Joe Jefferson a Favorite in Omaha ahd Omaha a Favorite with Him
Ills l,ul Visit to Dniha.
J WAS October II, lisjft, that I lis
Ivl T I tr'at J"'Ph Jefferson lest came
ta 1 to Omaha nnd presorted here for
the last time lilii famous Imper
sonation of Hip Van Winkle nnd
Hob Acres. The latt Omuha men to meet him
personally it thut time were Home Mil'or
and Ueorso W. Lininger. They spent two
hours with him In the nrt Knllf-ry of th
latter and they treasure tin- memory of the
Jovial, ' herarty old fellow, mnrf now than
they did frx-ftsre the news of his death, f
"I met Sir. Jefferson nt the truin when he
rime In," said Air. Miller. ' He as her
two night. I think, nnd that was the lust
any of us saw of lilm here. Ho a tine
old gentleman, and the beat known ami
loved actor the country has ever hail. It
had been suggested that na Mr. Jefferson
was auch an artist himself and so great it
lover of palnttng, he would enjoy a visit to
Mr. Lininger gafry. 1 spoke of it to him
aa we drove to tlia hotel, and he seemed
very much pleased at the idea. He had not
known we had a lino collection In the city
and Omaha evidently rose very much in hi
estimation. So we drove over to the Llnln
gers and Mr. Jefferson apent. I thli.k. two
hours there. He was a great lover of urt,
you could aee. the minute he got Inside of
the gallery. I don't know whenever I've
aeen a man get so lost In looking at any
thing or ha-vlug ;o much pleasure. There
Is no doubt he hxved nature and pulntlnus
and that sort of a t more than he cured for
anything else. Ho was very complimentary
to Mr. I.lninger and said auch a collection
was a great work for a msn to have ac
complished. He drnnk Mr. Lininger health
In gome old Roman )ort wine he hud.
"After we crime back to the hotel 1 asked
Mr. Jefferson what lie was going to have
for dinner and he sold he wouJd have what
ever I had. I Insisted on his choosing some
thing, and do you know he had an oyster
atcw and a cup of tea. That was all ex
cept, O yea. he began with a highball. He
took that, but he would not have a cigar, t
raid to Mm, 'Won't you smoke, Mr. Jeffer
son?' and he looked at me and shook his
head and said: 'No. Tobacco and Jefferson
had a little misunderstanding some, yeay
ago and T was referee. I thqught more
Jefferson than I did of tobacco, o I never
touch it.'
"The old gentleman would not take a ride
before the performance. He said It was his
habit to take a little sleep before he went
on the stage each day. He certainly was a
splendid old fellow. When he came to. go
away he went to the trouble to look for me
through all the dining rooms to say good
bye." Mr. Lininger has rarely tf ever had aa ap
preciative 'ft visitor to inspect his collection
of pictures. The painting of Jefferson was
his great hobby. It Is probable that his
work In this line never reached first rank,
but In it he waa very much more Interested
than In Ms acting. In which he was un
paralleled. A tribute to his painting was of
very much more account to him than en
thusiasm for his Rip Van Winkle.
"The country has certainly lost one of Its
greatest men," said Mr. Uninger. In re
calling the circumstances of Jefferson's
last visit to Omaha. "A more kindly,
genial, simple gentleman one cannot
Imagine. I had never met him personally
until he came to see my pictures, but he
made auch an Impression on me at the time
that I have always considered him one of
my warmest and best friends. He asked
me to visit him when I went to. the east
next, and it has always been a keen regret -that
T was unable to arrange to do so."
Both' Mr. Lininger and Mr. Miller cherish '
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Al'TfiflKAFHRr) PORTRAIT OF JOSEPH JEFFERSON GIVEN TO fcDWARD
ROSE WATER.
the picture In which they were grouped and
posed by Mr. Jefferson and In which they
are listening to a story about his dog
BOi'der.
ome Personal Recollections.
My recolle'tlons of Joseph Jefferson,"
says Edward Rosewater, "date back into
the '70s, when I heard him at St. Louis
In "Rip Van Winkle," the play that made
him famous. I was Introduced to him for
the first time in 1891 by "Bilry" Florence,
another of the popular and famous Amer
ican actors, with whom I had become ac
quainted years before. Florence and Jeffer
son appeared in Omaha that winter for
two successive nights In "The Rivals" and
in "The. Heir at Law." On the last night,
after the play was over, I entertained'
both In The Bee building and spent a most
enjoyable lioi!- in tholr company. In talk
ing with Jefferson about his impersona
tion of Dr. Pangloss I discovered that he
had never heard that Voltaire had orig
inated the name.
"About three months later I renewed my
acquaintance with Jefferson and extended
my acquaintance with Florence between
acts on the stage of McVlcker's theater In
Chicago, and handed Jefferson Voltaire's
novel entitled, "CandUrc," or the story of
Eldorado, an imaginary country In South
America, whose streets are paved with
precious stones, in which Dr. Pangloss
represents a character whose keynote Is
"All Is for the best," but who In a check
ered career meets with many accidents
and reverses that seem to contradict his
motto. Shortly thereafter Jefferson re
turned the compliment In the handsome
portrait .embellished with ' his autograph
that now adorns the walls of my sanctum.
That was the last time I saw "Billy" Flor
ence, who was carried off after a few days'
' Illness In Philadelphia three months later.
"In the early part of November. 1903,
Jefferson played another engagement at
the Boyd and received me In his dressing
room between two acts. In the course of
conversation he referred to our meeting
in Omaha twelve years previously with
"Billy" Florence and expressed profound
sorrow at his untimely death. Two weeks
later, while on a visit to Washington, we
met again by chance in the elevator of the
Raleigh hotel, where we were both guests,
and merely shook hands In passing. The
next evening, while being royally enter
tained by Frank O. Carpenter at his ele
gant home on Vermont avenue, Jefferson's
name came up during the conversation and
Mi's. Carpenter asked whether I would like
to hear Rip Van Winkle's dialogue with
his wife, Gretchen, before his summary
ejection from home. 'Most assuredly I
would like to hear It,' said I. Presently
the graphophone began to reproduce Rip's
pathetic appeal to Gretchen in the inimita
ble and unmistakable voice of Jefferson.
"The evening following I Accepted an
after dinner invitation to attend Jeffer
son's peerless Impersonation of Rip Van
Winkle at the new National theater. W
reached the theater rather late, and as I
entered the dress circle I heard Jefferson
recite the Identical dialogue that had been
ground out by Frank Carpenter's grapho
phone. Jefferson was called before the
curtain several times during the play,. and
at Its conclusion, in response to vociferous
calls, made a ' touching .speech, reviewing
his career as an actor and referring to his
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JOSEPH JEFFERSON' TELIJNO THE DOO STORY TO G. f5V.
AND ROME MILLER.
LININGER
advancing age, expressed a doubt whether
he would ever again be able to appear
before a 'Washington audience. In this he
seemed to be prophetic. It was his last
appearance In Washington and the last
time that I had an opportunity to hear
him."
ienerooa Traits.
Not many years ago an aged resident
of Washington, poor at the time, but pre
viously prosperous, and even wealthy, yet
through all vicissitudes of fortune uni
versally respected, sat one winter even
ing by the light of a tallow candle in a
small and somewhat cheerless room, ex
amining and arranging the papers con
tained in his antlquo desk. A young friend
kept him company. The old gentleman's
old dog was also present sleeping on the
hearth before the low wood fire. Paper
after paper wa. drawn forth from the
dusty pigeon-holes and quaint recesses of
the desk, generally with some brief remark
concerning .each,- and now and, then some
pleasant or pathetic little . story. ' That
night the old man was living his past life
over aguin, all its animation and color
seeming to bo restored by the magical
notes and letters.
"Here's one from Joseph Jefferyon! Dear
old Joel the best friend I ever had! Let
me see" taking up the caudle to help
his sight, and readjusting his spectacles
"yes the money I lent him once, In his
theatrical trouble "
"Is that the actor of whom I Wave heard
you speak?"
"The same."
"And the man equally famous in our
day, bearing a like name"
"Grandson of Old Joe."
"I have seen his "Rip Van Winkle'; it is
wonderful.' Will you give me that letter?"
"Certainly. It Is interesting and valu
able as tho writing of bo great a genius
noble, too, and Just, as well as great. His
debt to me I. know he would have paid
it, but misfortune overpowered him, and
hen came death. He died the very month
In which this letter was written forty. '
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JOSEPH jTFFERSON- AS HE APPEARED ON THE OCCASION OF HIS
LAST VISIT TO OMAHA.
one years ago." A week later the young
man was again with the old. He presented
hlra a letter a letter from tho grandson
of his ancient friend, warmly expressing
gratitude and Inclosing a check for the sum
due, with interest. That amount, care
fully employed, rendered the old man com
fortable, at least, till the day he died.
No deserving member of his calling when
In distress ever appealed to Mr. Jeffer
son In vain, and he has always been
prompt to relieve suffering wherever
found. Not long ago he kept from pov
erty ' a clergyman who had bitterly de
nounced him from the pulpit. When In
poverty, sickness and want, this divine
was found, fed " and ' clothed by the man
he had so unjustly attacked.
now "Rip" "Was Taken Ip.
In his . "Autobiography" Mr. Jefferson
has described how he came to take up the
character of Rip Van Winkle. Here Is his
own story slightly condensed: The year
1859 found him In Paradise valley in Penn
sylvania, where h ecrapled himself one
Idle day In reading the "Life and Letters
of Washington Irving." Then came before
hla mind's eye tho story of RJp Van Winkle
an American story by an American au
thor. He immediately got the book and
read the fable. Ifis Imagination was
kindled; but how could the narrativ be
made a drama? Rip in the story had not
ten dramatic, worda to utter. No matter;
Mr. Jefferson went on to select a "make
up" before he had a lino of the play. Old
adaptations had been used by Charles
Burke and others, but these wer not satis
factory. Joseph Jefferson contemplated
himself In a looking glaas before be had
a manuscript. He himself designed the
weird scene on the mountain tops with, the
ghosts of H end tick Hudson's crew and
their unearthly silence.
"Rip Van Winkle" was first done at
Carusl's hall, Washington, under the man
agement of John T. Raymond and it started
on its conquering tour of the Anglo-Saxon
(Continued on Page Seven.)
How Japan Cares for the Families of Its Dead and Disabled Soldiers
MI'Ai J:
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JAPANESE WAR WIDOW8 MAKING SinRTS FOR THE SOLDDSRS IN THE5
NEW lOKOUAMA IND13TR1AL HOME.
SpjHE paternal Japanese government
I has assumed responHlbility for
the support of approximately 100,
'Sl COO families of dead and disabled
it J soldiers of the emnire within the
space of a alngle year and the methods
employed In the discharge of this respon
sibility are Interesting In the extreme and
eloquent of the nneneun of this people that
is astonishing the world wth its perfect
poise In the midst of crisis that could
not but shake the strongest nation -to Its
very foundation. Hatlstica are, us a rule,
not as attractive to me as glittering gen
eralities, but the statistics of this subject
are so startling that they would oatch and
hold the attention of anybody.
It seems to me that the Japanese relief
system Is about the most practical and
perfect thing of its kind ever organized
by a, government, and Its greatest achieve
ment is a combination of public and private
Interests, of governmental departments ud
people's Institutions that could not be In
any country where the heart of each is nut'
as the heart of alL
The question which sootiest presents itself
to the foreigner traveling In Japan and
observing the evidences of the national
poverty la, "Whore Is the country getting
ail the money for defraying the expenses
of this great war?' This question, far
from being answered, resolves itself into
an exclamation as proofs of the nutfon's
ability to meet every problem of the crisis
dally1 present themselves. Its ability to
meet and1 defeat what Emperor William
once -called "the strongest military power
on earth" has been demonstrated to the
world's everlasting admiration, but its un
assuming and uuapplaudtxl perfection of
home government, "for the people aud by
the people," a government that provides
for each individual victim of the war a
means of livelihood or direct support, is
Just as admirable in its way as any other
demonstration of the nation's strength.
Tiutt the nation is strong cannot be de
nied, but even In its most startling revela
tions It Is a strength concealed, and the
world's admiration must aiwuys resolve
Itself Into an Interrogation.
Kvldence IMUre Wealth.
There are absolutely no evidence in Ja
pan of great wealth.. There is not a publio
building in the whole empire that is not
more than equaled In every way by many
of our ordinary public school buildings.
There arc no mansions of the wealthy that
are not to the American way of thinking
quite like the average middle class resi
dence. There are no great commercial en
terprises as we estimate commercial great
ness. There are no localities rich in min
erals aa we estimate riches. There are no
wide spreading acres of teeming fertility,
no single evidence of greatness In any part
of the country, and yet such a thing as
abiect poverty does not exist, is not per
mitted Indeed, and beggars are lean fre
quent than in our own land of over-supply,
and this is because the heart (Tf one is aa
the heart of all: because. It is a nation In
which brotherhood has reached its highest
expression; because the "Fatherhood of the
Imperial government" is not an empty
phrase. ,
1 am Indebted to his excellency. Count
Katsura, the prime minister, and to his
secretary, Huron Nakashlma, for Introduc
tions to officials In the Department of
Home Affairs, who spared no pains to put
me in possession of all possible facts In
connection with the work of relief of sol
diers' and sailors' families. In which the
government and the people are so religi
ously tngaged.
Japan's Pension Bareau.
There U a pension bureau In Japan which
provides permanent assistance to aged or
disabled soldiers of the empire, but it has
no connection with the pension office under
the supervision of the Wur department,
which provides instant asslstunce to fami
lies found in pressing netd. Whenever a
soldier falls In battle this pension depart
ment sends an officer at once to investigate
the condition of his family, and if assist
ance is necessary measures are taken to
provide it, either directly or through a local
Institution, without a particle of delay. It
is the intention of the government to find
for each person a way to earn a livelihood
rather than to give financial aid thut would
necessarily take the degrading form of
alms, and for this purpose industrial homes
have been started all over the country In
which thousands ofwidows and orphans
and berouved destitute mothers find honora
ble lodgment unit col. genial employment In
making clothes and preparing provisions
for the soldiers In Manchuria.
t wus taken by an oftUer of the home de
partment In Toklo to visit one nf these in
stitutions In Yokaliama. Ws were met at
the station by an escort with a "municipal
carriage." At least that is what they
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SECTION OF THE NEW YOKOHAMA INDUSTRIAL HOME. SOLDIERS' WIDOWS AND ORPHANS.
called It, with Just a touch of youthful glee
I thought that reminded ma of the small
boy and his little red wagon. It looked to
me very much like any other narrow guage
Japanese victoria and It bore no flaunting
coat-of-arros nor boasted any prancing
thoroughbreds In silver-mounted harness.
In faot the only unusual thing about the
outfit weye the betto's boots.
A betto Is a Japanese coachman and I'm
going to write a comic opera on of these
days and have a betto chorus, somewhat
on the order of George Cohan's "Up In a
hansom, up In a hansom, up In ahansom
cab." They are such a solemnly Important
and ridiculously beg ar men ted lot that I
think they would make a prodigious hit.
And the nags they drive are as funny as
they, with their narrow hindquarters and
overgrown heads, their great shaggy manes
snd foretops, through which their wicked
little eyes gleam for all the world like a
skye terrier's. But those boots! They were
cut uuyi the smartest possible English pat
tern with broad yellow kid cuffs at the top,
and they had an "air" that would have
graced the finest turnout in Hyde park.
But at the top of his boots this betto ceased
to be a model and the rest of him looked
as If he had suddenly fallen hair to the po
sition and the livery of a mau five sizes
larger than himself, and as we drove mer
rily along the narrow streets the brass but
tons that should have fitted snugly into the
small of hie back, flopped disconsolately
against the low top of the driver's seat upon
which he was perched with dignity enough
for two like him.
tine of the Asslataae aoletlrs.
All this la merely by the way, but it
erv'es to illustrate the Japanese Idea of
western mugiiltleence, since this coachman
and his accessories were designated a "mu
nicipal equipage." We drove first to a
loeal government building In which the
Yokaliama 8ho-het-glkal, "Ih society for
the assistance of soldiers and sailor and
their fumilles," has Its offices.- Her was a
hug room crowded with fiat top desks at
each of which a couple of men war busily
engaged examining applications or making
out formidable looking documents. Beside
each desk sat a little wooden box In which
glowed a handful of charcoals in a bed of
ashes aud these were all the heating ap
paratus that the room could evidently boast,
although It was March and very cold. Tho
men were mostly dressed In hakama and
klmonas and wore straw sanduls on their
feet and If It hadn't been for the modern
office furniture I could have Imagined
that I had been suddenly dropped
Into a century gone. I was in
troduced to the general manager,
who bowed Jspanese fashion two or three
times and drew his breath sharply through,
his teeth in token of his pleasure In making
my acquaintance and we then all sat down
around a charcoal box and with Japanese
deliberation went over many faots of hwge
interest.
With all lta, unassuming air this society,
through this office, hs provided means for
the support of 68 families throughout the
entire winter, and the number is increasing
dally with the daily Increase of casualties
at the front. This Bho-hei-gikal is, I think,
a unique institution. It has no Immediate
connection with the government and is yet
under government supervision receiving in
structions from the liome and War de
partments In regard to cases In its terri
tory, and It has from time to time received
large funds from the pension office In the
War department because that august body
thought that such funds would be more Ju
diciously expended by tliia perfectly organ
ised philanthropic society than by its own
officials.
. People's Organisation.
The society, however, was tar from need
ing such assistance since it U a people's
organisation aud has its foundation upon
the principle of girl-ninjo. which mean to
do good unto others without s thought of
what other may do unto you. It is a
local institution in Yokshuimi, but It was
shown to m because it is Just ono of doz
ens like It throughout th country. It ha
male members who pay annual due
of 1 yen 25 sen, or 6JVa cents In our money.
Ttien there is a woman's branch which
maintains itself and does a noble work.
The women members are assessed only C
sen,' or 2H cents, a year, but Uiey are priv
ileged to give whatever they wish, with
the consequence Uiat their department is
on. quite as solid footing as the main so
ciety since it pleases most women to make
large sacrifices that they may give liberally
to this great cause. In considering all this
it Is well to remember that this Is a so
ciety which confers no bent'llts upon its
members, a sotlety which has no pay roll
except for a few clerks whose entire time
is required In Its services. Every member
gives a part of his or her time each week
to visiting or committee work of some
sort and dense as the population of this
province Is there is not a woman nor child
In It whose exsct condition is not known
to the society. And there Is not a soldier
In the army who does- not owe to it or to
one. of its kind thanks for some little per
sonal courtesy.
Malting on the soldiers.
Whenever soldiers are to pass through
Yokohama stution on their way to the
front or d military stations in the south
the Bho-hei-gikal appoints a committee to
meet them with banners and music, and
tho consequent crowd of well-wishers and
shooters of "Banzai!" (a thousand lives),
and very often this commute, carries to
each soldier some small present of tobacco
or Japanese dainty to gladden his boyish
heart. For they are boys, all these little
Japanese soldiers,- or at leust they look
so. And the tiny women whom I saw
working in the Industrial home were like
children, too, .some of them, snd should
have been making dolls' kitnonus instead
of those thousands of grim-looking uni
form shirts thut were to go to husbands
anrt father and brother on th tiring tin
In M.inchurta.
It is an Interesting place, that Indmuiil
home. It looks as If It had been put tip
yesterday In a areat hurry and promised
a finishing touch later on whan time ar
Mm
S3
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CHILDREN' DECORATING
INDUSTRIAL HOME.
CHINA IN THE WIDOWS' AND ORPHANS'
not so. pressing. It is a low, rambling
building, without a vestige of paint on it,
but It is put together with an eye to per
fect sanitation and plenty of sunlight. In
a long wing at one side dozens of women
were sitting upon their feet, Japanese
fashion, before low sewing machines that
were operated by hand, making up moun
tains of coarse linen Into soldiers' shirts.
One hour In such a position would have
put my feet so tight "asleep" that they
Would never wake up, but slue the sums
length of time on a chair before a sewing
machine run by foot motion would have
exactly the same effect upon a Japanese
girl, the wisdom of the powers that be
has provided: for her the native kneeling
cushion and the little hand sewing ma
chine not twelve Inches high.
Xnrserr for tne Rabies.
There is a day nursery, among other
good and modern things, connected with
this institution, and the women who com
dally to work may bring their babies and
leave thorn in charge of a competent care
taker, who straps them upon the backs
of larger children and drives them all out
Into the sunshine to play battledore and
shuttlecock whole livelong afternoons. But
there are some children who may not play
all the time In the sunshine, because they
happen to be smart little kiddles aud are
able to assume a part of the responsibility
for the support of mothers and grand
mothers and baby brothers and sisters, in
a bamboo room under a flowering plum
tree these little ones sat painting china.
They were of the families of china dec
orators, and In this country the youth
learn early to follow In ancestral footsteps.
Three of the little group in the room were
of one family, and 'heir father had fallen
at Uao Yang. It cannot bo long, of course,
before they are able to earn a good living
for the family, since their work Is good
and - there Is much china decorating in
Japan, but as yet they are mere Infants,
and so the paternal government provide
china for them to work upon, which It
afterward sells to baaars. And what Is
more this paternal government provides
an Instructor for them lu their dead
father's place, that they may become pro
ficient in their hereditary art. That waa
one of tho things which made m glud in
this model institution.
In another room wera:wonin and boys
engaged in th manaiaoHr of rlc straw
("coris") or what we call telescopes for
use In traveling. These are muds In all
sizes by thousands in different institutions
of this sort all over the country end many
of them find their way Into tli American
market and may b bought for a dollar or
such, a matter in almosL any department
store. I trained my camera on these in
dustrious little people, but every time I
do that In this country everybody In sight
always strikes an attitude as If It wen
Japanese instinct to "pose" so the results
are usually more or less stiff.
There Is another wuy of special interest
in which the government helps needy
families of slain soldiers and that is by
granting to one family In a town or dis
trict a monopoly of the sale of some house
hold commodity such as matches or soaa
and It Is surprising with what good grace
the small merchants drop these things out
of stock and become themselves customer
of these self-supporting women and child
ren. Thut is brotherhood If you like and
tho golden rule improved upon.
Nubaldlr vf Monopolies.
One thing more. There ar In th Jap
anese army In active service today hun-
.1 J .. .. .-M ,,r.n.. n.ll.h til
whole nation is dependent, since the
country still rerkons Its Income in koku of
rice and the rice naddles must he cultivated
There have been many Instances where
the only man In a farmer family has been
culled lo duty leavfnTf all the arduous labor
of the fields upon the hhoulilrr of a couple
of little women and their half grown
children. In these coses, every time, dur
ing the past seasons of sewing and reaping,
the work has been dono by neighboring
men without a word, without a question
as to whether they should or should not
and without so much it a thought of ap
plause or reward. This Is Klii-iiliiJo, th
finest thing In the Japanese character, and
It Is always expressing lts"lf lu thousand
of little ways. In consequence of these
brotherly services the rice crop for th
past season wa the largest ever produced
by the litllo Island empire, a 1 1 d I t is U b
hoped that this year ikltsune) the fox
formed diet of the rice fields Mill look
Willi im reuhiirK favor upon tlie.se. little
bands of cheerful laborers who must de1
and dig in many acres of knee-deep swamp
that will yield them no personal gain.
M&ANOil sRAMaXIX.