The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-21


 V Irving at one of the London ~ clubs, where there were at least 300 present, I introduced young actor named Thurston to him. There was only time for a bow and smile and we passed to make room for the exigent persons in the rear.
 The next year Irving was in New York and Thurston had come over with So- thern A reception was held at the Lotos club for Irving, and being out of town I enclosed my invitation to Thurston, who I had just learned was here. thought that as a stranger he would greatly en- joy 1t and begged him to go. He did, and he related to me afterward that on the stairway, as Irving with little party was on the way to the cafe, they met face to face Irving stopped, shook hands and said: 'T am very glad to see you again, MT. Thurston Isn't it too bad that our friend Dodson could not be here tonight?"
 There was no bluff about that. After an interval of many months crowded with functions and professional engagements, with impressions of many men and many minds, he had remembered without a moments hesitation the man. his name, the place of meeting and also that I had been the introducer.
 spoke to him once about this talent of his and he looked rather askance, as if he had never given the subject much thought, relapsed for a moment into re- fection and came again to the surface to say: Well, perhaps, perhaps have'- you know the quick, jerky way he would say that.
 q remember" he went on, recalling a recent episode, that at little entertain ment given me the other night at club we were discussing early days of acting and I turned to a man present and said That was when we played together, MT. Soandso.' referring to a quoted incident.
 "rhe man, a well known banker. looked surprised, then annoyed, and with con- siderable bluster remarked: Pm not an actor, MT Irving. I'm a plain, every day business man.
 "'Oh, but>you were-er-an actor at the time,' I repeated in a little louder voice, and then of course everybody stopped to listen as nobody had up to that moment the slightest suspicion that he had ever been on the stage, a fact, 1t was easy to see which he wanted, for some req son, to keep hid
 "I persisted in my assertion and he clustered and beloved more and more in contradiction. At last I licked the ash off my cigar and said: Of course you were not playing under your present name then. You were MT. Thompson and it was at the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh He gave up the game then, laughed as if 1t was. all good joke and confessed that was right"
 well, that shows" I said, that you have phenomenal memory. How many years was it-twenty, and you say the man had changed the color of his hair and his nameT'
 Tt shows" said Irving, in that quiet little way of his, that the man was so damned disagreeable to me in the com pany that couldn't forget him if had wanted to-"
 Irving had the gift of sef-restraint in speech to an extent that think Is rare. At the time when he literally woke up to find himself famous after years of subordinate playirg, eliminating in his wonderful rendition of Matthias in "The Bells," he was one of the most awk- ward and self-consoious of speakers He conquered this disability and became re- nowned for his brief, plthy after-dinner speeches, as emphatic in wit as they were in savoir faire paraleed only by those he made before the curtain.
 One night at the Garrick club. when only nucleus of the members remained after the home hour, some ten or dozen men, perhaps more. were gathered about the fire in the smoking room I recall that Beerbohm Tree was there, Comyns Carr, Charles Wyndham. Joseph Knight, the critic; Edmund Gosse, John Hare the usual remnant with Irving sitting