The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1916-01-29
CHAPTER I.

Actors trying to write autobiographica
ars like girls trying to make fudge. They
ne up lot Of good material-such, a
much. 'f Gils fndes. &. 0 story Of fellow.
life ought really TO b reserved for biz
Il wsrs Lord Kitchener. doing thing.
and saying things that made history, ]
could understand why the story OF my
ne orgbt to b. written; but ] am Just .
little chap trying to make people laugh.
They are all % anxious to 30 happy that
| they eagerly help me mako the laughs-tho
audiences, i mean. But they give me all
| the credit-not taking any themselves for
being 20 willing to laugh. So feel. In .
way, that in telling this story, am just
talking Il over with my business. partners
| tho end Of. the firm that really makes
the laughs.
Some day when have made money
buy little farm and a good old horse and
buggy automobile agents can read this
part twice-snd retire; sometimes !! will
! ride into town and 90 to movingpicture
show and zee some other fellow making
them laugh
In the circumstances, guess you can
just put this story down to this: that
Charlie Chaplin gives an account OF him.
self to the firm.
| ttto OUO ot0 OTCaUs
When I was little boy, the last thing
| idea was to be a member of parliament or
q great musician. l wasn't quite clear
which,. The only thing | really dreamed
| about was being rich. We were 90 poor
| that wealth seemed to me the summit of
| all ambition and the end of the rainbow.
Both mysfather and mother were actors.
My father was Charles Chaplin, we'll
L T.. = r. IL. Iy Ia
had fine baritone voice and is still re-
membered in England. My mother was
also . well-known vaudeville singer. On
the stage she was known as Lille Harley.
| She, too, had a fine voice and was well
known as singer of the character songs
which are SO popular in England. She and
my father usually travelled with the same
| vaudeville company but never, rs far as
know, worked in the same act.
| Showed on the Stage.
In spite of their professional regulations
Nand their two salaries, my earliest recol-
| lections are of poverty. guess the salaries
| couldn't have amounted to much in those
days.
Ny brother sgd was four years old when
| was born. That interesting event hap
pened at Fontainebleau, France. My father
and mother were touring the continent
/ at that time with vaudeville company.
was bern at hotel on April 10, 1889; As
| soon as my mother was able to travel, we
returned to London, and that was my
home, more or less, until came to Amer
lea. -
The very first thing can remember il
of being showed on the stage to sing q
song. could not have been over five OF
six years old at the time. My mother was
taken suddenly sick and l was sent on C
take her place in the vaudeville bill.
souv an old COstar a0nU called ".JaCb
Jones'"
It must have been about this time that
my father died My mother was never very
strong and, what with the shock Of my
fathers death and all, she was unable u
work for time.
Sent to the Poorhouse.
My brother sgd and were sent to thu
poorhouse.
English people have great horror o
the poorhouse, but don't remember i
as a very dreadful place. To tell ycQ tn,
truth, don't remember much about it.
have just a vague idea of what it wa
The strongest recollection have Of thi
period Of my life il of creeping off by my
self ut the poorhouse and pretending ! wa
very rich and grand person.
My brother sgd was always a wide
awake. lively, vigorous young person; Blu
i was always delicate and rather sickly q
a child. ! was of q dreamy, imaginative
disposition. l was always pretending
was somebody else, and the worst eve
gave myself in those day-dreams and game
OF pretend" was scat in parliament 70
life and an income Of million pounds. I
great musician. or the director Of a grea
orchestra; but the director was always
Music q Passion.
J Music, even in my poorhouse days, wa
always q passion with me. i never wa
, able to take Lessons of any kind, but
loved to hear music and could play an
kind Of instrument could lay hands OF
Even now can play the piano, cello Q
NJ violin by ear.
Syd had lofty contempt for thes
dreams Of mine. What sgd wanted was
be a sailor. He was always pretending }
was walking the bridge Of q great battl'
ship, ordering broadsides wailoped into tn
enemys ships OF war.
We didn't stay long at the poorhous
am not sure just how long. but my in
precision 10 of a short stay. My moths
recovered her health to some extent an
took us back home.
sgd went away from home immediate
after we left the poorhouse. He was ren
" very anxious to be q sailor, and m
mother sent him to the Hanwell school,
Surrey, where boys are trained for the se
Many boys from the poorhouse went
this school.
He's sLeft. Handed"
Nv mother sent me 10 school in I,ondo
don't remember great deal about
The strongest recollection have of scho
Il Of being raped over the knucklcs by h
teacher because ! wrote left,hsnded. "
fairly hammered black and blue on q
l-..sll.. k.fcxa 6ua11v lssrvad hoe