Evening journal., 1911-09-14
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Great Actor Who Was
Persuaded by ThaCkeray
by Holland.

"A good many years ago George Will
liam Curtis wrote in one Of his little
essays something about a dinner that
Thackeray gave at Delmonicos I'm
New York shortly before his return
10 his home IN England in 1855, after
the completion OF his second lecture
tour IN this country" said the late
Parkc Goodwin, son-in-law of William
Cullen Bryant and one of Thack-
eray's intimatcs when the novelist was
in this country.
Curtis did not tell the story ex-
actly as Tie Incident occurred, accord
ING 90 my recollection" Mr. Goodwin
continued. n was present at the din
nor and ! sat very near Thackeray,
who. of course, occupied the chair Of
thc host he gave the dinner in ac-
knoNledgcmcn of many courtesies of
. similar Kind which he had received
and he therefore had at the table near
IN an oi the men prominent IN pro-
fcssional or literary life in New
York
II saw a great deal of Thackeray
when he was In the United States
upon his second lecturing tour He
made the editorial rooms of the ola
futmans Magazine, of which Curtis
and I We're the editors, his head
quarters He was almost always in
high spirits. I sometimes thought of
him as great, overgrown boy. But
| never saw him in quite the eXuber-
ance of spirit which he showed at this
dinner.
"As we sat down to dinner. I re-
member Thackeray saying to us that
there would be no speeches. He de-
tested formal speechmaking, he said;
that always threw a cloud over a
feast. But what he did like. he hint
ed with a whimsical all-including
smile, was a song, story, recita-
tion-anything that a guest could do
informally.
"A moment or two later. as / glanc-
ed about me, / saw that Thackeray
had secured as a guest James W. Wal
lack, the great actor and playwright,
who had left Scotland for this coun-
try three years before. Thackeras
had told me previously that he was
going 10 invite Mr.. Wallack to the din
ner, and in reply / had said that he
would be very lucky IL Wallack ac-
cepted the invitation. Thackeray
wanted to know why / felt that way,
and / said that off the stage Wallack
was known in New York as one Of
the quietest of men, was very shy,
and almost always declined invitations
to large dinners.
AS we were disposing of the good
cheer that Thackeray had provided
for us, found myself wondering what
Thackeray would persuade Wallack
to do when the time for coffee and
cigars was come. What he did do
was to ask Wallack, with whom he
had become most friendly when Wal
lack was on the English stage, to
tell story. Wallack shyly shook his
head Then asked Thackeray, would
ne not relate some anecdote2 Again
Wallack shook his head.
"Ihackeray sat as if pondering for
second. Then, of sudden, be turn
ed to his friend.
Mr.. Wallack,' he cried with boyish
enthusiasm, III tell you what you can
do thatn make every mans heart
throb with excitement and pleasure
You can recite that great scene i'm the
play "The Rent Day" which, as I have
seen and heard you in the play upon
the stage in London, / have thought
was acting unsurpassed
Everybody clinked the glasses al
the suggestion. 1 was afraid for a
moment that Mr. Wallack would again
shake his head-he was. of course. IN
evening dress. so that the Illusion
which the dress of the part that Wal
lack took in the play produced, was
lacking. But he arose, stepped from
behind his chair a little nearer tC
Thackeray, and in a low but very
clear voice began the lines of that
scene Almost instantly we forgot
that Wallack was private gentlemtn
in evening dress, unsupported by any
OF the accessories of the theatre-the
wonderful spell which he was able
TO exert upon his audience i'm the the
atre was with him then We were all
enthralled, especially Thackeray. He
sat half turned around i'm his chair
listened intently. He did not move
once during the entire recitation. But
when Wallack was done and had sat
down and while the entire room re-
FOUNDED with applause after the din
ers had got their breath Thackeray
rose and bowed to Wallack. and |
think it was the most graceful ac-
knowledgement that I ever saw one
man pay another
Il said to Thackeray after the din
ner that I felt sure he was the one