Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-15
Club News

n NE of the delightful afternoons of
the year was furnished members
" of the Southern California Wom-
ans Press club and friends yesterday
afternoon by L. e. Behymer, VINO
spoke informally of many interesting
experiences with artistes, both mu-
sical and dramatic, whom he has man
aged during his long career as impre-
sario in the east and Los Angeles.
AS a rule the public knows only of
the successes of the managerial career,
and the speaker was followed with
the closest attention as he reviewed
the difficult uphill struggle to establish
an art clientele on the Pacific coast,
where, he says, we are all right Gil
matically, but geographically we are
all wrong, a five days journey from
Chicago-ten to the round trip-With
few engagements between, failing to
impress faVorably many Of the stars
and virtuosos who find good field and
ready money in the middle west ana
Atlantic coast cities.
There can be few phases of the ar
tistic temperament with which Mr.
Behymer has not become familiar pro-
fessionally, and while many are OF the
variety which would drive any but the
most evenly balanced impresario to a
sanitarium, there are others furnished
by sane artistes such as Mod1eska
and Schumann-H -Heink, which are
among his most Treasured memories
Before Mr.. Behymer began his busi-
| ness career he had listened to the Won
derful eloquence of Robert G. Ingersoll
and Wendell Phillips. His earliest
business venture was while he was yet
| In school, and was connected with
! time
when he should be Southern California
manager for Paderewskl, who recently
demanded $57 900 for twenty-one reel
tails in and west of Denver.
Mr.. Behymer has been making mu-
sical history in and about Los Angeles
since the old days when concerts were
given In Hazards pavilion or in the
! little Unitarian church on Third and
| Hill streets and when Simpson audi
| torium was new. He was among the
organizers of the Los Angeles Sym
phony orchestra, was a factor in Sc
| curing dates with Patti in 1886, and
has volumes of "reminiscences of De
pachmann, Ben Greet Bernhardt,
Maxine Elliott, Calve, Frank Mayo,
James Hearn, John Drew, Maude
! Adams, General Lew Wallace and
others.
If is interesting to learn that as a
|
time in Los Angeles. General Wallace,
who had issued his famous book by the
same title and had the lecture ready
in tentative form, had been announced
| to speak in Los Angeles on different
| topic. The lecture announced had TO
do with the "recent unpleasantness'
between the north and the south, and
for reasons bearing upon the box office
| receipts Mr.. Behymer importuned
General Wallace to change his topic,
which was done for consideration of
several hundred dollars. and "Ben
Hur" immature but clothed in all the
magic robes of the authors eloquence,
| was delivered to n crowded house.
In marked degree has Mr.. Behymer
enjoyed the personal friendship or
some of the greatest artistes of the
day. an instance being the confidence
reposed in him by Nine. Modjeska, who
left to his custody her large and valu-
able collection of manuscripts and
books, and intrusted to him the proper
distribution of the same according TO
| wishes expressed by her
His zeal in the cause of art has also
received recognition in Europe, and
among his valued possessions Is dec
ora tion received last year from the
| French academy