The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-16
TREE IS CREDITED
WITH WITTY STORIES
English Actor Has Sarcastic
Tongue
JOKES WITH THE KING
Says Americans Are Best Theatre
Goers in Quantity, But Not in
Quality-Has Fun With
P0stoffice Girl
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun
There is no man in all England to
whom so many witty stories are ac-
credited as to Sir Herbert Beerbohm
Tree. who sailed away back to the land
of his knighthood after a brief visit
| to this country, the first In 16 years.
remarkable thing about these stories
is that they are all true. He really says
the. clever and epigrammatic things
with which he is accredited.
While here he had but one opportu-
nifty to display in public his talent for
humor and epigram. That was in the
course of a short address he gave at
theatre before club. Those who
were fortunate enough to be present
and those who read the reports of the
speech in the newspapers know that
his English reputation is justified. Story
telling, however, is not really his forte.
His sharp tongue is more effective In
repartee.
When the late King Edward was
Prince of Wales he said: Il suppose,
Tree you have what is known as the
artistic temperament"
"Ah, the artistic temperament" re-
piled the actor II wonder, Is 1t gift
of God or visitation of Providence?"
While here he told the interviewers
that he considered Americans to be the
greatest of theatregors. Then in pri-
vate he said: But / mean in guam
tity, not quality"
Sir Herbert does not look in the least
like a humorist He is a little more
than six feet tall and was formerly
very slight. Today he is of fuller pro-
portions, to put it mildly. He is clean
shaven, with fair hair and eyes that
in his genial moments are an intense
blue and in his thoughtful moods gray
green, like mistletoe. He is most COM
monty accepted and caricatured as an
absent minded dreamer and a creature
of cloudy distractions
or his absent mindedness many good
stories are told One day he took cab
and gave the driver the address. Through
out the journey he was reading letters,
and when the house was reached he
alighted, still reading, and knocked at
the door. When the door was opened Sir.
Herbert looked up abstractedly and said
to the amazed servant: Come in! Come
ini" Still reading, he re-entered the cab
and returned to the theatre before he dis
covered he had not made the call he set
out to make.
All through his life he has been pretty
severely harried by criticism of his style
of acting. One day in a caustic burst
he said: II shall soon be able to retire
on the blackmail l have not paid
One day he walked leisurely into the
West Strand postoffice, which is a par
tioularly busy place. The young women
clerks there have no time for frivolity.
What between selling stamps, answering
the telephone, weighing parcels and
counting the words in kilograms their
minds are completely occupied, and their
faces wear a worried look that won't come
off.
Sir Herbert strolled up to the counter
and leaning over said in his suavest tones:
do you sell stamps here?"
What knd?" snapped the girl, who
didn't recognize him.
81 should like to see some penny
stamps"
How many?'
s'I should like to see some, please
The girl gave him contemptuous glance
opened the blank book in which they
keep the sheets of stamps in England.
pulled out a sheet of g. hundred and
showed 1t in front of him. Sir Herbert
adjusted his monocle and studied the
sheet carefully for a full minute. Then
very deliberately he placed his gloved
finger on the stamp exactly In the middle
of the sheet and with his peculiar lisp
and most innocent expression, said "I'll
take that one, please
The girl snatched the sheet back. tore
Sir Herbert picked 1t up as though it
was of priceless value.
How much, please?'
penny"
Really. Only a penny That is very
reasonable. / shall tell all my. friends
to come here to buy their stamps"
Even the worried postoffice girl couldn't
withstand such sublime idiocy and smiled.
Immediately she did so Sir Herbert
dropped the mask and laughingly handed
her a sovereign.
THAT'S yours" said he. IT made bet
with myself that try as hard as ! could
I would not be able to make a postoffice
girl smile, and you win"
HisY elaborate and costly productions at
His Majestys theatre are well known
even on this side of the Atlantic. once
on being demonstrated with for such
prodgality he said:
Thrift is virtue it is easy to urge
upon others"
Stepping into an English railway car
riage, he found himself alone with a
young man who was putting away on a
villianous "woodbine" cigarette.
Sir Herbert himself had just lit long