The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-18

a friendly prentice lad lent chap
m MS books Of adventure. and they
balanced the Bible. Blu the Holcroft
curriculum was not exclusively aca-
,demic: The father added other les
sons which the boy never forgot: to
endure hardship without complaining.
to despise self-indulgence in all forms.
to speak the truth and to fear nothing
but cowardice."
No doubt the paternal precept was
much livelier and more trenchant than
this coldly %virtuous formulation. And
youthful Thomas must nav picked
up many a bit of real wisdom as he
trudged with his none too prosperous
parents through town country,
lay ~ nights under a hedge or in the
lee Of a sheltering haystack. and at
country fairs and market days Ills
tened in rapture to the rude jests Of
the merry andrew" True merit will
not stay down. and Thomas graduated
to the proud rank of stable boy in a
racing establishment. lie graduated
also from the Book Of Proverbs and
the chapbo ks to Addison and Swift.
to "Pilgrim's Progress and saints
Rest"
At l6 he went to London as appren-
tice to his father. once more at the
forge. At 20, with no prospects" he
married, very happily. He tried n
thing and another. and was about to
list. when, in 1870, something turned
him t. the dramatic life. and he joined
n company of ~strolling actors. He
did comedy parts for many years. He
began writing ION the. side" found 1t
to pay. did off the sock and buskin
and wrote novels and plays. inter-
spersed with TRANSACTIONS from French
and German texts. Now he read Mil
ton. Shakespeare, Dryden, Pope. In
1889 he Was severely shocked by the
suicide Cf his only son. In 1874 he
was tried for treason. He Joined the
Society for Constitutional Information,
but was not enthusiastic in his mem
bership; however, he was engulfed in
the tide If persecution that arose
when the popular feeling turned
against France and the British Gov-
rnmen became alarmed FIR its own
safety. The deliberations of the Com
stitutional Society were obscure, SEMI
metaphysical. n the members were
surprised to find themselves objects OF
official VA picion and surveillance \
warrant was issued for a round dozen
Of the members on the exaggerated
charge of high treason. Holcr II had
been about to leave wi but changed
his plans and remained in London. to
avoid appearance of lodging inquiry.
He voluntarily surrendered himself to
the Lord Chief Justice. His bold de-
mand for a statement # the Gaze
. nunin0f htt, snVGi1nrnb nvNhA,-
raised the authorities, and exposed
him to the sneers OF the venial tsicl
press" one Photographer wrote: Mr..
Holcroft. the playwright and per-
former. pretty well known for the
democratical sentiments which he has
industriously scattered through the
lighter works of literature, such as
plays. novels. songs, &c, surrendered
himself requesting to know
II he was the person against whom
the Grand Jury had found a bill for
High Treason. We do not
understand that he j. in any imminent
danger, and suppose from his behavior
he has the idea ~ obtaining the repu-
tation of "A martyr TO liberty at an easy
rate"
Thomas Hardy and Horne Tookc
being tried and acquitted the Others
were dismissed without trial. Hol-
., ,na ra,aasa nnaon 49,.
NOV, hou, ,o,n,ni ,.a,,i,, 80 ..a
carca ana s,ra.al
qiences to his reputation and in his
means of gaining "A livelihood.
Holcroft wrote -four novels "Alwyn
or The Gentleman Comedian" 1850:
",,r, =, ,v,, ZOO. ILL r.a,a. e.,
puhlisbaa ,-ot-o-, ..r,a Na,.,
ur,,, porJno" ,so. .,r,,.,, L. -
f,ir, fo-r.shodowirr ., ,ha can a.
y.,onm.n, nr rho ,hon,ias tIatora,,
wrote himself in und.r IN. rnma -,
U,lLirk vim inci5an,, ,ra,, ht, o.,
a >nerianca ~,,d,o - -, .a,,,a,
TAI ,ep,Iem,r u,hnsa ,,,Iirr $500 !.
nr.y.r,ion ~, ,rr.,,, >, nnn,on."
",,na -, r,as" -, ,a,.aI ,m ,,.,
,o,,n ,n,a5,n,,a1 :, ,aIi.,..a. 49,
,h~er,foro ,ssnr.d :, 80 oa,,m,, ~, ,
cor,nin audinnl. onnr, ,r,n, ,h,,
which it, c.n,,o ,rovnlr,to,t.m
,,iro1 Ann, =, leo, uch,ar ~,
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c,n,ci,v for sne or,h,,si,,n,, ="
,oc,cd "a ,norr,. r,l,, ,rif,a,, ,n
man Of ~. ,,n,lI ,Io,.a, ,ns,,a.
keen az ,n,ellec,' ana wi,h s,rnnr
aversion 20 all form. ~, ,,,,,. h,-
Franz uo,Ioy s,r ~, Nov ,o,h.r,,
oyors,,r Ca youu, man u,i,L =, ,,i,
,rn,s ir,.,,.c, and - b,,j. ~, ,,inI,
! in, r,r bin,.,lf" ,rok,s a ,rt.rrra =,
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