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Show , 3: : a y BMMETT C. KINO -Tr e3 jrwrj- N the winter of 1882 the theatrical managers of New York and Brook- KlBII lyn declded that- in rdr t0 rtt' V'fi. ueve the many cases of distress J-P-'K-A reported throughout the theatrical PM profession, it was necessary to cre-h'fflfA cre-h'fflfA ate a permanent fund which would 'f be Immediately available for the i J? purpose. This fund was to be known as the "Actors' Fund," but as it was to be raised by the efforts of all classes connected with the business of public amusements, it would be devoted, without with-out reservation, to any and all persons who have been connected with said amusements, in any capacity whatsoever. Benefit performances were given at the prin ' cipal theaters in New York and Brooklyn on a certain day for the purpose of creating a foundation founda-tion for the fund. The receipts from the sale of tickets and donations for these performances were $39,335. SO. Among the largest donations were: James Gordon Bennett, $10,000; John Jacob Ja-cob Astor, $2,500; Edwin Booth, $1,000. The fund was incorporated according to the laws of the state, June 8, 1882, and on July 15th a permanent organization was effected witb the Jp y f$;! ' fun vx ic If-'J V Vl W j"V ' Vr '?1 i t) f 5 i II " '41. -v Sj? x rJttH ' AV- , 4X -J cZ -t ? following officers: President, Lester Wallack; rice-president, A. M. Palmer; secretary, Daniel fTTohman; treasurer, Theodore Moss. The board of trustees was: Lester Wallack, Edwin Booth, Joseph Jefferson, M. H.xMallory, Lawrence Barrett, Bar-rett, H. C. Miner, W. E. Sinn, A. M. Palmer, Edward Ed-ward Harrigan, William Henderson, John F. Poole, - P. T. Barnum, W. J. Florence, William Birch, J. K. Emmett and J. H. Haverly. The counsel for the fund was A. J. Dittenhoefer. The report of the secretary for the first year of the fund's existence showed a disbursement of $12,349.07. Relief had been given to over four hundred actors in different parts of the Union, and thirty-two had been buried in California, Texas and other parts of the country. Thus the fund had prevented the sick and needy from seeking charity, and had given respectable interment inter-ment to those who would otherwise have been buried in pauper's graves. One day in the spring of 1900 Louis Aldrich, in actor, and AI. Hayman, a theatrical manager, at in the latter' office in the Empire Theater, wew York: " "The actors' fund has at last passed resolutions resolu-tions approving my plan to build a home for old actors," said Aldricn. "You know that I have been agitating this scheme for years, with little or no encouragement; nobody believes it feasible, on account of the expense. I believe now,, as I always have, that I can make a success of it, if I can only get a substantial sum to start my subscription. sub-scription. You've made a good deal of money out of the theatrical business, AI; give me something some-thing tangible for a starter." "How much will you require, altogether?" Hay-man Hay-man asked. "It will take about one hundred thousand dollars," dol-lars," was the reply. "How much do you think I ought to give?" "Oh, aboutten thousand dollars." "Well," replied Hayman, "I'll give you ten thousand dollars, If the dramatic profession will raise ninety thousand." "I'm afraid we can't raise that much right away." Aldrich said; "but I believe we could raise fifty thousand now, and the balance later." "All right;" said Hayman, "I'll give you ten thousand, If you'll raise fifty thousand." "That's a bargain," exclaimed Aldrich. "Give me your check, and if I don't raise the fifty thousand, I'll return it" The check for ten thousand dollars was given to Aldrich, and he took it to the editor of the New York Herald, who agreed to hold the money 1 and receive further donations. Tho next day tb? Herald announced that It had ten thousand dollars as a nucleus for a fund to build a home tor actors, and would receive subscriptions. The response was magic. Money poured in by mail, express, telegraph and cable. In twenty days the subscription reached fifty-five thousand dollars, dol-lars, besides the original ten thousand, and the books were closed for the time being Tie matter was allowed to ret until the spring believed it feasible, but Aldrich never lost faith . in his ability to carry it to a successful conclusion. conclu-sion. , - In this ideal abode are assembled thirty-one former votaries of the sock and buskin. They are the Romeos, Melnottes, Rosalinds and Ca-milles Ca-milles of bygone days. They were the idols of your fathers and your grandfathers yes, and - some of your great-grandfathers; for none is admitted ad-mitted to the home under fifty-five, and many of the inmates are octogenarians. On a winter's evening the silver-haired women are accustomed to gather in the parlor or library, and over their sewing or crocheting tell once more of the beauty and charm of Adelaide "Nelson, "Nel-son, the wonderful characterizations of Lucile Western,- and sublime genius of Charlotte Cush-man,- while downstairs in the billiard or card room the men. have gone back to play again with Davenport, McCullough, Warren, Owens, Burton and the peerless Forrest. Jefferson, Barrett and Edwin Booth are spoken of casually; they belong too much to the present. "Ah! there are no tragedians like Forrest nowadays," now-adays," one veteran sighs in a 'voice that suggests sug-gests the ghost in Hamlet. "And no comedians like Burton," deplores another. an-other. "No, nor any pantomimists like George Fox; the art died with him," laments a third.- "There were giants in those days," if these veterans are to be believed; and who shall gainsay gain-say them? None can; and surely none would care to. Two married couples grace the home, refuting .the often heard remark, "There are no happy marriages in the profession." They are Mr. and Mrs. 'Samuel Chester and Mr. and Mrs. George Morton. : Mr. and Mrs. Chester have been .married .mar-ried forty-seven years, and . have seldom been separated during their long connection with the stage. Mr. and Mrs. Morton have been married a somewhat shorter time than the Chesters. The oft-repeated question, "Are they happy?" is well answered In the following incident An old friend of one of the couples mentioned extended ex-tended an invitation to them to visit him and his family at their country home. The pair replied, re-plied, thanking him for his invitation and apologizing apolo-gizing for not accepting, but stating that they were so happy in their new home that they could not bear the thought of leaving It, even for a short time . One of the most interesting figures In this unioue household is Harry Langdon "Handsome Harry" tbc-y called him in the days when he played dashing parts opposite Adelaide NeiJson. Charlotte Cushman and Eliza.. Logan. Though well into his eightieth year, Mr. Langdon was reading a book without glasses when I was introduced in-troduced to him "No, I have never felt the need of glasses," he said in answer to my question regarding it. "I mav have to get some inter, but now I read by either daylight or artificial light without any inconvenience." in-convenience." "Tel! me something about Forrest, Mr. Langdon," Lang-don," I asked him; "some anecdotes, if you can think of any." "There are so many." he replied, "that it is hard to think where to begin. One that has been told often, and sometimes attributed o other people, really occurred while I was' present, a young actor was rehearsing a part, but did not seem to grasp the proper meaning of the lines. Forrest finally lost his patience, and after rehearsing re-hearsing the scene for the young man with all his tragic power, turned to him and exclaimed: 'There, that's the way It ought to be done why den't you do it like that?' " 'If I could do it like that, Mr. Forrest.' the t actor replied, 'I wouldn't be working for six dol-lare dol-lare a week.' "Forrest was a bad sailor, and once, when we were making a water trip between two coast towns, the sea became choppy and the governor had to go below, where he suffered all the misery of seasickness. Finally he sent for the captain to come to his state-room. - "'How much is this old tub of yours worth T he groaned as the skipper appeared. "'I don't know exactly, Mr. Forrest,' was the reply; 'why do you ask?' " 'Because I want to buy it and chain it up to a rock where it can't move,' roared Forrest. "E. L. Davenport was one of the greatest actors act-ors this country ever produced," continued Mr. Langdon. "For versatility he has never had an equal; he cquld do a song and dance with as much grace as any specialist in that line, and turn jound and play Hamlet and Brutus with almost al-most any of them. Davenport was a great guy-er; guy-er; his nature was sunny and he loved fun. Lawrence Law-rence Barrett was the . antithesis of Davenport; dignity and austerity were his most marked characteristics. Davenport was playing Brutus to Barrett's Cassius on one occasion. In the first act of the play Brutus says to Cassius. " 'Till -then, my noble friend, chew upon this.' At this point Brutus and Cassius clasp hands. As their hands met, Cassius flt something Eoft and mushy being squeezed into his hand by the noble Brutus. A slimy substance oozed through his fingers and dropped off on the floor; it was a ripe tomato, which Brutus had given Cassius to-'chew upon.' Barrett could not resist the ridiculousness ridic-ulousness of the situation, and had to turn his back to the audience to hide his laughter." Effie Germon dashing, laughing, laughter-making Effie Germon, of the Wallack Stock Company, and many other metropolitan companies is a recent re-cent guest of the home. "They say I'm too short for grandes dames," said Miss Germon; "and of course I know my time has passed for soubrettes, although I feel as young as I did nt thirty, arid would like to work, but they won't let me; so here T am, and it's a mighty fine place to be, under the circumstances. circum-stances. I'm only sixty (she aoesn't look more than forty-five) and I come of a long-lived family. fam-ily. My mother, who died only a few weeks ago, was eighty-seven, pnd my aunt, Mrs. Elizabeth baunders, is still living in San Francisco, at the age of ninety-one. She is procably the oldest player, male or female, alive. One of the lively beys of the home is Charles Gonznles. who is a youngstrr of seventy-six. Mr. Gonzales had a Sianish father and an Irish mother, moth-er, so he says he doesn't know whether he is an Irish Spaniard or a Spanish Irishman. Mr. Gonzales Gon-zales amuses himself with ralette and brush, and his room contains many water colors done by his ban J. Bc?i('f-s this, he is ir.anagrr of the "Home Quartette." .-rd with Mesdames Morton. Brennan and Camrhell contributes musical evenings for the pleasure of the other guests. Since the home v.ts-opened there have been admitted altogether eigh ty-one guests. Of this number thirty have died, and twenty have returned to their families or friends, but are stili provided for by the fund. The fund does not demand that one should go to the home in order to receive assistance; it is purely a matter of choice, and aid is given the needy outside the home, as well as within. There are at present over seventy persons outside the home who are being cared for by the fund. Strange to say, the home has never been filled to Its capacity, the thirty-one Inmates now there being the largest number it has ever contained. There are accommodations accom-modations for nineteen more, with no further applications. of 1901, when a number of benefit performances were given in New York, Philadelphia and Chi-cego Chi-cego to raise additional money needed to complete com-plete the work so auspiciously begun The committee intrusted w.tn the selection of a site for the home purchased "Beechlawn," .he twenty-acre estate of P.ichard Penn Smith at West Brighton, Staten Island. The building wa finished, and on May 8, 1902, the Actors' Fund Home was opened and dedicated with imposing ceremonies. The address of the day was made by Joseph Jefferson. In reality, the dramatic profession owes to Louis Aldrich more than it does to any single person for the possession of this beautiful home Fie talked of the scheme for years No one else |