Mr Henry Irving and Mr William Hoskins.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2823, 2 March 1878, Page 4

Mr Henry Irving and Mr William Hoskins.

Tho following very chatty letter of the London correspondent of the South Australian Advertiser will be read with interest b/many who know one or other, perhap3 both, of the gentlemen whose Mines appear at the head of this article :—

IhaTo Rood authority for informing you that Mr Henry Irring may shortly close with one of the many offers which hare lately been made to him for a prolonged tour in the United States and Australia. The arrangement would not take effect at once, perhaps not for a couple of seasons yet; but Mr Irving himself looks forward to it with some interest. Mr Montgomery was an intimate friend of his ■when they were both in Manchester, and Walter's brilliant success at the antipodes is, of course, well known to him. Like the rest of the profession, ho was a little surprised at it, for Walter had not gotabbve the ruck of stock actors at home when he went out. Not that he was unappreciated or had any lack of expectations. I hare met many good actors and actresses too for that matter, who prefer bis Hamlet to anything since seen in the preJßaphaelite line. He did not have a chance of playing it often, but those who saw it remember it well, and Mr Irving has been heard to speak of it with considerable respect. It xhay not be generally known in Australia that Walter before going out had waited a long while in London for a " lead." He was at one time in Fechter's company, and drew £8 a week for nearly a year withou\appearing on the stage at all. Ho had given up a much better engagement at Manchester for it in the hope of its leading to a London debut; but Fechter ■ succeeded so well with " Buy Bias " that Walter lost patience and closed with an offer from Mr Coppin. He would have had a much better chance of success at homo but for his eccentricities off the Btage. At Manchester he was a favorite in the best society, but sometimes had to be reminded of the invisible line between artist and aristocrat. Once at a masked Ball given by the then Mayor of Cottonopolis he insinuated himself so far into the good graces of tli c daughter of bis host that her guardians had to take steps for innmariiy closing their acquaintance. But with all his vagaries Walter wa9 well liked, and even- yet the mention of his name awakens kindly regrets in any professional circle. I have often been surprised at the number of Australian stories about him which hare found their way home. The Duke of Edinburgh and his staff possess a large fund of them, which J believe they relate freely in congenial society. Many of them will be familiar at the antipodes; but possibly you have not . had the true account of Walter's introduction to the Duke. His Royal Highness was having a quiet night with " Hamlet," i and between the acts he went round to Walter's room. Walter, engrossed in his princely character, received him with a hearty " Welcome, brother of England." The Duke was a little taken aback at first, but quickly recovering himself, he realised the situation, and took the joke in good „-.. part. ,' But it was Mr Irving I wag to tell you jr about chiefly, not his old friend Walter. f'Mr Irving has another link connecting \.> him with Australia which should help to '•; 'heighten his welcome. You may never H; have heard it before, but it is a fact that he is a pupil of your veteran comedian, Mr Hoskius. I have not seen the old man's name in a play-bill for many a year; but I believe he is still alive, and it will

pot be the least of Mr Irving's pleasures in the sunny South to be able to greet his old teacher again. There is a stage romance in their connection. A friend of Mr Irving was not long ago discussing with him that exquisite scene with Ophelia, which is the gem of Hamlet, and which he has taken the trouble to expound in a paper in the Nineteenth Century. Speaking of it as an instance of illustratire acting not often attempted by the old school of tragedians, his friend ■aid to him he had never before seen Shakespeare so intellectually interpreted on the stage except by an old comedian in Australia, MrHoskins. "What," quickly observed Irving, " do you know Hoskins P I could tell you something of him you little suspect. He was my first and only teacher.' The famous tragedian lay back in his chair and told the whole story of Ms early training. Twenty-four years ago ho was a boy in a London countinghouse, barely supporting himself with a little assistance from home. His parents, I gather, were honest, godly people somewhere in the West of England, and their son has not lost the family character in adding to it a genius of his own. There was a vulgar, false calumny put in circulation about them last year, that they had died broken-hearted in consequence of his having taken to the stage. A dissenting minister had the malice to repeat it publicly at some clerical meeting, and it turned out that his own son had shortly before applied to Mr Irving to get him admitted into a London club. The father lived just twenty years after the apocryphal calamity which was said to have brought his gray hairs in sorrow to the grave; alLtho while he followed with paternal pride the progress of his son in en unhill and often discouraging career. Mr Irving sent home all thu papers containing critiques Opon him, and the old; mnn pasted them in an album, which was found among his personal belongings after his death. He was quito aware before his boy left home what his proclivities were, but he opposed his wish to take to '* stage for the plain practical re*-- „ "?? e thought a more prosaic »■* ...- 0" that \\ be nfer. livelihood would

\.> .a went to London and worked in ms office till be wits seventeen. His spare money went pretty frequently into the treasury at Sadlers Wells, then under the management of Mr Fbelps, who had Mr Hoskins for the principal member of his company. I am not certain but be was also stage manager. Even good actors were not highly paid in those days, and it was customary with the better class of them to eko out their incomes by giving lessons in elocution. Mr Ho3kins regu-. larly advertised himself as a dramatic" tutor, and young Irving having saved up a few pounds went to him to enter for a quarter, the fee for one hour a week, being what seemed to him the serious sum of fire guineas. Mr Hoskins put Shakespeare in his band, and told him to read the speech of Julius. Cscs&r. He read, and at the close Hoskins observed to him, " You're been hearing Mr Phelps pretty often." Tho lad confessed to the charge, end was asked to read a second time, not after Phelps, but in his own natural voice. He tried again, and bis mentor looking at him with tome interest, said lie thought

there was somthing in him. Ho was willing to giro him lessons and get a first engagement for him, but a difficulty occurred about the time for the Ics3ons. Hoskins could only teach during the day, and Irring was engaged in his office till 6 o'clock. There seemed to be no way out of the difficulty, and the lad was sadly taking his leare when Hoskins, with his hand on the door, said : By the way, would 8 o'clock in the morning suit you ?" " Oh, yes, it would indeed," was the grateful answer, and a day was at once appointed for the lessons. They continued for two quarters with occasional interrup- | lions, due to the kindly tutor's want of familiarity with such early rising. At the end of the second quarter the sinews of war gave out, and Hoskins advised an immediate beginning. His argument was cogent in every way. "You are in a profession," he said, " where the most you can ever expect to earn is £200 a year; on the stage I see a possibility of £2000 a year for you, or perhaps much more." But the paternal objection was still strong, and Irving,, like a dutiful sod, remained in his counting-house. About a year after Hoskins accepted the offer which took him out to Australia; and as he wanted to make up a company he sent to Irving, and offered him £5 per week for a long engagement. I believe he even waited on the father and pressed him for his consent, but did not succeed. He went out without his favorite pupil, but on parting ho gave him a letter to his friend, then managing the Sunderland Theatre. *'Post that letter," he said, " when you want an engagement, and you will get one." The letter was kept till the year 1856, when Irving, now about 20, resolved to follow the bent of his instinct. Tho letter wns sent, the engagement was obtained, and Irving made his debut at Sunderland. Not such an encouraging one as Mr Hoskins' good opinion might have led him to expect. He wna hissed by an irreverent mob, and a voice from the gallery told him to pack up and go home. He did pack, but not for home. He removed to Edinburgh, where Mr Wyndham waa beginning a very successful career aa manager. There he remained two years and a half, and, with the encouragement of the more intelligent theatre-goers, who recognised the painstaking conscientiousness of his noting, he beoame a favorite. Before he left he attained the honor of a benefit, and the role he selected was Claude Melnotte. The rest of his history is not unfamiliar to playgoers'ears.