The Washington times., 1915-03-13
William J. Ferguson First Saw
Over FootIights in Ford's
Theater in 1865.
SUCCEEDED FROM START
Returns to Washington to CeIe-
brate Golden Jubilee With
Continued Work.
By GARDNER MACK.

II at first you DO succeed?
That Ia one of the things the busy
body philosophers who sat up nights
thinking up nice little moral codes FOR
other people completely overlooked. But
the chances are II they had thought OF
it thew would have sentenced the suc-
cessfuI person to half century OF
hard work making repeated bulfs-eyes
on the target of popular esteem-"ith
no time off for good behavior ana no
slips allowed to be taken over.
This idea is particularly pertinent for
the reason that today. March 13
1915, William ]. Ferguson, character
actor, farceur, pantomimist. light come
dian. will end the flftieth year he has
played on the stage in Washington-the
f1ftieth anniversary, as well, of his very
first appearance on the stage. for he
started herein a series of plays In
which he has invariably been a success
mo matter what the play might have
been.
4. The business of being a success for
fifty years-a repeated. continuous,
never-say-dic success In any and every
kind of a part that comes to the life
time of an actor, isn't one of the easiest
things in the world, when you como to
think of 1t. The memory of the youngest
theatergoer in the city is long enough
to recall successful actors who have
failed-even If that memory extends
over but part OF this season.
Mansfield's Tribute.
And the memory of the Oldest the
atersoer cannot recall q Part in which
William J. Ferguson did no succeed in
doing not only what the author intend
ed, but in a great many instances in
making a real work of art out of what
the author showed every evidence of
having no tangible intentions whatso-
ever.
The late Richard Mansfield in a burst
of unaccustomed self-repression, once
declared that Mr.. Ferguson vas the
second greatest actor in Amerlca-th
modesty of Mr.. Mansfield making it i'm
possible for him to name the first with
out blushing.
IT was in the spring of 1855 that Fer
guson made hts first appearance on the
stage. Curiously enough. his theatrical
debut took place within a block ami
half of the Columbia Theater where
he is playing this week in The Blue
Envelope" 1t was at lTord's Theater
on Tenth street. between e and F
streets. Ferguson Is a native of Balu-
more and became acquainted with John
Ford in school boy days. Ford thought
he saw in young Ferguson the making
OF an actor, and in 1866 brought him
to this city to act as call boy and gen.
eral all-around handy man at the old
Ford's The1ter.
In those days it was customary to
play a farce after tragedy had been
presented on the stage in order to send
tho audience home in happy frame
Of mind. 1t was the farce that attracted
tire attention of the young Raltimorean
Fuse of Laughter.
W. ]. Ferguson started his theatrical
career with a determination to fire the
fuse of laughter in every audience he
could, and to make that laughter gen.
uine, compelling and all-encompassing
He likewise studied the art of pan
tomime, and for several years toured
the country with a family of expert Eu-
ropean pantomimists.
After playing with the Ford Theater
stock company in minor parts he went
to Brooklyn and played in Mrs. Con-
ways stock company. for over two sea-
sons. Then he Joined Wallack's stock
company. When John T. Raymond ap-
peared in Mark Twain's THE Gided
Age" in 1874. Ferguson was selected to