Show DRAMATIC AND LYRIC Some Gossi Concerning W 4 T Carleton i i J J a 1 THE SON OF QUAKER PARENTS His Early life and Training The National Opera Co Chamber Concerts Bernhardt Most artists on the stage change their names at the outset of their career from one of two motivesa diSlike to bring the old family patronym into the asso ciations of the playhouse or a desire to borrow a more romantic and high sounding appellation than their fathers have transmitted to them Lawrence Barretts family name is > Brannigan Emma Nevadas Wixom Ludwig the baritones Leadwidge Lewis Morrisons Morris Nordicas Norton Fabrini is a Scotchman Lottas name is Crabtree and instances equally notable might be cited ad infinitum William T Carleton abandoned the family name when < ie took up the stage from a motive rather out of fie usual run His father and mother were respectable respect-able and staid old Quakers of the name of Standing residing in London they had nineteen children our baritone arriving among the later consignments had they been told thirty years age that three of these children would adopt the stage as a profession they would have raised their hands i groaned in the truest orthodox style and at once abandoned all hope of saving their wayward offspring from the devil It so turned out that the time came when the stage opened its arms so widely to three of the Standing sons that it would have been folly for them to refuse the call Herbert the eldest became an actor and a most excellent one and today is known as the original Jim the Penman of the London stage a character he is yet filling Fie clung to the family name and has made it more wdely known than ever his Quaker parents dreamed of seeing it The second brother Frank and the third William were both baritones Frank went upon the stage as Celli and has won distinguished success being now with the Carl Rosa troupe in London William took the name of Carletona name with which he is now so entirely identified that it must puzzle him to think that he was ever the possessor of l any other We came upon Carleton the other afternoon af-ternoon indulging in a baritones diet at one of Coffee Johns tables two pounds of Kansas steak two bottles of Bass a plate of redolent cheeseu a cup of black coffee and several slices of dry crust cost 250 is the regimen he has found most conducive to a clear head and sonorous lungs at night an Eng ishman through and through He was feeling somewhat dejected because there was no pewter tankard from which to drown his larynx in a torrent of ale Im an American in everything but my eating he said with his hopelessly unAmerIcan accent But I would give just a trifle dont you know to be at this moment in Liverpool seated at the Great Western Hotel with one of their mutton joints a tankard of ale and a plate of cheese before me America for money for climate for home but England for roasts and ale I U How did you make your commencement commence-ment as an artist What brought you to the stage we queried as he lunged into the juicy mysteries of his steak Well its about lie old story he replied Nothing very romantic or exciting ex-citing about it I have passed a very busy life ever since I was a youngster and when I was eight years old I used to sing alto in the cathedral About that time I was struck on the temple with a cobble stone by a companion and I knew nothing for three years Three years of my life were taken away from me bodily I know no more about them than as if I had never lived them The doctors called it concussion of the brain and said I would be troubled with itall my life But since I was 20 years old the effects have all left me When 1 I was 12 years and 7 months old I left home account of a terrific thrashing my governor gave me I remember well enough the trifle over whicH it all originated I and my brothers had some boots that laced up the sides and when we went to school the others laughed at us and said we had our sisters boots dn This mortified me nearly to death and when I got home I buried mine and put on my cricket shoes withspikesin them These however how-ever marked up the school room floor and the master warned me not to wear them gain In this dilemma I ran away for three days to a cricket match iny governor found it out and gave me touch a wallopingby Jove I can feel it yet I left home that night answered an advertisement for a copyist obtained the situation and from tba time forth I never went to my father again for support nor did I visit the house for years except on I Sundays My mother was nearly du j ra ted over it but my father said let j I me alone my discipline with the w rd i would do me good And it did i obtained j 1 i ob-tained a bookkeepers position son e years after and got the useful business experience that has been of so much benefit to me in all my subsequent experience ex-perience as manager I was 20 years old before I ever thought of such a thing as adopting the stage for a profession fes ion I had sung a gooddeal with amateurs and had acquired a certain reputation when a friend jf mine who had a hotel at Margate in which hgh lass concerts were given said to nw that he believed I could make money with my voice and offered me three pound si week to manage his concerns and sing one song a night during the season I said Ill do it and that was the commencement of my career Fur two years I took lessons with Sir Julius Benedict and underwent a per fect slavery scale practice In 1871 I was singing second baritone at the Gaiety with Santlev as principal By the way there was in the chorus at that time young Leadwidge who has since blossomed into the great Ludwig of the National Opera Company In 18731 came to America and opened with Clara Louise J ellogg In 1875 T was across the continent with Hess Castle Maas and Seguin etc Poor Maas His was a noble voice and he was a nobleman noble-man They havelately erected a handsome hand-some monument to his memory which I am very glad to see Since those days I have been through the whole range of Italian and English opera but of late years I have been devoting myself entirely en-tirely to light operau Can you not make more money by I accepting a steady position with a New York company than by managing a company of your own 1 we inquired Perhaps could if I only thought of the present When 1 was with McCaull I received 275 a week I could go to the Casino in New York to morrow mor-row and get an engagement at OQO a week which is over 15000 per mall m-all the year round Bee how it is With management My first year out was a corkerdont let me think of it I spent everything I had to establish a reputation my first season and on mv second I reaped the benefits of it by making 30000 clear profit This year I I have mode rnoneylhough not so much mainly because I have had to pay such enormous royalties on Er minie and Nanon What do you think I have paid the Aronsons for royalties on Nancn f Only 27000 But you see all this time 1 am making a reputation repu-tation as manager which will serve me when my vpice is gone The time will come when Ishall have to retirethough I am only 38 and good for some time yet I hope and then you see I can continue my career as a manager when I am done as a singer J Next season said Mr Carleton I shall have a stronger company than ever I intend engaging a good soprano so-prano and contralto and making a big feature of one or two such things as the Bohemian Girl The Count von know was one of my best roles I shall spend the same money upon the gypsy Costumes Cos-tumes the scenery and appointments that I have doneupon Nanon Erminie and the Mikadoand I believe firmly that the venturewill be appreciated by the public a J Mr Carleton has a pleasant home of his own on Lexington Avenue New York which he lets furnished and his wife and family reside in Washington He has four children the eldest 16 the youngest 11 He will visit his old English home this summer tosee his age mother who became so far ciled to seeing her sons adopt the stage that she now visits the theatre frequently fre-quently His father died two years ago Carleton will spend the summer abroad and return in time to form and rehearse his company for the season of 1S878 His time is already filled and includes Jour weeks in Chicago four in Baltimore and four in San Francisco |