The Washington times., 1915-02-07

The difficulty that lies In general &C.
ceptancc Of the truth OF the abatement
that the American farmer boy furnishes
raw material for more real romance
than any other Individual lies In the
fact that the rosy color In which he
10 painted Ia too often mistaken Tor
sunburn. Custom having coupled the
picturesque with the romantic. first
glance OF the youthful figure In faded
overalls. from the towslcd weather
| stained hair to the enlarged toe joints.
usually causes the casual observer TO
turn away. But the farmer boy Is the
lad that first started history In the
custom Of giving encores, and the
American farmer boy has been the
| reason for more Of such repetition than
,, the youth Of any other nation.
While 1t is well known that American
| farmer boys not only can. but have, be-
| come very nearly everything IN the
world from the rulers OF nations. down.
into corner to hang its head while
| fact makes the pridcful peacock look
| like a poor relation.
| An American farmer boy has become
and one of the most important figures
Of the London theatcr.
London Would Be Indignant.
The great London thcatcr-goinS pub.
lie he has so successfully amused, en-.
tertained. and instructed for the past
thirty years would be highly indignant
IL the suggestion Is made that Cyril
Maudc Is really an American farmer
boy. With the late Sir Henry Irving
and Sir Charles Wyndham and Beer
bohm Tree and Sir John Hare, he ha.
Lccn one Of the really great figures o.
| Ir.t in hA p,if Al
Londoners know he is one OF them
seives--that he was born in London, ant
that nc was educated and grew NJ
there. They will declare that he start
cd his great career in the theater thcr'
and that he continued to play ther'
year in and year out. That he ncve'
toured America until last year: Ihe!
! will also declare that he has had hi
has given to the world a most unusua
assortment OF finely drawn character
for its dramatic hall OF fame.
All this the I.ondoncrs will assert be
And az the latter gets the better o
then-whlch is a very rare thing for
Iondoncr. and only goes to show Jus
how seriously they believe In Cyri
toll YOU of some of these parts-of hi
Sir Peter Teazlc. In The School 70
Scandal OF his Gavin Dishart. in 'Th
Little Minister of his Mr.. Iiardcas!l.
III SHc StoDpS 10 NClllu'I " ~
Major Bingham. in Tho Second !
Command'-W different characte
studies which Londoners believe Cyr
Maude has approached the nearest t
perfection IN the doing. They will tc
all these things as proof-positive proc
that Cyril Maudc is home grown. blow
in the bottle British.
SO this Ia Information for the Brito
as well as the American piarEoer. Ad
mittng all the things the Londoncr
will say-the fact remains. nevertheless:
that Cyril Maude is a shining cxampl
OF the power of the American farme
boy to become anything he wants I
become. because Cyril Maude was a
American farmer hoy. Further tina
that, he made his first stage appeal
ance in the United States. Yet toda
he Is one Of the greatest actors c
England! Here is the real story:
Constitution Needed Amendment.
He WAS born in London-in S
Georges square. to be exact. II
went to school with the present Lor
Curzon of Kcdlcstcn. 1t Is also tru
tina. his family is an English army far
ily, and arc known in history as t.
| Fighting Maudcs Likewise it is tru
that he was much discouraged in h
carly efforts to become an actor by tt
attitude OF his friends. his family. ar
his constitution. The Britisher's COZ