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BEHIND THE
FOOTLIGHTS.
Personal Recollections of Laura
Keene and Sothern.
THE EISE 01 A FAMOUS AOTBESS.
from Barmaid to Leading Lady Miss
Keene's Hasty Temper and Other Pe
culiarities Sothern's Jokes —Jefferson,
Couldovk and Boucicault.
[Special Correspondence.]
New York, March 30. —Considered
from every standpoint, Laura Keene
was probably the greatest woman ever
connected with the American stage. To
those who *re familiar with her rise
from obscurity and her struggle for
fame not only as an actress, but as a
manager, her career is all the more re
markable. I knew her intimately for
years as friend and stage manager, and
I must confess that the woman’s pe
culiarities w T ere, as much as anything
else, responsible for the interest with
which I used to regard her.
I think it is not generally known that
Laura was liS“ !
Scotch Stores in Oxford street, London.
She was also famous in a small way as
“the lass of Richmond Hill, ’’ in Sur
rey, where she used to serve ice cream
to the gallants of the Royal lancers and
the other crack regiments which were
stationed there from time to time. Ido
not know exactly how she drifted to
ward the stage—she was always reti
cent on that point—but she got there
eventually and mude quite an impres
sion in England. She was married to a
man named Taylor, who was a pretty
bad egg, and I was told by her that he
was transported to Van Dieman’s Land
for his absonteniudedness in signing the
name of another man instead of his
own to a piece of negotiable paper.
keginning of a Great Career.
Laura Keene, toward the close of her
career, was called the Mmo. Vestris of
America, but when sho first came over
here it \vas not generally thought that
sho would bo an unqualified success be
cause of the fact that she had not been
LAURA K'EENE.
boomed out of all reason, like so many
of her predecessors. She was then un
der engagement to .T. W. Wallack, the
father o # Lester, p.ud her debut occur
red in 1864 at Wallack’s theater, at
Broadway and BroollhL street. The fa
mous Hall Wilton her in
terests here. The comedyisi ‘ ‘The Will”
was at first decided upon for the open
ing bill. But Wallack finally put it to
one side in favor of ‘‘The Lady of Ly
ons.”
During her career in this city Miss
Keeno was the manager at different
times of the Metropolitan, afterward
the Winter Garden, and Laura Keene’s
theater, afterward the Olympic. She
was successful at both places, although
her artistic temperament was so strong
—and her sense of economy in the matter
of stage productions so weak that she
seldom found her bank account uncom
fortably large. Her companies contain
ed the best actors of the day. Slio was
a woman of indomitable energy and
was at the theater from morning until
night attending to the details of the
productions, and the result of her meth
ods were so manifest that ere long the
famous Wallack company was obliged
to look to its laurels. Not a single de
tail escaped her. *1 remember’well how
one day, when anew and very green
woman had been hired as a cleaner,
Laura tucked up her SIOO satin dress
and was soon on her knees showing the
slavey how to scrub the stage. This
was foolish and unnecessary, but it
serves to illustrate the actress’ watchful
ness and contempt for work when she
thought some good purpose might bo
served.
Sotlicru's Jokes.
What a number of successes Laura
Keene scored with her company, of
whom sho was the leading woman! In
fact, she never had, so far as I can re
member, a single emphatic failure.
Her taste in costuming and stage effects
was intuitive, and sho never went
wrong. lam inclined to, think that an
artistic inheritance was common to her
family, for the famous Keene of Lon
don Punch was Laura’s brother. Speak
ing of this brother, I remember that
when we presented Shakespeare’s ‘‘A
Midsummer Night’s Dream” he sent
his sister a mechanical contrivance de
signed to practically illustrate Puck’s
feat in putting a girdle around the
world in less than 40 minutes. It was a
most ingenious affair, and a man who
understood its workings had come over
from London especially to manipulate
it. He was a Frenchman and under
stood very little English. Ned Sothern
—the elder, of course—had a part in
the piece. He was an irresistible joker,
Jmd he determined to have some fun
iWith that machine. In some manner he
contrived to “fix” the Frenchman, and
with Mary Wells’ connivance got in the
of the u, ochanicul l’yyjg Instead of
crossing the stage from the right and
disappearing, as it should have done,
the figure went flying from the wings
to the footlights, where it acted in the
most unaccountable manner, falling
over and carrying terror to the Puck in
the flesh. The Frenchman and his clock
work dummy disappeared from the cast
after that one performance, much to the
relief of everybody except Sothern.
A Hasty Temper.
What an awful temper the usually
sweet aud mild mannered Laura had
when anything particularly exasperated
her! We were, while I was with her,
about to put on a piece entitled “All
That Glitters Is Not Gold. ’ ’ Everything
had run along swimmingly, and I was
congratulatng myself that there had
been no hitches, when the day of the
property nnd scene rehearsal arrived.
Laura walked on to the stage and ob
served that the furniture was upholster
ed in a pale green tint instead of pink,
as she had desired. She became enraged
and began to storm like a crazy woman.
Chairs and tables were slammed about
the stage and damaged to the extent of
many dollars. Her bonnet, cloak and
other outer garmeuts were torn to bits.
Her wavy, golden hair was disheveled,
and the company promptly “sloped”
until tiie clouds rolled by.
The ''American Cousin."
—tjiifpf.gcjifjJitC ‘Amor-_
ican Cousin” which Laura' Keene pro
duced has often been commented upon.
Sothern attained real greatness almost
solely through the medium of this play,
for which no one expected more than
the most ordinary success. His famous
hop, skip and jump entrance and the
accidental manner in which he literal
ly stuinbled into it are too familiar to
require recapitulation here. The part of
Lord Dundreary was one of the shortest
in the piece, and Sothern was very
much disgusted with it at the start. It
was orignally about three lengths (40
linos to the length), but he built this
trifle up into about 40 lengths.
In the cast of the “American Cousin”
at the time Sothern made his big hit
were some of the best actors in the
country, including Joseph Jefferson,
Laura Keene aud C. W. Couldock. Jef
ferson gave a magnificent impersonation
of Asa Trenchard, and Couldock’s work
was all that could be desired—in fact,
it was exceptionally good, as was also
that of Laura—but the Dundreary role
gained such a firm hold upon the public
that the other players aud characters
were,comparatively speaking, forgotten,
and it soon became almost a one part
piece, with Sothern the practical though
not the nominal star.
The inception of this famous play
was always shrouded in mystery. Laura
Keene received the manuscript from
Tom Taylor, whose part in the transac
tion lias never been cleared up. From
the best data at hand, however, it
would appear that the play Was inspired
by Silsbee, the Yankee comedian, and
that the part of Asa was intended to
be the principal one. At any rate, the
piece was not regarded as original, for
in 1866, when Miss Keene sought to ob
tain an injunction to restrain John
Sleeper Clarke from producing it, the
courts decided against her.
The Lincoln Tragedy.
Laura Keene’s recognition of John
Wilkes Booth on the fateful night of
April 16, 1866, has often been com
mented upon. It was not in the least
remarkable to those who knew her, for
it was at one time currently reported
that they were engaged to be married.
Everybody is familiar with the fact that
Miss Keene’s dress, which was' by a re
markable coincidence embellished with
embossed passion flowers, was stained
with the blood of the dying President
Lincoln, whose head she supported aft
er the dreadful catastropho which threw
a nation into mourning. This episode
was recalled a short time ago by tho
doings of the notorious Rawson twins
in New Jersey. Laura had two daugh
ters, who passed as her nieces. They
were Clara, an expert harpist, who mar
ried Rawson, and another, who became
an indifferent actress. Ciara is the
mother of the twins.
I have related some of Sothern’s
pranks, but another may be worth re
calling. Jeffersou had been offered the
part of Bottom, but declined, and it
was given to that grand old actor, Ru
fus Blake, who weighed 360 pounds.
On the opening night Blake stumbled
and fell full length on the stage. Miss
Keene and myself, who were standing
in the wings, asked Sothern sotto voce
to assist the fallen actor to his feet.
The irrepressible wag looked straight
at me and replied loud enough to be
heard all over the house: “It can’t be
done. Get a derrick. ” Everybody was
shrieking with laughter except Laura,
who was furious. To make matters
worse, a large bulldog which was used
in the scene and which had been led on
by my brother Felix broke loose and
made a. dash for the prostrate Blake,
upsetting Tom Baker on the way. Tho
actors scattered, and Sothern, without
cracking a smile, observed nonchalant
ly: ‘‘No go. He’s too fat. He needs a
rest.”
Blake was finally got into an upright
position, and the play proceeded after
some delay. Sara Stevens was fined $lO
for having been particularly uproarious
in her cachinnatious, and she promptly
put the blame where it belonged—on
Sothern. She told her husband, who
happened to be John C. Heenan, tho
pugilist, and he threatened to punch
Sothern’s head on sight. For a week or
so thereafter Lord Dundreary was
busily employed dodging imaginary up
perdu ts.
Laura Keene died of consumption.
She knew the end was coming relent
lessly and was so averse to having her
friends see her emaciated features that
she always sat with her head averted
from the light. She was not rich, but
6till refused a guarantee offer of $6,000
for a benefit. She was as good a stage
manager as most men, and as a purvey
or to the tastes of the theater goiug
public her superior has never existed,
man or woman, in this country.
L. John Vincent.
THE TIMES: BRUNSWICK, GA., APRIL 4, 189/
FANCIES FOR SPRING.
SOME OF THE NEW HATS, CAPES AND
GOWNS.
The Judicious Use of Colors—Handsome
Gowns For Dress Occasions—Results of
an Inspection of the New York YVliole
sale and Retail Stocks.
[Special Correspondence.]
New York, March 30. —Gray and
pink have always been pretty when
brought together, no matter wliat the
material, and it seems that the dress
makers have come to that conclusion
all at once this season, for I notice pink
oil many of the gray gowns, hats and
short capes. The capes show the pink
only as lining aud rufflings around the
neck. The new parasols now shown for
next summer’s wear are of gray surah
or taffeta, with pink lining and a great
fluff of pink crepe lisse qj- chiffon as
ruffles. The capes are not so full and
fluted as they were before. They are
more likely to fit like military capes.
Hats of gray satin straw are shown
with enormously full ruches of pink
silk mull or other light material, and
the ruffles around the necks are sudden
ly blushing pink, instead of remaining
white, as they were a week ago.
Not all gowns have hats to match, but
the most of them do. There was a very
elegant Louis Somebody-or-other suit
of liavana broadcloth, the skirt plain,
but the coat in the orthodox form, with
a little gold embroidery on the collar
and revers. The stock was of ivory silk
mull, and the full cravat was of ivory
.lace. The hat iu this instance was a
plateau of black chip, with a whole lot
of double dark violets both on top and
under the back brim, which was turned
np sharply. Mingled with the violets
on top was a full high plaiting of point
d’esprit lace.
In one house 1 saw a lovely gown
just finished. It is now packed away,
to be opened only when the days that
melt men’s brains to the right consist
ency for falling iu love with the wearer
shall have arrived. This is a creamy
white silk mull, made up over water
green taffeta. The skirt is gathered
very full and is untrimmed. There is
an olive green velvet draped belt. Above
this is a French gathered waist, which
shows under a slashed heliotrope bolero.
This bolero is of velvet and is prettily
worked in silks of a darker shade. The
stock is of the olive velvet, with a flar
ing collar of the heliotrope velvet, with
a ruftlo of green taffeta. The sleeve
caps are of velvet, with narrow ruffles,
one of the taffeta and one of the silk
mull. The tight sleeves are of taffeta,
with the silk mull gathered in valois
style over it.
There are so many new ways of mak
ing up the goods I have described fully
in the last few weeks that one scarcely
knows where to begin.
One more lovely dress I will men
tion. This was for reception or any oth
er occasion requiring a very dressy cos
tume. The dress itself was of mottled
green and brown taffeta, with the up
per portiou of the bodice made of ivory
silk muslin laid in accordion plaits.
The sleeves, caps and cascades down
the front of the skirt were all of ivory
oriental lace. The half girdle was of
deep heliotrope velvet, and so were the
tight collar, the puffs and the sleeves,
and four large bows set at the bottom
of the skirt, two on each side. The
wrists were finished with very full ruf
fles of lace. That above the collar was
not very full. T 1 ere were little clusters
of black plumes on top of the shoulders.
These I noticed were removable. So I
suppose they are added only when the
most dressy effect is required. The ar
rangement of the revers reaching iu
points to the waist line and lapping
back over the velvet half belt is par-
ticularly graceful aud new. The lace
starts from those points and falls iu a
cascade on each side the panel to the
bottom, small, but fine gold buttons
fastening the points of belt, revers and
cascades together. Oi.ive Harper.
Confession of a Poster Artist.
Sympathizing Friend—l am awfully
sorry to hear that your work was re
jected.
Poster Artist—l don’t mind disclosing
tho secret to you. I know you will keep
it. The fact is that lam color blind by
gaslight, aud I painted a group of greeu
trees, thiukiug all the time that I was
using pure red.—lndianapolis Journal.
SPAIN IS PROSTRATE.
How She lit Beset by External and In
n ternal Troubles.
' [Special Correspondence.]
Malaga, Spain, March 17. —Between
Cadiz, in the southwest, and Barcelona,
in the northeast, lie several Spanish
cities which, in view of the present
American •complications, are sufficient
ly important for casual mention.
This city of Malaga, best known to
ns for its wines aud raisins, is in about
the same decadent condition of them
all, except Barcelona, where dwell the
enterprising “Yankees of Spain.” At
the present time Malaga lives mainly
on the memory of its greatness, contain
ing very few buildings of importance
and swarming with beggars. Much far
ther north we find Valencia, capital of
the rich province of the same name,
once noted as the seat of Mohammedan
learning. It was captured from the
Moors by the renowned Cid in the elev
enth century and was known then, as
now, as the garden spot of Spain.
Between the two last named lies the
picturesque port of Alicante, famous for
its ancient castle and the view out
spread therefrom, its episcopal palace,
its tobacco factories and cathedral. If
we should diverge from our journey, or
rather prolong it to Barcelona, we
should find this latter one of the finest
cities on the Mediterranean coast of
-Spiiin, inhabited by a people strangely
at variance with the luxury, loving and
slow going southerner.
The Spaniards are like the little girl
in the nursery book—when they are
good, they’re “very, very good, but
when they’re bad they’re horrid.”
There are uo brigands here except iu
the remotest mountains, but the mass of
the people are cruelly impoverished. In
the midst of a land created for the gar
den of Europe, capable of producing
nearly everything grown in the tropical
aud temperate zones, the bulk of the
Spaniards are yet poverty stricken to
the verge of starvation. This will ac
count for the feeling of uncertainty I
have alluded to, for if they can’t get the
means for subsistence by honest labor
they are likely to try some other method.
Between Malaga and Granada are
the mountains containing the towns fa
mous in the history of the Moorish wars
of the decade preceding the discovery of
America. One of these was Aihjuna,
which was taken by the Spaniards aft
er a terrible battle and its inbablittfitf
put to the swerd. So awful wu® the
slaughter that the event has per
petuated in a Moorish-Spanish song, the
refrain of which is, “Ay de mi (woe is
me), Albania!” This mountain strong
hold of the Moors fell in the year 1482,
and ten years elapsed before the last of
ft
a
AI.HAMA AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE.
the Moors were driven out of Spain,
which was in 1403, a year ever mem
orable to all Americans.
I found Albania almost desolate on
my recent visit, for it had been subject
to that most awful of earthly visita
tions, an earthquake. Nearly all its
buildings had been thrown down, its
public hall and churches all but destroy
ed, and among the ruins the people*
were wandering about aimlessly, seek
ing out their lost relatives. Even au
enemy of the Spaniards could not enter
tain feelings toward them other than of
pity and commiseration. Their condi
tion was most pitiable, heartrending,
and I could but exclaim as I looked up
on this scene of suffering, ‘‘Ah, woe is
me, Albania!” The losses from siege or
capture, saving the dead, cau be repair
ed after the enemy has retreated, but
who knows when the next visitation
from the earthquake will occur aud ren
der abortive all efforts for reconstruc
tion? Among one group of ruins which
I photographed a priest and some sis
ters of charity were goiug about ad
ministering succor to the wounded and
such consolation as they could afford to
the dying. There is little hope for Al
bania and no possibility for it to recover
its ancient prosperity.
I have mentioned my visit to Alba
nia iu order to present a different phase
of life here from what the ordinary
traveler sees. What with their rebel
lious subjects in Cuba and the Philip
pines aud earthquakes at home added
to their ever increasing poverty and
steady decline as a nation, the Spaniards
are more subjects for pity than of envy.
Spain has been a glorious country. Her
sons have written their names high on
the monument of fame, but that was iu
the long buried past. Today the coun
try is poverty stricken, decaying, hol
low hearted. Although it possesses a
sturdy population, a true hearted peas
antry, yet its so called higher classes aud
the nobility are vainglorious aud unre
liable. It is a strange fact that, while
the real Spaniard is a very decent sort
of man, yet his government has forced
him into a position in which be is com
pelled to pose as the bloodthirsty tyrant
and oppressor of mankind.
J. A. Eldridge.
Gun Flints.
The oldest industry in Britain is still
carried on at the village of Brandon, on
the borders of Norfolk and Suffolk, and
is in a flourishing condition. It is a
manufactory of gun aud tinder box
flints. It appears that there is no regu
lar flint factory, but the work is done iu
the little sheds, often at the back of the
townsfolk’s cottages.
TAKING SNAP SHOTS.
PRESIDENT M’KINLEY AND THE OW
NIPRESENT CAMERA MAN.
Difficulties In the Way of Practicing thf
Art of Fhotograpy at the National Cap.
Itol—Rules That Obstruct Success—Snap
Shots at Airs. Cleveland.
[Special Correspondence. ]
Washington, March 30.— 1 have nev
er seen such an outburst of the camera
fever as we have had here in the last
four weeks. The inauguration is always
well done. It was overdone this time,
though the inaugural committee, with
an eye to profits, tried to keep the ama
teur off the streets ou March 4.
Almost all the new congressmen have
at least one camera in the family. A
few years ago a great many members of
the house and senate were good pho
tographers. Senator Kenna of West Vir
ginia was an enthusiast, and he took
some very fine pictures of his colleagues
iu the senate. You could find him
prowling about the city with his cam
era iu hand at almost any bright hour
of the day. Speaker Reed never took up
photography himself. But he had a
camera iu the family, and he knew how
to work it. When I was in Portland
summer before last, I took a snap shot
at Mr. Reed iu his office. He smile i,
and-3 H-his tnlr) p|t_
I would not get anything from the neg
ative because the exposure had not been
long enough. Mr. Reed knew more
about photography than I did at that
time, for I fouud only a shadow on the
plate.
Photography was almost as free as
air under some former administrations,
but under Mr. Cleveland the pho
tographer was under heavy restraints.
I took some friends to the White House
one day. They were sightseeing. One
of them had a camera. The vigilant
doorkeeper spied the camera as we came
up the White House steps. “You can’t
take that in,” he said. On luy assur
ance that no pictures would be taken,
however, he let us carry it through the
parlors Gtsd th conservatory. All these
rooms, oi'equnsa, have been photograph
ed many tiinca For.r years ago, just be
fore Mr. CieTflard was inaugurated, I
had a full set of interior views of the
White House taken with the president’s
permission. The photographer said to
me then: “This will be your last chance.
The Clevelands will never let a pho
tographer enter the White House. ” And
she was right. During the term of Mr.
Cleveland the only photographer who
got into the White House was one who
took a group picture of the president
and his cabinet and one who took a pic
ture of the president at his desk for the
president’s personal friend, Mr. Gilder.
From the White House we went to
the National museum that day. Why
auy one should object to the taking of
photographs there, except on the ground
that the Smithsonian people want a
monopoly of the privilege, I cannot im
agine. It is quite as difficult to compre
hend as the way they have at the mu
seum of reserving a large doorway for
the occasional official who comes aud
goes and making the public go around
Robin Hood’s barn to get into the build
ing. But the doorkeeper who checks
umbrellas and sticks, traveling bags,
too, if you are a transient visitor, in
sisted on checking the camera.
Then we went to the capitol. Here I
felt sure we were safe. Newspaper cor
respondents have many privileges at the
capitol. They are second only to sena
tors and representatives. They use the
elevator ordinarily reserved for mem
bers of the senate, and they have even
been known to dine in the sacred pre
cincts of the senators' restaurant. So
we walked around the capitol, calmly
taking snap shots in the rotunda aud
from the gallery outside the library,
and finally went into the press gallery
of the senate and put the box down on
one of the desks. We snapped away once
or twice, seemingly without attracting
attention. Then a page caught sight of
us and began making motions indi
cating a desire to be included in the
picture. That caught the eye of the ser
geaut-at-arms, and two minutes later a
messenger from his office made his ap
pearance, demanding by what authority
we took pictures in the capitol. We had
no authority, and I appealed to Colonel
Bright. He said lie did not know why
the rule was made, but it existed, aud
it applied not only to the building, but
to the grounds around it. The week be
fore a photographer had been arrested
for taking pictures in the capitol
grounds.
Our next visit was to the new libra
ry, which then was not, quite com
pleted. Colonel Green, the superintend
ent, told me that he would like to give
us permission to take pictures. But he
had denied every one else, and he could
make no exception to the rule. Why
did the rule exist? Because the place
would be overrun with photographers
otherwise.
We got on a car and went to the navy
yard. That is the place where the great
guns are made. It has been photograph
ed again and again for newspapers and
magazines. A sentinel stood at the gate
way. “You’ll have to leave that with
me,” he said, reaching for the camera.
‘‘l don’t want to take any pictures, ”
said my companion. It was too lato in
the afternoon then to take any. The
sun had gone down. .
“Sorry,” said the sentinel. “Orders,
sir. ’ ’ He took the camera.
You could not even photograph the
president’s wife under the last adminis
tration. And this was the most ridic
ulous prohibition of all. No actress or
English professional beauty has been
photographed so many times in so brief
a period as Mrs. Cleveland was just
after she came to Washington. One pho
tographer took more than 20 pictures of
her at one engagement, and she distrib
uted her favors among the photogra
phers very equally. But when the pho
tographer for one of the illustrated
weeklies came to Washington to pho
tograph Mrs. Cleveland as she left Dr.
Sunderland's church he found his path
teset with thorns. The policeman on
duty at the church Goo. told him In
couldn’t take the pho.ogrnph. That
“riled” him, and lu ..id Ho would.
The policeman told him to move ou.
Ho said he wouldn’t. The policeman
came after him, aud ho took his place
m the steps of the church, saying lie
Was on private properly aud outside the
policeman's jurisdii tion. Then the
church deacons came out and told him
to leave. He went out on the sidewalk
aud walked .up and c. iwu. Presently
the captain of police tame along, and
he called another officer —a broad back
ed officer—and gave him some secret in
structions. The photographer called a
sturdy negro boy who stood near, cross
ed his palm with silver and gave him
some instructions too. W lion tho congre
gation came out, Mrs. Cleveland stood
back iu the lobby waiting for a signal.
As sho left the church the broad police
man stepped iu front of the camera.
But the negro at the same time dropped
on his hands mid knees, the photogra
pher sprang on the negro’s back and
"snap” went the shutter of the camera.
I am sorry 1 cannot record the tri
umph of tiie photographer. He found
wheu he developed the plate that some
thing had happened to it—l believe it
was light struck—and the picture was
a failure.
Au amateur had as funny an experi
ence with Mr. Cleveland’s children.
The semipublic tiie White. House
TAKING A SNAP SHOT AT TIIF. PRESIDENT
AND HIS PRIVATE SECRETARY.
gounds was locked up for the benefit
of the little ones, and no one was sup
posed to get within gunshot of them.
But the nurse in a moment of forget
fuluess let them stray toward the fence,
and an amateur photographer took a
snap at them with his hand camera.
The nurse saw the act, and, screaming,
dragged the little ones away to a safe
distance. And then the amateur found
that he had forgotten to take the cap
off his camera.
You will uot fiud such sacredness and
exclusiveness at llie White House under
this administration. Mr. McKinley was
photographed again and again at liis
Canton home after the election. Since
he came to Washington he has been
photographed at his desk in the presi
dent’s office and in his cabinet room.
He takes his afternoon walk at an hour
when the light is not bright enough for
very good camera results, but I have no
doubt he would go out half au hour ear
lier some day to oblige any one who
wanted a photograph for a legitimate
purpose, provided it did not interfere
with the public business. The cabinet
was photographed the other day by sev
eral photographers, and a flashlight pic
ture of the people waiting for the dis
tribution of the “pie” in the president’s
corridor was made. Iu fact, so much li
cense has been given to the photogra
phers that they have made something of
a nuisance of themselves, and if any re
striction is placed on them it will be on
that account and not because the presi
dent and Secretary Porter are not fully
in sympathy with the right of the pub
lic to see just bow the business of the
government is carried on as far as pic
tures in the illustrated papers will show
it to them.
What makes the camera business
troublesome is the fact that every pho
tographer in Washington wants the
privileges accorded to any other pho
tographer. If one man takes a pho
tograph of the president, every other
man wants the same privilege, and he
usually gets it. No president has ap
pointed a ‘ ‘court photographer, ” though
the late Matthew Brady had almost a
monopoly of the business for a long
time.
We have drawn the line at showing
our fortifications to foreigners for many
years, though few people know there is
any rule on the subject. Some time ago,
when the American Society of Civil
Engineers met in New York city, there
were four visitors from abroad taking
part in the convention. During the
meeting the members were invited to
visit Sandy Hook to examine the sea
coast defenses there. A special steamer
took the party to the Hook. But before
it reached its destination word was
conveyed to the foreigners that they
could not visit the works. The repre
sentatives of the engineer’s office of the
army informed them that they could
visit the proving ground which, like
the proving ground of the navy at Indi
an Head, is semipublic. But they could
not see the gun lifts and the mortar
batteries. The order under which this
prohibition is made is nearly 25 years
old. It states that foreigners, whethei
officers or private citizens, shall not be
permitted to visit any of the gun case
mates, terrepleins, batteries, planking
arrangements or mine galleries of the
seacoast defenses, the care and custody
of which are in the engineer’s office,
without the written authority of the
secretary of war, and no person w T ho is
not known to the person in charge of
the works is to be permitted to visit
them without the secretary’s authority,
whether he is a citizen of the United
States or a foreigner. The same order
forbids photography.
George Gran , bham Bain.