The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-17

From the New York Sun.
 kkNEw YORK will never again see
 IN such performances as those
 \ given by the old Union Square Theatre company when under the man. agement of Shook and Palmer said Ida Vernon who impersonates Mrs. Whit man in The Road to Happiness, with William Hodge, at the Shubert theatre. Miss Vernon celebrated her seventy-sec- ond birthday last week and her sixtieth year on the stage. She is one of the few old timers who have fingered and one of the few who during her day was of consequence in our theatre.
 Miss Vernon grows enthusiastic when you refer to the old Union Square The atre company, of which she was mem- Der for F years. She joined that organ izaton in 1870. Then the actress was in her twenty-seventh year. Some of the great players of this celebrated company were Charles Thorne, James O'Neill, John Parselle, Stuart Robson. Frederick Robinson, F. S. Mackey, Frederic De Belleville. Mckee Rankin, J. K. Stod- dart. Rose Etyinge, Sara Jewett, Kate Claxton, Kitty Blanchard, E,inor Cary, Fanny Mordaunt, Mrs. Wilkins and Maude Harrison. Miss Vernons last ap- pearance with this company was in "A Parlsan Romance In which Richard Mansfield as Baron Chevrial made his first great success. This was the last play presented at the old Union Square, under the late A. M. Palmer's direction. With the breaking up of this famous or ganization in 1883 Miss Vernon joined Ed win Booths company.
 The Camaraderie of this organza tion,' said Miss Vernon last night, was the most delightful that I have exper- fenced as an actress during my 60 years on the stage. There were 40 or more members in this company, every one of whom was a thoroughly accomplished player. We could put on any sort of play, and actors and actresses of rare accomplishments did not consider it be- heath their dignity to appear in the most inconsequential roles. We were not look ing in those days for personal aggrandize- ment. but rather for the success of the rehearsed with such great care. The early TeHedFSdiS were Oh ny Al bert Cazauran and John Parsel!e.
 MT. Palmer purposely remained away from these rehearsals until we had ar rived at something like finished prod uct. He then was able to judge the act ing as a spectator. Mir. Palmer, in short, put on the finishing touches. Some people seem to think that we did not have the same adequate productions as are known to the best theatres of our time. No ex- pense was spared in this partciular.
 "Of course. there were no raw recruits in the Union Square Theatre company. Well organized stock companies were then in operation in all the leading cities of the country. From these various or ganizations MT. Palmer recruited his com pany To be a member of the Union Square company was the ambition of all players of the countfF. To select any one at this time for particular praise would seem invidious; yet, when dwelling on the accomplishments of my old compan- ions, the larger number of whom have gone to their reward, I cannot pass over Charles Thorne, Jr He was the first of our actors to introduce what has come to be called The School of Suppressed Emotion In tense heroic roles Charles Thorne was inimitable. Without the