The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-09-09
LA TOILETTE AND HIS "IOGA."
Mccullough Turned the Senator'S
Thoughts from Stage 40 Forum.

Mccullough Turned the Senator's
Thoughts from Stage 10 Forum.
From Golfers Weekly.
Among the shady elms OF Cambridge
there is a tradition that James Russell
Lowell was graduated from Harvard
with ten conditions. His pen had
brought the college a distinction that
carried him through. He himself often
admitted that while in college he read al
most every book but his textbooks. There
is no ten-condition story about Robert
Marion La Toilette. Wisconsin, 70, that
can be substanuated, but that he was a
famously poor student is college rumor
still. He was short on irregular verbs
and compound equations, but he was
long on human interest In his sopho-
more year he carried TO the interstate
college oratorical contest an Grafton on
"Iago." With this he brought the prize
to his college. Most winning orations
OF this amateur kind dies at the close
Of their public declanation. but La Fol-
lette's 'Iago" found publishers eager to
put It between covers. For years it had
constant sale in the book stores Of
the West 1t advertised the college for
which. It was written and brought mod
est and welcome royalty 70 its author.
1t fell into the hands Of Edwin Booth,
and its clear analysis Of character is
said to have prompted the distinguished
tragedian to modify his delineation Of the
part. John Mccullough came to Madi-
son 10 see the author Of this interpreta-
ton OF character. To him the young
Hugucn0t conhded his histrionic ambi-
tons. Mccullough looked upon the boy,
who was short Of stature and possessed
less than 40 pounds OF bone and flesh.
McCulIough's great frame lowered above
him. Placing a firm hand upon the frail
youth, he said, with strong, deep voice:
Don't do il. my boy: don't do it. The
actor must I'll the eye as well as the
mind Suppose yoI were playing Iago
and I Othello. and took YOU by the
throat The audience would rise and cry
out to me: Shame! Shame! Don't hurt
the little fellow"
Deeply disappointed over this advice,
La Toilette nevertheless abandoned his
dream Of curtain calls and turned his
thoughts 10 courts and law. soon after
McCullough's visit however, Lawrence
Barrett came to see the boy who wrote
| OF Iago. He was enthusiastic In his
! speech. declaring the thesis 10 be a most
| penetrating analysis. Anyone who can
/ interpret as you can" he said, can act
/ Give your life 10 the drama" la Fol-
/ lette repeated McCulloughs advice.
| Nonsense said Barrett. that IS the
| Limitation OF the purely physical actor
Booth is only half an inch taller than
you, II Is the brain, and not the body,
that makes the actor" But La Toilette
had then made his resolve and kept TO It.
IF you will not act" urged Barrett
you must interpret for actors. I want
you 10 write for ne an Interpretation
/ OF Hamlet such as you have made OF
Iago; take a year to do it." To this La
Toilette agreed But La Toilette is not
a careless student At the end OF the
year he wrote Barrett that the task was
too great He must have FIVE years
Take the FIVE years, but Go it," was
Barrett's reply. la Toilette was gov
ernor Of Wisconsin before he felt that
he had fulfilled the commission which
Mr.. Barrett had assigned him, and Bar
rett was then dead. Twenty years OF
/ consistent study had gone 70 his Ham
let thesis. The Greatest Tragedy OF the
| World"