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3UUA ARTHUR TELLS HOW SHE MADE A SUCCESSFUL DEBUT AT TWELVE AS PORTIA IN ‘'MERCHANT OF VENICE.” MY FIRST TIME OKTHESTAGE. * m ' By Miss Julia Arthur. The role of a girl who masquerades as a boy was the first part I ever played on any stage. Perhaps I qhould say the first part I ever attempted, for at the time I \va3 only twelve years of age, and the part was Portia in “The Merchant of Venice,” and what mimetic art can a child of a dozen Canadian- winters be expected to display? To represent boys has always had an attraction for me. This was one rea son I like Clorinda in "A Lady of Quality” and Rosalind in "As. You Like It,” and may account td some extent for my resolve to portray Humlet. As long as I can remember 1 had an Inclination for reciting, and in those early days use . to devote most of my leisure hours to reading aloud the works of Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, as well as some of the more modern English dramatists and trans lations of German and French play wrights; indeed, almost everything I could obtain that seemed emotional or suggestive of action. I wanted to glow «xl be thrilled. I ,felt the working power of a theory that observation has since enabled me to formulate: it Is the concrete, not the abstract, that moves people, for the world wants to feel, not to think. Yet the appeal to the senses must not of fend the reason. The opportunity to Impersonate the Venetian girl was an actual case of Coriolanus at the plough or Napoleon 'Playing prisoner’s base in Emile Ber gerat's new play “More than Queen.” I It happened in this way; I had just returned, one afternoon from school in Hamilton and. had gone to my room to revel in acting Portia. In order to in crease my childish joy in the pastime by clothing myself in eoslume as nearly appropriate as possible I had donned a pair gs my brother’s knickerbockers. I I was just enlightening an audience rs dolls and a few pillows,on the qual ity of mercy when a knock came at my Moor. >'' J # t-j 1 * 4 | ' ft '■'' ' \ "’ ;.' '* \ j CHARLEY WHITE. I threw a wrap around myself and opened it, expecting to hear my father or mother make a gentle but persuasive request for me to show a little rrlercy, no matter what the quality, to the long suffering members of our family. However, Instead there stood two young ladles- whom my sister had brought upstairs to catch mo in the very act. They had come as a com mittee to say that an amateur perform ance of “The Merchant of Venice", was to be given in about two weeks for the benefit of my tutor, Mr. John Town send, and that they wanted me to play Portia. Being of an impetuous temperament I was naturally delighted at this op portunity to appear on a real stage be fore a real audience, hoping they might PHIL AND FITZ ARE THE TWO CHAMPIONS OF THE FITZSIMMONS FAMILY AND ARE READY TO MEET ALL COMERS. prove more responsive than my pillows and dulls. I accepted the invitation, and speedily found a chance to remove the knickerbockers and put on my own frock. ' I proceeded at once to learn all the lines that the greatest poet has given to this charming heroine. For a fort night I thought and di earned of noth ing but Portia, her suitors, lover, hus band, the fascinating scenes through which she was to pass. Studying and working every avail able, moment, I left the nineteenth cen tury and Canada; T‘lived in the six teenth century and Italy. At last the time came for the curtain to be rung lip on the performance. The scene was Venice, then Belmont. Suddenly I imagined I heard the sound of castanets. It was my knees. And that extreme nervousness on first nights has never left me. RETHRNOFTHE BELMONT STABLES. Turf lovers will be glad to learn that August Belmont’s horses will return to the track this year. For two seasons past they have been absent from the turf, owing to Mr. retire ment after the death of his wife. The Belmont colors are black cap, maroon sleeves and scarlet jacket, and for years they have been eagerly watched from post to finish. Last season the few horses belonging to Mr. Belmont were raced in the name and colors of his trainer, John J. Hy land. They won a few races—and the money won was not enough to pay the trainer’s salary. Mr. Belmont is an ardent lover of a good horse. He was greatly disap pointed over the showing made, and gave orders to sell all of his horses in training. By private sale the majority of the horses were disposed of. In the fall all the remainder of the thoroughbreds, as well as the yearlings, were sold at pub lic auction. Of ihe large number Mr. Belmont had In Hyland’s charge, only Brigadier, a two-year-old, was retained. Brigadier in all probability would also have been sold, but trouble arose about ids disposal. It. T. Wilson, Jr., and Steve L’Hommedieu both claimed him. Mr. Wilson had secured an option on Brigadier from Mr. Belmont, while L’Hommedieu bought from Hyland. To settle the dispute Mr. Belmont decided to keep Brigadier. JOHN M’QRAW a IH3I -A. XT GrtXST_A- THTErUR A.TL’E) Early last fall Mr. Belmont an nounced that he would not race any horses under his own name, nor was he likely to under the name and colors of his trainer. With his clearing out sale his action was considered Anal. Early this winter Mr. Belmont’s health so improved that he changed his mind about his horses. He heard glow ing reports about some of his young sters who were sired by his favorite, Henry of Navarre. So John Hyland was sent for, and Mr. Belmont decided to re-enter the turf In his own name and colors. Mr. Belmont has seven horses in training. None of them Is over three years of age. Among the two-year-olds is Orienta, a chestnut Ally by Henry of Navarre—Ortega!. This is one of the three Allies Mr. Belmont put a reserve price on at the sale of his yearlings. The other two are Donna Henrietta, by Henry of Navarre —Bella Donna, and the bay Ally by St. Saviour—Lady Vio let. As none of them brought the price asked Mr. Belmont retained them. He subsequently sold Dofina Henrietta to J. Boden and the St. Saviour Ally to R. T. Wilson. Jr. The most promising horses of the lot are Brigadier, who ran second in the Futurity last year; Clingstone, Fond Hopes and Kilogram. Orienta is a half-sister to the crack sprinter Octagon. Jockey McJoynt, one of the clqyerest if not the best riders at New Orleans, will ride for Mr. Belmont this season. In company with Johnny Hyland, who is one of the greatest trainers in Amer ica—he has trained three Futurity win ners—McJoynt should earn many a bracket for Mr. Belmont this season. ——— 1 \ > m ~ ~—— Kill;-,. , yltek. 'rffET —r *■ /. • • » • . } "f, A ' 5: /■ ' 'A * ‘ f A- \ ' V iv. ■ . ;'V V.* - \f?y\ ;v. : - ■ ' tfl; ft, . A WRESTLER OLSEN’S r/jVEL WAY TO STRENGTHEN NECK MUSCLES; HJS WRESTLING PARTNER, IIANSEN, WHO WEIGHS 180 POUNDS, STANDS UPRIGHT ON THE HACK OF HIS HEAD WHILE OLSEN WORKS HIS HEAD UP AND DOWN. HOW TO PLAY A GAME OF BASEBALL If you/ane anxious to shine on the diamond take notice of the pitcher, upon whom more than any other one player the game depends. He is the keystone, the bulwark of defense, and if the opposing batsmen can slug him at will while the fellow acting for the other side is pitching fair ball all the brilliant Adding of his colleagues can not save the game. Of course-Hie pitcher isn’t every thing. The other eight men must do their share bf the work, both in field ing and In’/ batting, but the pitcher is more important than any one of them. One of the lust things essential to be coming a successful baseball pitcher is to get control of the ball, so that you will be tjble to put it over the plate whenever you want to. The next essential, change of pace. The most successful twirlers in the business are the ones who can mix up their fast; and slow balls. By doing this you constantly keep the baiter guessing as to what kind of ball you will send in next. A curve ball is no harder to hit than a. fast one. The only advantage of the curve ball is that by sending one In you can see how a batter steps and hk.a. and then you may be able to fool'dilm on a wide curve. You must study the batter’s weakness. Some batsmen are able to hit high balls all over the Acid and are power- THESE TWO AMERICAN JOCKEYS HAVE JUST ARRIVED t N ENGLAND. JOHNNY WILL RIDE FOP SIR WILLIAM BERESFORD AT 75 POUNDS, WHILp LESTER RIDES FOR RICHARD CROKER; THE * BOYS ARE SAID TO BE SALARIED AT iJIiU.OOO. less before low halls, and vice versa. Nine out of ten batsmen, however, hit low balls effectively. Learn, therefore, especially to control the high balls and got them over the plate just about the shoulders. They generally cause trou ble. To be a successful pitcher to-day a man must be a good Aelder, and must be quick especially in the handling of bunts. Watching the base runner Is another Important matter. You miifet not let a man on a base get too large a lead. Make the batter hit the ball. Do not allow him to get you in a hole if pos sible. AVork him instead of allowing him to work you. To do this you must study his weakness. In practice pitch every ball as If it counts. It helps you to get control of the ball and prevents you from becom ing careless, which is one of the worst faults a pitcher can have. Also be careful not to overwork yourself in training, especially not to struin the arm. Do not pitch curve balls oftener than necessary, as they are very try ing on the arm. Bq cool and collected, never get rattlecß-find make up your mind to settle down for honest, hard work. ‘■BIG BILL” REID OF HARVARD. There is more enthusiasm among the baseball players of Harvard College at the present time than in any previous spring for years. It is due mainly to the confidence the students have in big ’‘Bill” Reid, the captain of the 1900 nine. He is one of the most popular men that ever wore a Harvard sweater, and his success in football and baseball stamps him as a player of remarkable ability and a leader of unusual quali fications. Capt. Reid says that he intends to divide the preliminary work up and set squads of ten or so at work on, the dif ferent departments. The primary or ultimate object of (he tea’rn, he said, is to beat Yale. Yale was beaten last year and must be beaten this year. Ted Lewis, pitcher of the Boston team, is also to coach, and will have an eye on the pitchers. MAKING A BILLIARD BALL. It requires skilled labor to turn out a billiard bull. One-half of it is fl rg t turned, an instrument of the finest steel being used for the work. Then the hail turned hall is hung up in a net and is allowed to remain there for nearly a year to dry. Next the second half is turned, and then comes the polishing. Whiting and water and a good deal of rubbing are requisite for this. It is necessary in the end that the ball shall to the veriest fraction of a grain be of a certain weight. MAKE BOXING A CLEAN SPORT. All Brutality can be Stopped and the King Kept Fair and I’ure. By Charley White, the A r etoran Referee. There would be no possible cause to criticise the boxing bouts held in New York State if the Horton law was strictly enforced and the rules and con ditions slightly changed. In the Arst place I think the referee should have more power. There ought AUGUST BELMONT'S FAMOUS RACING STABLES WILL SOME OF THE BEST BLOOD OF THE TURF WORLD. to be no question of his right to stop a bout when in his mind one man lias clearly shown his superiority over the other. When one pugilist has groat skill and his opponent great endurance but v ry little skill, there is where the brutality comes in. The Horton law says that boxing bouts shall be for scientific points. Ref erees don’t think of that. They allow men to lie beaten down to the lloor sev eral times and almost knocked out be fore they begin to count. And yet if a referee is merciful and prevents an un necessary knockout there is a great howl from those who went to see a man beaten senseless. Then 1 think there should be two timers, like they have in England. Not clocks (they can be tampered with), but two honest men—experienced timers— one to hold a watch on the three min utes of the round and the minute rest, the other timer to count the seconds when a man is down. Then there would be no mistakes and trouble liko we have had in the pa^t. The referees should be honest and competent men picked out because they are experts. They should be Armly up held in the decisions they make by the < lut> managers. It sometimes happens that the drub managers bet on a fight and kick if the referee stops it when it becomes brutal in his opinion. There would be very few brutal and bloody fights if none but skilful men were allowed to enter the ring. The big majority of the Spaying public would much rather see a glove contest be cv. on two clever men in good physical condition than a bloody scrap between two* untrained sluggers. If boxers would also take notice of the rifaand cui out “heeling” with the hr. . drooping lb • In ad isl ■ni-' h'.iiid ; r and .. ii. • r«u«t£jMH • N i,..; |(,]. •. HVI PHIL FITZSIMMONS AS A CHAMPION* His Master is Really Anxious to Know A if There aro two Middle we Champions in the Fitzsimmons W~ Family. B| Robert Fitzsimmons and his looking wife walked dun the other evening past thc'^M^^B ‘ ■ i:■. i:' * A\. i;VKggS| ; •' ■ v a•• , 11. jB I m | the most prominent ... 1 .i. ■■■■■ ' he. 9 . 9 v in b ei, tlu: I'Hat sniffed iS| stiay dogs ook . ..,5 true, but ft, offer J ills master every K lr a K nirm to bc9 money upon is stocky pei'l ,’et Vl m „u of "d a^H)alilieat! "'o'. n 1 1“ who to i .'inpion Hob j A l ine can get Itfniß dog anJ against Ihe lrJrikyf fellow’s ■ has posted sr,/)0» as himself or his/'purp.” ■ " p hll and 1 flou t play anfl said Kitzslminonc to a re[JKf man' . r dog who thinks Bfj same can gel action out H| hem the world's to be again some day. ■■ withon; tussle. Is if him. for a . hanee to prove itHB * "iy part of it s dog n world.” Then Eitz stooped anHH handsome "bull." The inti liigcn.i animal V. tii every me it meets. is very I'otid of i I*!i 11 is a pet of Mrs. "Pity." is probably onl hv auytt h>. will matt U HBB