Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-03-16

were already 10 sisters here, who had
Same as His Father Was Before
Him., ..Roamin in the gloamin' /" Its
Nice When You Love a Lassie," She's
the Lass for Me- and I'm the Saft.
est o. the Family.
| LADDERS songs are all his own. His
favorite is Il Love a Lassie,s which
he dedicated to Mrs. Lauder. Several
years ago, when he was called upon
| to entertain the late King Edward of
Great Britain he had to sing this song
over and over again.
Lauder Tells of Start.
1t required a wee bit urging, but
Lauder, after once getting his land
legs was perfectly willing to tell of
his start in professional theatricals.
How did I begin? you ask. 1t would
be difficult for me to tell you. But
a little story may illustrate better
than can explain just how ] hap
pened to become a-well, what / am.
A few months ago ! was leaving the
stage door of the Camberwell Pal
ace, when man came up to me, tap
ped me on the shoulder. and remarked
in broad Scotch, Man, Hairy, I'll
tell you how it is, It's the same WI
you as wi Rabbie Burns and Robert
the Bruce-a bioomfn' gift!'
So. in sense, | never really began
ct all. rIt',-whatever at. may be-
has been in me all along, and was
bound to come out. However, sup
pose you want me to give you some
- J,,r.r 0fret1r<.1s, ~; ~ -,
and forged my way to success.
As a boy was Unfortunately fond of
"bearin' my ain voice" AS far back
as can remember was always Tilt
in ava" at some melody or other, and
i was founder Of humming things loot
O. ma held than any tune I'picked
up in the usual way. Mysffrst melody
was composed in honor or a great hig
fat pig that belonged to gardener at
Portobello, near Edinburgh; where I
was born 43 years ago ] would not
be more than eight or nine years old
at the time, and my greatest JOY was
to go along, as otter as could, and
watch the "muckle 500" in its craze
at the end of the gardeners yard.
How i loved her! She was, to my
mind, the finest living thing in the
world, and remembered composing
verse in honor of her, which began:
Yer a great big, .bonny, bonny 500,
In fac, yer near as big's a coo.
This exquisite verse j set to a mel
COY Of my own and can recollect y-
ing over the side Of the "crae" watch
ing my favorite and hummIRg away
at my nonsensical rhyme.
Working In a Fiax-MilI.
Ny father died when was still a
wee boy, and my mother removed with
Ter large family to Arbroath, in For
farshire, where was sent to work in
the flax-mills as half-timer. This
means one day at school and the other
in the mill. Even the roar of the ma
chinery could not stop me singing
and versifying, but mind, I'm tellin'
ye, | had to sing "gey lood" to hear
myself in the busy mill.
One day ] was told that a touring
concert party were giving IAN ANA
teur night and were offering prizes
for the best songs sung by local boys
and girls. / decided to enter. l was
a very pale and shy little Harry Laud-
er that tremblingly went on the stage
to sing a song full of the most pa
thetic sentiment about the joys of
home and the glories of the fireside
and the beauty Of obedience to father
and mother-or something like that.
But went through it boldly, and can
hear to this day the applause with
which my effort was greeted. More
to the point won first prize in my
section--a massive watch, This
watch ! would not have parted with
for my life-not even when a boy Of
fered me lop-eared rabbit for It'll
and have it to this day.
When We removed to Lanarkshire
entered the pits as miner. The Scot
tish miners in my time we're a jolly
lot of chaps, and many of them were
very fond of singing. At "piece time, !"
a crowd of us used to assemble at
the top of the "eowsey brae" down
below, and shout all sorts of popular
songs, such as after the Ball" and
Maggie Murphy's Home" and I sup
pose it was because / shouted louder
than any of them that / got the repu-
tation of having great voice"
My reputation soon grew locally,
and / made secret resolve to leave the
mine as quickly as ever | could. My
first real professional booking was
for a New Years week in Greenock
town hall. / got G3 for the week,