Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-29

ftSt4
VDU ask me what I think of this
i purlng life in America and at first
then is only one answer that comes up.
pernost, in my mind. and that is this
Thre is only one form of life that 1
really dislike more and that is touring
Electrically in England. Non. non pas
potr Get enfant, si-well si-(No, it's
no good. ] can't keep the Ftench up in
cae Lou Tellegen or perhaps that bril-.
liant Mime. Norska might expose me)-
will. them If It were not for the filthy
lure that rolls in occasionally.
l say, mind you, occasionally, because,
tough I personally have nothing to com.
pain Of on this tour, still l gather that
turing is not really quite what It used
b be in the little towns which formerly
lad no other kind of amusement to look
forward to except an occasional visit
from some decent company or else con-
cert, or possibly, with greatest luck of
all. circus! / think also that some of
these little places get rather out of the
way of theatre-going / have been to
\ one or two lately where they had not had
q play for months and months, and they
seemed to come to the theatre like n
hungry dog to bone, but bone which
they have possibly some doubt about. as
they have found some of the previous
bones not quite what they had been led
to expect by the press agent
1 must tell you of simply perfect
answer to an examination paper which 1
was told on Sunday by delightful Har-
ward professor, who has now taken 20
conducting n delightful paper called-or
perhaps yclept, as they would prefer me
to call It, with its distinct SAVIOR of all
that is best in older world daintiness and
literary dlstinction-"The Belman." The
question was, what do you know of
AuH ha
dear boy-can't you see HIM, bless him,
with his dear. puckered brow?-put on
paper, They were two towns completely
destroyed by an extremely long overflow
of saliva from the Vatican" or is that
quite word one can use in the States? Oc-
casionally Englishmen do make mistakes,
don't they? And 1t must seem so silly to
you when we call Grown Derby a bowler
or billycocl or even Prince Albert n
frock coat.
so we'll remember, when I was years
and years ago acting the part of a some-
what racy sort of young man in some pri-
vate theatricals in certain very lovely
house In London, had constantly to say
What the devil !" After the first rehearsal
a dear old cousin of mine took me aside
and begged me to cut out the expression
entirely. for, as she said, no gentleman
ever says What the devil !" 1 wonder
what she would have said that dear old
cousin of mine, had she lived to see
Grumpy?
But I am DEPRESSING Yes, have been
and still am playing sometimes in the
strangest places. where. IL / do not see
fiery and unframed cowboys at literally
every street corner, l still see my name
in glowing letters shining across the snow
on every ash can, and L sometimes have
seen printed in large letters on the canvas
which separates me from the audience
between the acts, please do not spit on
the cuttsin."
The stage doors in Western American
theatres seem always to be hidden away
In the most curious manner, as If the
architect only thought of them at the last
moment and then showed them in any
where l wonder sometimes how many
architects really ever gave a certain
amount of time TO the study of theatre
building. They always seem to be built
on exactly the same pattern as hotel
bathrooms are, / have, by the way, heard
OF one architect who really seemed to
have original IDEAS for he forgot entirely
TO build any dressing rooms Not that
when we find the dressings rooms they
are anything TO go at once and write
home about. And there Is one thing that
even the local manager, as well as the
architect, seems to forget and that Is that
actors sometimes want to wash their
hands. 1t is somewhat distressing for
young gentlemen who possibly have to go
on the stage in minute to represent the
bluest of blue-blooded bloods, clad in i'm
maculate dress clothes and revealing
shirtfront in which the Western washer
lady has perhaps thoughtfuly. left even
yet a little more blue-it is, / say. dis
tressing for them to have to crowd around
small tin basin to rendeD their hands
into that state which the young Western
lady is accustomed to think should exist
in the drawing room.
One learns TO appreciate snow in the
far Northwest; 1t is always SO delicious
ly dry and powdery and so infinitely |
preferable to the slush we are so accus-
toned to in lower ATTITUDES. But the |
stage door so often opens on the street |
out here, and the cold, powdery stun |
blows sometimes almost as far as the |
ingenues' Ooh, why will they call them |
ongenoos and vordeville out here?) pretty |
bare shoulders. Gilbert OF Bah Ballad |
fame told me once he thought Pneumonia |
would make such lovely name for girl. |
oh, but / am doing what is most in |
fernal cheek. l am actually beginning |
to dare 10 criticise your country and its |
ways. II is the Irish in me that is do |
ing it I'm sure. l really admire every |