning on. the stage, Mir. o'Neiiii is. by cour- tesy. only. an Ifishman. He came to America when he was three years old. His family concluded hecause his nose was always between book covers that he was of priestiy smaterial.l And. small Iameas O'Neill. agreed with them. He stfll agrees with them Is ss
 { Tt was because my father died and Isilad to go to work that I am an actor. not a priest" he Said. T tired many kinds of, work afters my father died. Twas a Tnewsboy for one day. Th ens a lrnachinist Having saved a little money yIstrieds to so into several small sbustnesses, hut twas not sue cesssuls Hound my money going and wonderedAwhats should do. One Fnight Twas playing a ganiesof billiards op- posite the old National Theatre, which is stiil stnading. but which Is now q. tobacco house. The stage manager came in. And. by the way. stage managers were then percentages. have heard q stage manager say 70 the manager of the. company. You go out front and attend to your part of the business. This part, is mine, And the manager went. They were per- sons Of standing and authority in the profession. There is no etage manage ment today. But was saying that the stage manager came in looking discouraged I can't get supernum- eraries,' he said.
 "ssupernurneraries. said, for Colleen Bawn7" had seen the play the night before. Year will be one,' said. You won't said the boy who was playing billiards with me. You don't mean it. T do mean it My enthusiasm communicated itself to the boy. I'll go if yousdo,' he said.
 That night we went to the theatre early. and the wardrobe man dressed me in a marvellous velvet suit with to the mirror. T don't look so bad,' said I. Indeed you don't said the ward robe man, and you're going to have q line.' What's liner mean you have to speak to say something, 'Oh.' A lit- tie later led in the beaux, and when the beautiful leading lady said must have a husband T. stepped forward. and with deep bow said. Madame, take me- How the blushes mounted my boyish cheekl
 .'For my nightly proposal to the beautiful lady Tareceived twenty five cents a night. At the end of the week was receiving salary as a member of the stocix company. My brogue was rich and uAadulterated and unadorned. Ispiayed James King of Scotland, to the Queen Elizabeth or Jane Larned. in play called "Queen Elizabeth" A newspaper spoke most pleasantly about me, but they crushed me with 8 concluding sem tence. But young Mfr. o'NeilI must be reminded that King James was not Irishman.' oh, that brogue.' The first attention ever received from Ed- win Forrest was when I had been play ing for two years with the stock com pany and my cast was IcfIiuc to. his Vfrginus After had made my exit and the audience had shown it's ap- provaI, Mir. Forrest came stamping off swearing audibly. A moment later his dresser came out Of his room smil- ing. .
 ."T was laughing at what the old man just said about you
 '"Tell me
 ". It may hurt your feelings
 "s No tell me will make a capital actor if he ever gets rid of that brogueF
 praise from the greatest actor of the time filled me with eiation. T'll take care of the brogue said. If that's all, it's small matter After three years went to Ford's Theatre at Baltimore as the leading man of the stock company. I was tbere for two years. then went in the same capacity to the third leading theatre in the United States at that 1 time. waIlack's in New York. was the drst. Mrs Drew's Arch Street The atre in Philadelphia was the second, and the third, McVicker's. of Chicago. | At McVickers I supported Charlotte Cushman the greatest of all actresses to my mind. with the most marvellous | of voices. I learned from her the art of so emphasizing one word that the
 meaning of a sentence was clear"