Evening star., 1921-08-14

| N calling UP memories Of the old
dramatic clubs Of Washington the
| Rambler is reminded that one OF
the unusual features of the
Thalian Club. about which he wrote
last week. was that it never sold
tickets. the cost of it's productions
being paid by contributing members.
| The names Of several of the con-
tributors were published last Sunday.
but 1t seems that the whole list is
not to be had. James A. Garfield.
then member of Congress and
| was one of. those members. The
story is that Gen. Garfield's. little
J daughter Mollie became enchanted
with Katie Frye, who played frolic-
some. mischlevous, flirtatious and
capricious parts with .he Italians,
and insisting on attending all the
| performances OF tho club at Fords
| Opera House. the general wrote re-
questing that he be allowed to.
become a contributing member. That
! letter is now in posSessio OF one
who was an acting member of the
club.
| Another of the contributing men,
! bers was Jean Davenport Lander,
! distinguished actress who became
| the wife of Gen. Lander and sur
vived him many years. Since the
beginning of these little narratives
! the Rambler has had 1t in mind to
, write of this charming woman. He
. has an old photograph of her. and in
negatives is one he made of her
| house about twenty years ago. 1t
was pretty frame house, always
| painted white, with green shutters.
and stood on the south side of B
street southeast between New Jersey
avenue and 1st street. about half a
dozen doors east of that red brick
building whose big gilded sign told
that 1t was Brooks Congressional
Hotel. and which stood at the south.
Il street south.
The House Of Representatives Office
building covers the site Of the Lander
home Jean Davenport before her
marriage to Gen. Lander had long
and meritorious stage life, and the
Rambler. before he gathers up his old
camera and other traps and takes to
the road again, means to tell you
more of this good woman. She was
prominent in charitable works In
for lack OF a more explicit word we
call society" Another of the con-
tributing members of the Thalian
Club was Mrs. Lippincott. known for
a long time throughout the United
States as Grace Greenwood And that
might make another chapter for the
Rambler.
Anna w. Story. an acting member
after playing with the Thaliass for
some time. made her profe 5sional
debut in the Ford stock company.
That was about 1878. but l am not
sure Of the date, The following sea
Theater Stock Company and then
Travelled with Lawrence Barrett. She
retired from the stage and took up
dramatic teaching in Sargent's School
of Acting in New York. 1t was about
four years ago that she passed away.
Minnie Frye. for several years one
of the leading Thalians, entered the
ranks of professionals" or paid
actors. as member Of Augustin
playing ingenue roles. After that she
played what theatrical people call
"leads" at the Boston theater. Then
she had a season on the road as lead
SOM. 8. chanfrau. father Of Henry
Chanfrau, who continued to tour the
country in kit Carson" after his
fathers death. Minnie was next
star in Woods Museum stock COM
pany. After that she travelled in
Canada, starring in Princess Of Bag
dad" East Lynne" and The New
Magdalen." and was co-star wit, with
psrry Lazy W,a In sbe play married. eaef Thomas
L. Coleman. a prominent Shakesjear-
can actor, in 1885, and retired from
| the stage in 1888. Mr.. Coleman died
\. in, 1918 and Mrs. Minnie Frye Cole
lives in WzVs5h4;pSten; WV5h4 !.
THE Rambler has been able to OBJ
tain only q partial list of the
membership of the Thalian Club. but
| an old Thalian has told him that the
! following. who were members OF the
club. are still among US. with excel,
lent chances Of long being helpful
| citizens Of this world: John B. Ran
| dolph. Herndon Morsell. Edison B. Olds.
! Rudolph Kaufman, Minnie Frye.
Rachel Cordelia Levy. Carrie Bioss
and India s Volt - The The o,G foiI9wing, TbsiiaI
Club,- have passed to their reward:
| John r. Gisboufne. Ralph Jefferson.
w. c. Murdock, Thad Sailor. Howard
| Nyman, Katie D. Frye. Ida. Tullock,
Agnes Kennedy. Mrs. Jennie Bryan
story, James E. Bangs. A. B.. Briggs.
Charles Hughes. Frank Smell. israe!
| Kimball and Huh T. Smith. This old
Thalian told the. Rambler that he
does not know what has become OF
Lottie Swallow, Clarence story ana
Charles Winner.
There is one association Of Wash
ington players which the Rambler
has not mentioned, and here goes:
It was called 1.-The Players of Column
and ballets, and one Of the operas
was Dorothy" They put on that
| show several times and the Rambler
finds accounts in The Star Of two pres
| entations Of 1t at the National The
ater, February 2e and March l. 1895;
On those occasions the Players OF
Columbian University played. sang
and danced for the benefit Of the
Homeopathic Hospital. The Star in
heralding the approach of the second
want to play and-and you laugh at
me" -&r
Il 4 4 4