The sun., 1916-10-15
By PAUL M. POTTER.

ular mystery. To most people
he Is only the shadow OF .
name. He presents" he OFFERS" he
Announces" he gives the public what
Il wants" But who Is he? Where
does he come from? What has his
training been? What are his abilities?
What are his functions? How does he
know what the public wants?
10 answer these vexing questions
Daniel Frohman, dean OF the mana
ser1al guild. and Isaac +. Marcasson.
an author Of repute. have written a
remarkable book. 1t is called Charles
Frohman: Manager and Man" liar
per's). 1t has q foreword by James NJ.
Barrie, and many portraits OF notable
stage people. Neither exa.ting its hero
nor extenuating anything. II portrays
Charles Frohman's career from cradle
20 grave and pictures a life so unusual,
presents so fascinating a picture OF
what happens behind the footlights.
that II Is likely TO rival IN current
novel as a best seller and Is sure of It's
pace as Il stdTudlu ditiOiiNy az u'i 'iS
libraries OF the word.
And lest the reader should take this
10 be the language of Mr.. Jefferson
Brick or the Hon. Elijah Pogram, l
quote what Sir James Barrie, the - ne
and most sweet tempered Barrie, says
o, his friend Charles Frohman.
81 have never" he writes. known
any one more modest and no one quite
30 shy. | have seen him ordered out
OF his own theatre by subordinates
who did not know him and he went
cheerfully away. His innumerable
companies were as children TO him; he
chided them as children. soothed them,
forgave them. and certainly loved them
as children. Charles Lamb was fond
OF the theatre. and ] think, of all those
connected with ii that | have known,
Mr. Frohman is the one with whom he
would most have liked to spend an
evening. What an essay Fila might
have made Of that night. none OF IL
about the stories told. all about the
man in the chair. the humorous, gen.
tie, roughly educated. very fine Ameri-
can gentleman in the chair"
From a small cigar store kept by
their father on Broadway and Eighth
street the three Frohman brothers,
Daniel, Gustave and Charles, passed
into the ranks of Callender's Original
Georgia Minstrels. hailing from Macon.
Ga, and composed entirely Of negroes.
Daniel was advance agent. Gustave
was manager. and Charles received
this letter from Gustave:
You n begin your theatrical ca
reer in the box office OF Hooley's The
atre in Brooklyn. You will have TO sell
%, 80 and - cent tickets. and they
Will all be hard tickets. that Is. no re-
served seats. Get some p~asteboard
slips or a pack OF cards and practice
handling them. Your success will lie
IN the swiftness with which you can
hand them out"
Charles bought his playing cards.
used his fathers cigar counter as a
box Office and handed out the paste
boards TO imaginary patrons. On the
hrst Monday in August, 1874, being
Just fourteen years old, he raised the
window OF the real box office and sold
out the house, When after the count
up Gustave asked him II he was
Snort Il am not short: | am fifty
cents over he replied. You ran keep
that as a reward for good work." said
GlstaTe. And Calender, the proprie'
tor. stepped up and said: Young fell
low, | like your looks and your ways.
You and ] will be doing business
some day"
The chance came soon. They were
exhibiting at a small hall in Chestnut
street, Philadelphia. the English illu-
SION known as Peppers Ghost"
Mr., Calender" said this lad Of
fourteen, Il believe there IL money in
%" Ghost show II you will let me
nave Il hundred dollars ! will take
cHa's" nf II and ! think we a make
s'me money together"
Calender agreed. The show failed.
SIN ~" magnate OF the minstrel stood
by biz little friend.
HIS going to back me on the
road, said Charles Frohman.
~ said Brother Gustavc firmly,
your TN" has not Yet come. Wait
vi VOW can go ahead OF a show as
Agent"
S"erish!ng this ambition. Charles
went back to the circulation depart
ment OF the Graphic. an illustrated