The San Francisco call., 1909-12-05


that between George NJ
Cohan and Tom lewis is the
most unusual A French
nan, with gift for philosophy,
said once upon time something
10 the effect that in. all affairs
OF affection there WIS one who
gave and one who took; meaning,
suppose. that one endured the friend
Ihip. permitted it conEolscently and
accepted all the advantages therein
accruing; while the ofher, the gen
erous one. lavished, affkction and was
happy in self-sacrifce. But this sort
Of thing does not apply TO Cohan and
Lewis David and Jonathan stunt. Co
han is no more generous than Lewis.
And Lewis, who is 800 pounds Of COM
edy and good humor, Us as loyal to his
diminutive chief as sever prince was
10 king.
[ wondered what tire secret was Of
s. this more than satisfactory adjustment
OF friendly relations.
Cohan lets Lewis have the center Of
tie stage most OF the time in The
Yankee Prince" he lets him take more
t7an his share of the honors of ap-
pIause, he lets him make the curtain
speech and he lets him do all the hard
work except the dancing, which Co
han. OF course, does himself, not being
able 10 restrain aa impulse which MS
mother told me The was born with
There seems to be no limit to Conan
ha faff
Lewis. He even permits him TO be the
one 10 be interviewed. deep ana
abiding modesty waits on Cohan, ana
he brushes away with princely air all
offers and requests relating to pub
icitv: indeed. "a reticence, popularity
ascribed to genius, but seldom pos
sessed by the great has. since the San
francisco engagement opened. been
Georges most notable characteristics
Mr.. Lewis attributes Cohans zeal in
hunting oblivion to an overwrought
and highly sensitive organization
which has been tangled by too much
work. too la,yish an expenditure OF
energy. TOO many plays and too many
deep responsibilities I gathered this
IN a little at with Lewis. who sub
srituted in the interview which might
otherwise have been filled with pic
lures and stories at first hand Of the
successor to Mendelssohn, Beethoven
Wagner and Mozart in music and the
greatest American playwrights.
You must remember" said Lewis
that there is only one Cohan. There's
not another like him in the world Once
in a hundred years an original genius
is born like Cohan."
Naturally the laws governing the
appearance on earth of the merely tai
ented like Lewis can not, with pro-
priety. be applied to such wonder
child.
II LONG the Rialto. where the play
ers meet and gossip, the secret of
Georges retirement from public
glance. save on the stage. was said TO
have been that he was by no means
pleased with the reception his play and
himself had been accorded. The Van
Ness was not crowded on the opening
night. 1t is true that The Merry
night: Ben Hur" and the chariot race
did not suffice to sell the house out,
and Sothern saw some empty seats at
nearly all OF his appearances. Nazi-
nova lacked a crowded house, and
Billie Burke's winsomeness was ex-
pended in part to vacant reservations
But that's 10 reason, of course, why
1a-H.5 y hecr ed
--hen The Royal Family" burst into
view. A prince even with a self-written
patent Of nobility can not forgive lese
rnsteste Cohan's audiences have been
big, but, il seems. they haven't been
big enough for George.
So the dispIeasure was recorded in
the front of the house and elsewhere
TO the great advantage OF gossip and
the swelling of theatrical history.
The circumstance was the more
deplorable, according TO Friend Lewis
with whom ] must say ! agree. because
Il Mr. Cohan's nae regard for San
francisco. He stood on the street cor
ners OF New York one day IN q certain
(or rather uncertain) April, and sold
newspapers, setting good example
commercially by buying tae first one
himself for $1,000, TO the end that
stricken ones in this city might have
relief. and the train that shot across
the continent filled with things needed
was longer and richer because of Co
hans generosity and love.
No one. dare say, has anything on
Cohan in anything that Cohan does.
II he gives. he heads the list; II he
spends money he does it like sailor
lust ashore: IL he loves there is no
limit to the depths Of the bank account
10 which his helping hand will not
reach TO come orth golden laden.
Whatever he does he does to the limit
When George Fulisr Golden went to
Cohan in New York and asked the
partner Of Harris TO take a half page
advertisement in book that Golden
was to write about the vaudeville as
sociation Of White Rats, Cohan said,
sure" Golden was then a very sick