The Washington herald., 1913-04-27
By, JULIA CHANDLER MANz.

Theatrical history Of the past two
weeks repeats itself in that one of attrac-
lions offered this week at the Belasco
and the New National Theater,. the for
mer promising another week of abandon
ment to hilarity in its announcement of
Sam Bernard in "All for the Ladies', "
while David warfield as Peter Grimm in
Mr.. Belasco's supernatural drama, THE
Return of Peter Grimm at the New
National, viii further convince the pub
lie that this country holds no actor Of
greater skill in the silent projection OF
feeling than himself.
Thousands have asked the secret Of
David warf1eld's success. He has no
stage family to which he can point as
an explanation of his artistic inspiration;
no hereditary claim of dramatic ances-
try: no intimate hand to help or make
him.
One day, while on the Pacific Coast
David Belasco happened into a little on
street theater, where he saw a rough,
farcical play entitled "O'Dowd's Neigh
bors." 1t was the character of an Irish
woman, who between the times of clean
ing the linen told her family troubles,
which interested Mr.. Belasco. AS alb
surd as II may seem, the voice of the
actor playing the part vibrated with
peculiar sob, which ran as an undercur-
rent to the fun of the lines, and entered
the Belasco heart. Looking at the pro-
gramme,. he discovered that the man i'm
personating the Irish woman was David
warfield, a name that meant nothing to
him nor to any one else at that time.
but Mr.. Belasco treasured the pathos
which ran through Warfield's portrayal
of the rough character.
A few years after this found Mr.. War
field in New York trying to persuade
Lederer to allow him to present the char
acter of Einstein in a production then
running at the Casino. Mr.. Warfeld
had been seen in the character on the
road in a play that had failed and so
Mr. Lederer would have none of him.
At that time a baseball game had been
arranged by the New York Herald for
the benefit of its free ice fund, between
two teams of actors, each to appear In
stage makeup. Suddenly from the
grandstand there climbed into the field
typical East Side New York character
with shaggy beard, fiat hat drawn
down to the ears; long shabby frock
coat, and a face which expressed SIM
pie. childlike inquiry. The crowd gave a
shout as he shambled over the grounds.
1t was Warfield in his makeup of Elm
stein and he made the hit of the ball
game. His name was on every tongue
next day, and he gave Einstein to the
delight of New York at the Casino for
many weeks afterwards.
Not long after this. David Belasco.
with a memory of the sob he had felt
when he saw the impersonation OF the
Irish woman, sent for Mr.. Warfield, on
which eventfui afternoon they entered
into a lifelong compact in which David
Warfield was to become a star, and his
Einstein was to develop into The Auc-
tioneer."
When asked the secret of great acting
recently, Mr.. Warfield said: 1t is the
things that an actor feels deep down in
his heart, and expresses in silence that
the audience understands the best
That is it-Mr. Warfield's intuitive and
trained sense OF pantomime, his attitudes
which reproduce his emotions more
potently than words-that is the secret
of David Warfield's tremendous grip upon
the American theater-going public.
Don't you remember that scene in
THE Music Master in which he stood