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Show THE SALT LAKE TIMES, SATURDAY EVENING, AP1UL 12, 1890. P J SILT LAKE STAGE. Interesting Kemlnlscence by Mr. Phil Margetts, a Pioneer 'Actor. SI DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE. Young was Induced to Build r Brigbam tie Salt Lake Theatre Some Entertaining History. thing emauatiug from the immortal bard, bears tho touch of inspiration, even in tho dreary wilderness; where nature frowned and her visage, was unrelieved by one touch of that brightness and ruggedness bestowed elsewhere by the master hand. At the mountain top, along the rivers and among the pines, everywhere appeared in unmistakable characters the edict that, 'All the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players.' Every day was to us a new drama, every incident a now scene, and the company, the dramatis personal and the audience In ' ono. Tho incidents took a wide range, running all tho way froni tho lively to the severe, from the devotioually religious to the completely ridieulous, from the profoundly serious to the irresistably comic. Each in its turn and neither long. On this occa-sion 1 will mention a few points strongly representing tho phases and conditions I have referred to. Three of tho party, myself included, with u hopo of strengthening the supplies of the others and to overtake, if possible, a train, and facilitate our onward march, when within about 400 miles of our destination, started out on foot to complete the journey, tak-iu- g with us but little, for there was but little to spare. A NIGHT WITH WOLVES. The route was so thickly marked with the graves of those who had pro-ceeded us and had fallen by tho way-side mainly through that fell scourge-chol- era, but largely through exhaustion and other causes, that it seemed at times as though Ave were passing througo tho valley of tho shadow of death. A few days after leaving the train, as I remember so well, having made a lire of sage brush and camped for the night, we woro treated to the most unmusical serenade that human blood was ever curdled withal. A pack of wolves, lioree aud hungry, hovered around the camp and made night hideous from night till early morning. The cause of this free enter-tainment was not disclosed to us till daylight, when we found that we had camped where they were expecting to banquet, it being in the center of a spot whore had been interred tho remains of fifty person s. "Our provisions soon became ex-hausted aud then not more than one-fourt- h of our march had been com-pleted; we were hungry, foot-sor- e and weak, and when absolute exhaustion seemed inevitable, a friendly ox, which had been left by a train apparently just ahead of us, was found by the road side. He could not bid us welcome, as he would havo done, doubtless, had he been able to speak his feelings, but we welcomed him, most heartily. It was a peculiar welcome, for the interview no sooner began than we commenced de-vising means for the death of tho suf-ferer in order that death might be averted in our own ease. The only weapons we had wero pocket knives, and shortly after we had determined to insert the longest blade in the party's possession in a vital part of tho beast, the welcome sound of cow bells was heard beyond a neighboring ridge. The music that was wafted by the minstrel to his lady fair in the bowers of Semiramis, was most complete dis-cord compared to that with which those homely bells greeted us. It was to that ox a ram in the thicket, for we knew that some of our kind were at hand, subjeet proper, bat which are necessary in order to begin at the com-mencement; and show something in ad-vance of the theme so as to make the narrative a recital, commencing with a,' and ending with ' all the interme-diate letters coining along in their order as nearly as I am capable of. ALL THE WORLD A STAGE. "One who is greater than all others in the depicting of human nature, its inci-dents and accidents, its mimicry and its sympathy, its sorrows and its misfor-tunes, said: 'All the world's a stage and all the men and womeu merely players.' This author was the greatest of the bards; the man whose name will never die the immortal Shakespeare. That the sentence quoted has some of the ele-ments af immortality, in that it relates to things past, present and to come, showing by an innate perception of what man is in his best and worst es-tate. What ho ought to, may be, and will be, as illustrated by the mirror which is sometimes held up to nature on the stage, it will be my purpose to tell you. Man enacts a part from the cradle to tho grave; perhaps I ought to say ho enacts several parts, all converg-ing to one common character. LEAVING THE OLD HOME. "Many years ago I am afraid to con-template how many thero lived in tho city of London 'a youth to fortuuo and to fame unknown,' whose occupation was that of many others of his class aud time an occupation, which, though honorable and productive of suilicient iinaueial results to secure his temporal well-bein- was not of such a nature as was calculated in itself to place him in tho front rank of men. Perhaps for tho reason that it was essentially a useful occupation; for be it known that genius rarely grows in useful soil, and great men do not arrive at greatness through the daily and heavily trod path of med-iocrity. But he lived aud learned and thrived, till 0110 day it dawned upon him as by a visitation from above that there were greener fields aud pastures new where the probabilities were equal to the possibilities, far surpassing those which immediately surrounded him; that there were more fertile fields, more fruitful gardens, more beautiful bowers aud more splendid prospects, as well as a greater degree ot privileges and polit-ca- l liberty than these his associates en-joyed at home. It sounded like a fairy tale, like a dream of some Arcadia; but it seemed to be so authentic, so reliable in its details, so exact in its miuutiie, that . ho in common with others decided to forsake the land of his na-tivity. The association of his child-hood, and embark for the land of prom-ise. So one bright morning in the spring of 1850, having made all his pre-parations, he shook his friends warmly by the hand, wished them as they wished him, 'God speed' in all their future lives, and turned his back resolutely upon the spot consecrated in his mem-ory by so many endearing scenes and associations, he set his face toward the new land. After a long and tedious voyage, with no land in sight, with nothing but the dreary waste of waters beneath, aud the canopy of Heaven above, tho glad announcement came one day that the new country was in sight. That the person to whom 1 re-fer was luysclf jamst be already appar-ent and when I look back upon that voyage of fifty-liv- loug days and con-trast it with the rapid transit now in voffuo. I sav almost involuntarily, respective appearance of these graml artists. I have seen such a number of great and small, different and indiffer-ent actors and actresses, that the time at my d'sposal is not sufficient to admit of a complete enumeration. Among them, however, were such brilliant gen-iuses as K. L. Davenport. John M'-Cu- l lough. Edwin Adams, Junius Brutus iWth, Mrs. Lauder. Mis Bower. James A. Heme. Je Jeffemon. Lawrence Barrett. Jamum-h- . k. Modjeska. personating the legit-imate, and u hoM personating what I may term the illegitimate. Hut while I make mention of those, let me not forget that splendid oid veteran In the ranks of the drama. Colonel Coutdock. om of the most cultured gentlemen, finished actors, pleasing compaiiionsand agreeable men it was ever my fortune to encounter on or off the stage, and I have met many iu both places. He is getting old. mid the day when his voici will last f.tl iqxm an admiring audience Is elose at hand. With a master hand he gave us siieh a presentation of a sorrow stricken father, such uaturalucsa of action, and unstaginess of elocution, that w hen his performance was concluded the auditor found a tear in his eye and could not explain how it was there. The gifted Julia Dcane I lay no performed a range of character from Julia iu 'The Hunch-back.' to Alladiin, from Camillo to Margery,' and whose performances of 'Camille,' will never he forgotten by those who saw It, She placed the drama iu l"tah upon a higher plane than was previously know n. As tv star of the first magnitude, Ivcset by mis-fortune though she was, and always by circumstancei of the most unenviable ami discouraging character. mi ill her genius shone forth like the sun at noonday, and her ladylike qualilie and goodness of heart will ever live in the recollection of those associated with her, as it was my good fortune In lx for a long period. She has gone to the si-lent hereafter, and all that remains of her to the world, and to us, is her mem-ory Xor should such veleruns of lh legitimate drama as flashed before us prior to the coming of the great geniuses that I have named be overlooked. Humble though their sphere may have K'eu by comparison. I mention again particu-larly Uernard Snow, James II. Fergu-son, Mrs. Wheclock, who first gave us the legitimate drama on the board of the Social Hall stage, and afterwards occasionally for a short time iu the Salt Luke Theatre, with the exception of the last named lady, who left the territory before It was liuill. Snow and Forgu sou were both looked iimii as giants of the drama In those times, ami truly they they were. They were a grout Iu their time and place as harrctt, llooth or Irving in theirs. Nor should the Mrs. (iilison, w hose i,ady Mac-beth' has never been excelled here, 1m forgotten. the iiomr pu.uutk: comasv. "The Home Drumntlc company, an organization based upon a general de-sire for something In tint way of local presentations hy local talent; was or-ganized In the year IH7i, and gave it Initial performance In the Salt Lake Theatre, the piece being 'The Koiimnco of a Poor Young Man;' the same as that in which George Fun ncc fort had ap-peared several years previously, on the same stage, making his first bow to a Salt Luke audience Iu the character o Manuel. That thev were successful la a circus with such materials as he could obtain at the time. performed at (.'amp Floyd 5ind also at Salt Lake City. To till a dull, aching void iu rav career at that time and to dispel somewhat of tho monotony and inaction ex cry where pro vailing, aud perhaps to keep myself out of mischief, I engaged with the circus as jester and general acrobat. It was then as it has 'i several times since, a case of jokilltc. jesting, gyrating and various other practices, in order that by means of the opportunity afforded. 1 and thoso dependent upou me might find sustenance out of the shadow, f ROOliKsS OK THE !KAM A. "Jtwasmy purpose at the outset to show the rise and progress of the drama in I'tah, justly considering myself one of tho pioueers in that regard. In the year ISiio I organized what was known as the jvlociiauics' Dramatic association, composed of the best talent in Salt Lake City, and having obtained the use of a neat little hall in the Twelfth ward, which was the first place of amusemeut in I'tah that was called a theatre, pro-ceeded to arrange for such productions ns their facilities would admit, w ith an auditorium capable of holding not to exceed one hundred persons. The per-formance was given now ami then, for ns tho name of our company suggests, we had other duties to perform and could only produce pieces as opportu-nity would permit. A great many pre-sentations were given, and I think l may say without vanity, that better sat-isfied audiences never departed from the walls of any theater than from this little place. The house was crowded every night, seals being alw ays taken In advance ami standing room occas-ionally commanding a good premium. We attempted some daring feats on that stage, and if they were not sur-rounded by all the accessories of dress and trap-iing-s and given the advan-tages of all the room which such pieces ordinarily receive, it Is certain that wo made the most of what we had, ami what was missing, the good uutured audiences took for grauted. Limited as was our space and our resources, w e could still produce "The Honeymoon," "Tho Gamester," and pieces which tax the energies of some of the best theatres to properly present, but they were presented, and the fact that there was more demands for seals than we could supply, no matter how often a play was repeated, shows that our ambi-tion, our labor and our pains were not thrown away. Let me say a word or two In passing, in relation not only to what was then accomplished ly this little company and the little place in which its performances were given, but also to tho results growing out of their efforts nt that time. Our entertain-ments were visited by all classes of the people and among them the then recog-nized leader of the community, and so enjoyable did the performances seem to be that, without exception, a feeling was created for something better in tho way of a dramatic temple, and Iu this feeling we can find the' germ which led to the grander structure previously spoken of. One night when we were essaying a five-ac- t piece of such length, depth and proportions as made the ven-ture seem hazardous, we invited brig-hs- Young with several other promi-nent gentlemen aud their families to witness it. It was crowding what wo were afraid w ouhl be tho mourners, but they got iu aud did not seem to be dis-posed to get out till tho curtain fell nu the last act. This nut old Briuham we have made in elevating aud making more perfect tho histronie art in our midst, still do wo find as much of real happineos, of unalloyed pleasure aud of generous, unselfish commingling as w o did the? I am afraid not. Ami where are those that compose the little com-pany which theu, without caring for price of admission, looking for greater reward or hoping for higher eminence Where ai-- they now Some are with us still, greatly advanced iu years, greatly changed ir circumstances and surrounded by ccmpions vastly differ-ent; others, anc tie majority, have gone to join the great throng w Inch has passed away, and in the silent shades of the impenetrable hereafter await our coming. "Thecompauy being formed, the next step was to find a place iu w hich to give performances. There was no hall of suilicient dimensions suitable for tho purpose, but this difficulty was over-come iu the adoption of what was knowu as the Old How-cr- the meeting place of the people a place amply ca-pacious, and as its name suggests, was covered with branches of trees. We erected a stage aud supplied It with tho best equipments obtainable at the time. The grove's w ere God's first temples.' And a grove, or something rescmbliug it, was our first dramatic temple; there In the fall of 18.il), wo launched the or rors of Robert McCaire' aud the follies of 'Hector Timid' before a wonder-ing audience of more than a thousand people, whose delight at our efforts to please was ofteu manifested in their plaudits and laughter long aud loud. Tho first blow wat struck, tho iirst foundation stone was laid, and the drama in Utah had become a thing of the present and future. SCENEUY AND COSTUMES. "It ueed not be supposed, however, that even at this place of beginning wo were restricted to humble presentations, for we occasionally uuder those leaves found the opportunity and tho disposi-tion to present such splendid creations as 'Tho Stranger,' and many others of its class. The beginning was truly, all things considered, worthy tho sequel, and I would not, in this connection, havo you suppose for a moment that everything connected with our first pre-sentation of the- - drama in Utah was crude, imperfect, and without its re-deeming features, notwithstanding tho fact that the commodities of civilization such as are required o bring out the drama in proper stylo wero largely wanting. It is true that because of the high prices and scarcity of cotton fab-rics our scenery was somewhat meagre, we could display no gold or gilt in the furniture with which to set our pieces. Our costumes were scarcely up to the mark of the average theatrical cuicr-taimeu- t, and we were beset by annoy, auces of various kinds, but what we lacked in that respect we made up in the general consideration of the be-holders as well as those beheld iu heavy drafts ou the imagination, and some other drafts which might be mentioned. One of these was jn that memorable presentation of ' 'Koger McCain,' wheu wo had after a diligent effort succeeded in obtaining a of home brewed beer. They were, tit that-time- , very niuojj like the visits of angels, aud somn w ho doubtless fancied tin, article as much as the rest of us, had purloined one bottle, aud in order to save the abstraction from any appearance of theft, had sub-stituted a bottle of home brewed viue- - 1 akiug 0f 0id time theatrical busi- - remarked Phil Margetts, in his I'l ioeulur manner the other evening I p'rtv of theatrical' and newspaper I j ."j want to relate some of my t. Jnunatie reminiscences in Utah." Id Phil, who, by the way, is an' old Mian ami one of the first actors that I appeared before the in Salt Lake City, did astonish I'irtv. it 1,as bpea many a I Mr. Margetts has been on the I but he delights in seeing a good I At present he' conducts a liquor it 34 West Soutli First street. Ho !llold soul, and is pleased to get crowd of the "profesh" and lncctlotes of e days. Ho au actor an actor of tho old 1,1 although, having abandoned I ige long ago, ono can see it in his lis, his manner of speech, his facial tsVtons. Thil is probably the best I ' THEATRICAL MAN I. west. He has been patronized Llish nobility and gentlemen rep-lin- g her majesty's army and navy, irmitest newspaper . correspon-I'th- o most brilliant legal, lights, lost eloquent lecturers have visited I Among them may be mentioned Is Dickens, Sergeant Balla.tyne fhil Robinson. Scores of America's I representatives havo been enter-- I by him, while they were passing fih' the territory. Among them ! been senators, congressmen, l!i from Kentucky, generals Jleorgia, judges from all states, liaires from the east.stars from his I sth" and newspaper men from Inhere. Being a pioneer Corne-ll the territory and tho leading I Salt Lake theatre for a number Irs, he has had the distinction ling with and becoming tho per-I'rie-of nearly all tho great aet-l- i' over a quarter of a century. L them were George Pauneefort, It'ouhlock, Noil Warner, Edwin V, John McCullough, Lawreuce II. Ben De Bar, Denman Thomp-I- . L. Davenport and a number of I Mr. Mergelts appeared as a iian in the Deserot Dramatic asso-- I which was organized in the fall I'uiiipauy grew out of the Nauvoo, laud aud others.; This was tho I ORGANIZED THEATKICAL CO.M- - I r.vNr' ler appeared before a Utah aud-- I 'rim company produced for tho lie a nielo-dram- called "Eob-ifeCaire.- It was 'a Ifig l.iud was " played in I"M Bowery, the only I here the people in those days Biavc any public gathering. The and wo found them. A train bound for '. the valley on the great inland sea. AVe were relieved of our wants and went on our way rejoicing. Time woro away until the journey ended, and at last we stood within the shade of the western slope of tho Rocky mountains, the ccn-- ' ter of so much civilization as has found its way to the west. THE CITY OF SALT LAKK. Those who saw it then and now, and those only, can realize what a trans-formation scene is before them, and how beautiful It is. Then there were not two magnificeut theatres, not even ouoofany description;-ther- e were no dramatic or operatic companies; there were not so many people by fully three-fourth-if there had been there was but little money to procure admission. But the dramatic instinct existed, and soon found voice In the organization of the Deseret Dramatic association. Some of those who engineered the scheme, the pioneers of practical theatricals between the Mississippi river and tho Pacific, a steady, unceasing growth till the pres-ent time, are included in the names that I have already mentioned. Wil- - What hath God wrought?' The hard ships wero not merely in the length ol time, but also in the crowding togetliei in the small space of so many human beings with so much plunder and traffic, the sense of being circumscribed to so small a sphere whereby exercise was measurably cut off the dull mo-notony of the surroundings aud the al-most unvarying routine of tho every day life which weighed heavily on some who were not so accustomed to such things as others and whose, spirits were not naturally so exuberant. AHKIVES IN AMEHICA. "Well, I landed in New Orleans, and proceeded upon a much more pleasant and interesting trip, I wish I was able and had sufficient time at my disposal to describe to you all that was beauti-ful which met our eyes, .hour after hour as we proceeded northward, plowing our way through the mighty current which sweeps onward and empties into the Gulf of Mexico, from the bayous of tho Mississippi and the swamps of Louisiana, to tho splendid plantations mid mnffnitieent resiliences skirting the a mill ter of history, and that they have contributed iu no small degree to the elevation and promotion of the drama aud things dramatic In our mid it cm not be disputed. It should not be for-gotten that the operatic, department of dramatic presentations has been either overlooked or utipatrotiizcd In Utah; such xtars of the lyric firmament as the great Fatli, tiiTHcr, Oei.iticugcr, Lmina Abbott, and numerous othen have come aud gone, aud their bird notes have held our attention and chained our ad miration for I be time during w hl h their warbling greeted out' ears. "But that Utah has been highly fav-ored in the mutter of dramatic and lyric presentations by the greatest ar-tists of this and every other coutiunut. Is one of the facts which needs hut to be asserted to bo established by all who know anil are cuuvcrsaiit w ith the y of Utah. "TIME I'UANUK AU. TIUKoS." "The times have ehaugnd and we have changed w ith them. So more the occasional arrival of ox and mule teams from the east Is ((reeled by their frieod gar in its place, which vinegar was stronger than tho beer by several points. My part required mo to take a drink of this so called wine, and I faneiejl, what a glorious time I would have in emptying before the audience one of those bottles of beer, not only incurring, but in a way deserving aud receiving tho applause of the audience for so doing. It had to be done hastily, for the action of the pieue supposes that the part I was represent-ing is doing what ho does by stealth, and is afraid of being caught, and snatching one of the bottles, I proceeded to take a long and invigorating pull. The effect must have been pleasing to the audience, for they laughed louder aud longer than ever, but they had the fun all to themselves; in my haste I had got the bottle of vinegar, and was un-able to proceed with my part for some time. The audience thought it was all in the play ; aud so it was, but I thought it very foul play. So long as my misery contributed to their gratification I mado no complaint and let it all go down. TOE FIRST THEATKE. thinking, for he could sen what ho had among us in the way, of ability and what we had not in the way of a place to displuy thai ability, aud he determined to erect a more fitting structure than any existing. So you see. tho little building iu w hich the Mechanics' Dramatic association gave their performances was the nucleus around which have since clustered so much dramatic art aud dramatic aecen-soric- s as wo uovv find iu our midst. We w ere then playing for tho love of it, aud it was a diversion to us from the ordin-ary routine of busiuess and the hard-ships of daily life, which, while furnish-ing us and others with amusemeut, afforded it relaxation and gratified at the same time that dramatic instinct of w hich I have spoken before. Tho collapse of our little venture was simply the decayed seed planted iu fruitful soil, , but better aud larger grow ths, because it gave the needed im-petus to an idea previously suggested, but which hud dw indled, and this move-ment came after it as the natural result, and thus followed the Salt Lake theater. characters were played by John Phil Margetts, II. B. Cliiwson, i" leading ladies were Miss and Miss Orum. After t McClairc"' was produced, at and only company put on or "The Stranger," which piece very successful. After it had eeks run it w as suggested that - built aud Social Hall, which is in existence, was' erected 34. It uow stands the street from tho ke theater. The company waf one and was afterwards d by all theatrical stars play-i- e Salt Lake theater, to be one 'St stock companies west of New The members of the company gant wardrobes and beautiful 'l'opriato scenery for those early llie first piece put on at the hall was tho "Lady of with Miss Wheclock as rau-:- 1 Jim Ferguson as Claudius, "ly" was followed by "A Kiss ilk," a farce which in those as very appropriate for Phil s who as usual was the principal i' in the part. "Iugomar' ' and f of other dramas by old were put on, and k company had agreattimo tin-on- 's army entered here in 1858, MECHANICS AS ACTORS. l'ar thereafter Mr. Margelts or-- a theatrical company as known as the Mechanics' association. It opened in the ward iu the "Honeymoon." Last Legs," "Othello" and ls other heavy pieces were At one of these performances ased Brigham Young 'and a of his distinguished friends "Ml to attend. He did so. 'nS it the prophet decided to "eatreof his own, and that was jested to hiin to put up tho t: theatre, and that theatre is Aliment to his memory WlIL'S TALK. eturn to Phil's reminescen- - as saying, boys," he ob-'- ! have either known those I know lta personally, paths of friendship and .' nr else when strutting and J.jj1-ie- hour n the stage, not nen we contribute to the "f others we are in some de- - somewhat to our own stock As the world progresses J inhabit it progress too, and to benefit ourselves expands those with whom we are as- - tue benefits immediately 0 we individual being to some eiw'fit to the populace. If in tfsay I may be so fortunate nry position correctly, ;u a few moments' diver--J be pleased, and through my Perhaps, distribute a tem-fceas- e of sorrow to some "will, doubtless, be neces- - "lake some references connected with the . upon the public square, no more the bowery, no more the rude tout ri varices by means of which we were enabled lo entertain the people from time to time Iu our humble way, no more the of vinegar for beer, nu more the Mechanic Dramatic AinnialioD, no more the home conipaiiicn, in w hoo representation the peo-ple were so delighted In; all is changed The magic wand of civilisation ha been waved over our valleys, and w are now in full accord with the het and greatest and most advanced dra-matic idea and personation of our time. Tim geniality. tb sociability, the quite commingling, the bear'. cxpremiousof pleasure have faded away, and live only in the recollection of thow who participated iu them. The comedy aud the fare, with a song and dance sandwiched between an au even-ing entertainment would acarcnly low draw a corporal's guard. It i all all burlesque, all strictly legi-timate, with gorgeous attachment and traveling companies. "The pioneers of I tab's drama de-serve a place in the history of thi ( ritory; they have presented to thf ! world both phav of that immortal I sentence previously quoted, 'that all: the world's a Unite, aud all th ni.n and women merely players.'" j And the c urtain wa then rung dow n, j shore nil along. Tho alligator sunned himself lazily on the beach, huge turtles lay idly on the rocks and sands, and the colored man aud brother ap-peared in all the majesty which home-spun clothes and bare feet can impart to tho human form divine at every landing. The mouth of the Missouri was reached, and after proceeding against its course for eight hundred miles we arrived at Council Bluffs, the bivouac of the westward-boun- d pil-grims at that time, thero to embark upon another and more dreary journey than those which proceeded it, for it was through a wilderness inhabited only by savages, with no other traces of civilization than the trails made by those who had gone before. You can-not imagine how startling I found the contrast between what had been pre-sent to, and created in my fanciful mind as the picture of what I was to see in the new land when at home and the realization. And thus opened the second act, with a contemplation ot the scenes and circumstances with which I found myself surrounded. There were none of - the conveniences, the comforts aud beauties which adorned life in the land of my birth. Everything, partook of that rudeness which of necessity intruded into and upou the methods and habits of a new and to some extent uncultivated coun-try. It was like entering into a new existence, except for the consolation which my belief and faith afforded, the expected congratulations aud greetings of friends upon arrival, and that inde-scribable something which prompts us to overlook the present aud peer hope-fully into the future. It was a wilder-ness, barren, forbidding and desolate; but that hope sustained me in the pres-ent and inspired me with confidence in what was to come. EVERY DAY A NEW DKAMA. "As the company proceeded west-ward from point to point, I could not help noting how nearly cvery- - "The social hall near what is now the Salt Lake theatre, was the first dra-matic building ever erected between Chicago and fjaoramcuto. It was a small but compact and very neatly fit-ted up place; a vast improvement on its predecessors, and was our principal re-sort for many years for all forms of amusemenf, whether for dramatic rep-resentations or dancing. Tho first piece presented in this hall was liul-wer'- s beautiful poem, 'The Lady of Lyons.' We may have seen it played better since, becau-- e thwart of acting has somewhat advanced in our coun-try, aud the accessories and dresses for acting are greatly in advance of what they were then; but. none of those oc-curring subsequently, I am free to say have given better satisfaction than this. Then tho talented and lamented Jim Ferguson, as he was affectionately called, essayed the gallant, Claude, and the now almost forgotten Mrs. Whee-loc- k portrayed the hcreoino. It was ou this stage that Bernard Snow, then con-sidered tho Rosins' of tho rocky moun-tains, and also nearly forgotten by those w ho still live, and then admired him, he gave us such representations of 'Oth-ello,' 'Ingomar,' and other legitamate characters as seemed at that time al-most phenomenal and predictive of a great future for the actor. Here also yours truly commenced to bo spoiled, and measurably unfitted for more sub-stantial occupations in life by gaining now and then a goodly portion of the plaudits of the public in comedy parts, such as the 'Mock Duke,' 'Jerry Clip,' etc. Here John T. Cain and David Candland as stage managers divided the honors. Then came a lull in the dramatic bushiest in Salt Lake City, because of the arrival of John-ston's army, which measuredly ob-structed everything in a business aud commercial way in the territory. JuINEtl A CIKfTft. "After the army arrived, however, George Bartholomew, having organized At its completion, most of those w ho had figured w ith us in tint Mechanics' Dramatic association wero called to a higher and better field, on what every-body then called the stage of the big theater. There wero many others, of course, and without speaking disparag-ingly of them or their calling, possessed some advantages which did not accrue to myself and some others belonging to the primary company, for they drew salaries, no matter whether playing or follow ing any other occupation to which they were designated and set apart; while with myself, all the time that I devoted to the calliug was so much lime lost, and I received nothing whatever for my services as an actor. You may not now. In view of the changed condi-tion of things, fully comprehend how much of a hardship this was. bnt even at this stage of my existence I can look back upon it, and, though changed In some respects as my circumstances may be, ami more prosperous and lens troubled Iu some re-spects than then, I still at time seem to feel something of the drawback which within that brief per-iod were imposed upon me aud thoc of my associates alluded to. But w e have overcome It all, thank heaven, and arc d to be thankful for the maure of happiness we poej aud the good things we happily enjoy at the present time. , PLAT HOVStS AD I'LAVEBS. "The construction of the Salt Lake theatre and the oj,era hous have fol-lowed many great events in dramatic circlet. Many great lights of tho Thes-pian art have appeared before us. aud tome of these I shall particularly refer to. The greatest and brightest star of the dramatic firmament have come and gone, leaving the memory of their luv tre indelibly linpreiaed npon our minds. From the unfortunate but gifwd Julia Deane Hayne to Kiftori; from the vet-eran Lync to the gifted Sheridan, with-in the space of timo represt nted by tho liam Pitt and William Clayton, who have long since beeu mingled with their native dust, were tho 'prime movers. In the earlier and even less prosperous days of the community it was a part of their calling to am use the people by conducting what wa's known as the Nauvoo brass band, aud I may mention in this connection that they and the others were actuated by a similar pur-pose at the time of organizing the drama in Utah, realizing that the hardships through which the people had passed should be beguiled in some manner and what way more effectually for the time being than this? Happily there were those in our midst disposed to contribute to the amusement of tho whole; men and women who were willing to be pioneers in the enter-prise of erecting the drama here iu order that not themselves altogether but tho community might find diver-sion. Thus we lind the organization comprising the genesis of theatricals here and hereabout; and after that first performance, not only the actors them-selves, but the auditors departed with a feeling that they were none the worse for their evening's entertainment; that nothing immoral had been committed; that nothing improper had been done, and that we had for the time being in our crude and humble way, given satis-faction and that nothing that could pofsibly cause a feeling of regret there-for, eould thereafter enter into our con-sideration. THE BOWERY PEEFOKMAXDE. "I sometimes look back upon that performance in the 'bowery' aud think of the innocent gaiety, the unrestraiu-in-g mirthfulness, the perfect innocence end complete harmony that prevaded the performance, the brotherly love that we felt for each other; the want of care and the absence of sorrow at-tending our efforts and contrast the more recent transactio ns of the same nature, and say to myself, notwith-standing our improvements, the stride SALT LAKE THEATER (HAS, S. H(RTO, I4ansr. Miss IDA ZENOMA GRAY tour UU1 Id 111k iaxi.) . Tin' Inimitable KlN iiiirnit. AU-- toil hy the Follow iug I.o--' cal Favorite. Miss NELLIE DRUCE PUSSLEY, !OI'RA0. Prof. W. K. W.iho 1st Violin M. V. Ytmugdate 2ud Violin Mr. A. Kordanie Viola Mr. J.OUmi - Cell M.J. Melntyo ... Piano Mr. R. C KaM.m Ut Tenor Mr. II. t;. Whitney SudTeuor Mr. II. S. Goddard Ut Baa Mr. J. I. Spcucer 2ml B.v. Prof. E. Stepbens Musical Director. gIndIpeha house. W. J. BURGESS, - - Ma.ioi. TWO NIGHTS ONLY! Friday and Saturday, April li tad 12. Co put to Btuh tt. TWIrHM! frarje TDE RES0flMTllLllL'.lL STTGCX233 ZIG?AG IHsUlMPlUbfd by th fJ tl proM ul pubtln Not nitl rlhtlr rlrrn i' to b tho 4? ... (K CREATEST IN tsvaa tmm.t, Z-GjzA-G New and Entrtnclni Ruslet Novel Effect! I Eiqtilslte Costumes I Bftlicblnj DucmI N. II - K' (l hl the Nw Veffc. B.. Wwhluilen Ull.l hi, (lumra ). profungIr Exliti aid Ball. -- AT-Salt Lake Theater Friday Ev'g, April 18, 8 p.m., and Saturday Matine. T' I optirJ Ith (He air Ker 1 Cotc't. In tin ,wt lit etirht cmlttr mm ilftr,1 at f t. IUU In Hft YijtW Ur tr ts I.!mk norlrlv I plonf till, tun'llimit. hl' 1 wmi Hi rvrnt ot Uiti whuO Tt4l ! In Kittii'li-ii- r th fitrmma un.lrltl 4 lUm which " IH itiott ftun of Ihn ()llnliUI IUU of Ul KfV.IJ K,ilnr. liy lit H"fill urmii'l !ln IViiil; ll.Klilail'l Klllif ri Ml; liir l"rrieiTif Jin inm; Rrairh t'B- - hv Knur I, Mil l !! Jm ll MTtr'S hy chiir li. hi..i; i ' hu i Sm man, t'li'r HurT.pitai hy CD A'tu"fi: ')) ) Tfiroiifl) th Itrn' Br I.IUI nil Manlrr. Hati)rt!e Ky tnu Mlaari anil inv M r Rescued Seats 75c. General Admission 50c, Tlckt'U on Hl ! Brn OftV Thurwlajr a ( rtrtay. rt.ir Win tw Cuwr. WitoOnyM. Music by Olson's String Band The KNIGHT-M'CLUR- E Music Company. PIANOS & ORGANS. Instruments Sold on Easy Terms Old Instruments Taken in Exchange. 26 Wtt Third Soot Street, Salt Lili C::j. THE STJXT. 1GSO. Kum poplrf agree with The Stvs opinion ut men ami thing. aoi ome peflpl.i don't; bin eryboi) lik to gt hold of the cew pper which is n-- dull and nrrar afraid t Keak it mind. Inuicreu know th.it f;r twenry years Tun his ba foag-ti- t la th front line for Democratic principle. Uftff wavering or wk-nin- g in it loyalty to the tmi lntrt of th party It wrvr with fert-- Intelligence aa4 diintrMtel vigor. At tlm opinion hvcdJJrd a to the tt tneaaa of accomplishing the common parpo--t ; H 1 not Tut .St a t fault If it dm teen farther into the millstone. Eighteen hundred and ninety I the year that, will probably determine th rult of the Pwiidential election of tW, Bad tho fortune of tb Democracy for thm rst of the eentory. Vtorr in !V3 la a duty.aml the begin-ning of tMO i the lt lime to Urt out In company with Tin Sew. Pally. p--t month, ... DaJljr prtr ....... ut:t, ft ar tMUr Uil Stittlair. M rr, . 4V Ei1 Smoojit. ft munlb, 1 Ww!f Hua.mTr. . . 1.M Adomat TUfc Bt.H, w Vfc. Practical Watchmaker, Adolph Hauerbach k Rons. All work warrmted. No. 18 E. Firm South t. A full line of Lace Piu at Davidsou, Lyou & MiCunes, j Ladies Queen and Victoria Chain at Davidson, Leynon k Mcl'un. j Why not get a wt of thi elegant i Stud Buttons at Davidson, Leyoa 4 j MK'ime. i Oftice chair a at BRatt Btto . i W Main street, j |