CONTENTS.
| I.—AT HOME. | |
| PAGE | |
| Talking of America—Warned against the Interviewer—“Travellers’Tales”—Good-by to London—InternationalGossip—A Mythical Palace on the Thames—Reportsfrom “A Little English Friend”—The Grange—A GraftonStreet Interior—Souvenirs and Portraits—An Actoron His Audiences—Hamlet at the Lyceum—Critics andPublic Opinion—The Final Verdict—First Nights—AnonymousLetters—Notable Gifts—The Character ofLouis XI.—“A Poor Mother who had Lost Her Son”—SceneCalls—Stories of a “Dresser”—Behind theScenes—“Waking Up”—The Original Beefsteak ClubRoom—Host and Guests | [1] |
| II.—NEW YORK. | |
| Going to Meet the “Britannic”—The “Blackbird”—Skirmishersof the American Press—The London “Standard’s”Message to New York, Boston, and Chicago—“Working”America—“Reportorial” Experiences—Daylightoff Staten Island—At Quarantine under theStars and Stripes—“God Save the Queen!” and “Hailto the Chief!”—Received and “Interviewed”—“Portiaon a Trip from the Venetian Seas”—What the ReportersThink and what Irving Says—The Necessity of Applause—AnAnecdote of Forrest—Mr. Vanderbilt andthe Mirror—Miss Terry and the Reporters—“Tell themI never loved home so well as now”—Landed and Welcomed—Sceneson the Quay—At the Brevoort | [39] |
| III.—FIRST IMPRESSIONS. | |
| Union Square, New York—An Enterprising Chronicler—TheLambs—The Newspapers and the New-comers—“Artmust Advance with the Times”—“Romeo andJuliet” at the Lyceum—“Character Parts”—No RealTradition of Shakespearian Acting—“Mannerisms”—TheStage as an Educator—Lafayette Place—A NotableLittle Dinner—The Great American Bird, “Not theEagle, but the Duck”—A Question of “AppropriateMusic”—Speculators in Tickets and their EnormousProfits—Middlemen, the Star Theatre, and the Play goingPublic | [65] |
| IV.—AT THE LOTOS CLUB. | |
| The Savage Club of America—Thackeray and Lord Houghton—AGreat Banquet—Mr. Whitelaw Reid on Irvingand the Actor’s Calling—“Welcome to a Country wherehe may find not Unworthy Brethren”—An Answer to theWarnings of the English Traveller of Chapter I.—“Shakespeare’sCharles the First”—A Night of Witand Humor—Chauncey M. Depew on Theatrical Evolution—TheKnighting of Sullivan—The Delineator ofRomance visiting the Home of America’s Creator ofRomance—After-dinner Stories—Conspiring againstthe Peace of a Harmless Scotchman—A Pleasant Jest | [84] |
| V.—THE NIGHT BEFORE THE PLAY. | |
| The Vividness of First Impressions—New York Hotels—Onthe Elevated Road with “Charlie”—TrottingHorses—Audiences on both Sides of the Atlantic—“AMan knows best what he can do”—“Americanisms,”so called—A Satirical Sketch, entitled “Bitten by aDog”—Louis and the Duke of Stratford-on-Avon—Macreadyand the Forrest Riots | [108] |
| VI.—THE BELLS. | |
| A Stormy Night in New York—Ticket-Speculators at Work—AFirst-night Audience—Mathias received with Enthusiasm—Behindthe Scenes—Lighting the Stage—ReturningThanks—Criticism of the Crowd—JohnGilbert’s Opinion—Actor and Audience—English Playgoersand Londoners—Laughter and Applause—AnArtistic Triumph | [123] |
| VII.—“RED LETTER DAYS.” | |
| Miss Ellen Terry’s First Appearance in New York—ThePress on Charles and the Queen—A Professional Matinée—AnAudience of Actors to See Louis XI.—Howthey Impressed the Actor, and what they Thought ofHim—A Visit to Henry Ward Beecher—At Churchand at Home—Mrs. Beecher and Miss Terry—Reminiscences—Studiesof Death, Physiological andIdealistic—Louis’ Death and Hamlet’s—A StrangeStory | [140] |
| VIII.—A QUIET EVENING. | |
| A First Visit behind the Scenes—Cooper and Kean—TheUniversity Club—A very Notable Dinner—Chief JusticeDavis and Lord Chief Justice Coleridge—A Menuworth Discussing—Terrapin and Canvas-Back Duck—“ALittle Family Party”—Florence’s Romance—Amongthe Lambs—The Fate of a Manuscript Speech—AStory of John Kemble—Words of Welcome—LastNight of the New York Engagement—Au Revoir! | [165] |
| IX.—AT PHILADELPHIA AND “IN CLOVER.” | |
| Rivalries of American Cities—Boston and Philadelphia—TheReal and the Picturesque—Miss Terry’s Portia—“ThreeKinds of Criticism”—First Appearance asHamlet—Miss Terry’s Ophelia—Journalism and theStage—Critics, Past and Present—Philadelphia andEnglish Cities—A New Style of Newspaper—BogusReports and Interviews; an Example of Them—TheClover Club—A Letter from an Eminent American Tragedian—Presentedwith Forrest’s Watch—The MacreadyTrouble—Hamlet, and an Invitation from Guestto Hosts | [187] |
| X.—BOSTON AND SHYLOCK. | |
| Rural Scenes on Both Sides of the Atlantic—First Impressionsof Railway Travel—The Cars—One of theLargest Theatres in America—The Drama in Boston—EarlyStruggles to represent Plays in Public—“MoralLectures”—Boston Criticisms—Shylock, Portia, Hamlet,and Ophelia—Different Readings of Shylock—Dressing-RoomCriticism—Shylock considered—AReminiscence of Tunis—How Shakespeare should beinterpreted on the Stage—Two Methods illustrated—Shylockbefore the Court of Venice—How Actorsshould be judged | [214] |
| XI.—A CITY OF SLEIGHS. | |
| Snow and Sleigh Bells—“Brooks of Sheffield”—In theBoston Suburbs—Smokeless Coal—At the SomersetClub—Miss Ellen Terry and the Papyrus—A Ladies’Night—Club Literature—Curious Minutes—“Greetingto Ellen Terry”—St. Botolph—Oliver Wendell Holmesand Charles the First—“Good-by and a Merry Christmas” | [237] |
| XII.—LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS. | |
| Interviewing in England and America—Rehearsing Richardand Lady Ann—Reminiscences of a Christmas Dinner—AHomely Feast—Joe Robins and Guy Fawkes—Hewould be an Actor—The Luxury of Warmth—“OneTouch of Nature” | [254] |
| XIII.—A WILD RAILWAY JOURNEY. | |
| A Great American Railway Station—Platforms and Waiting-Rooms—AQueer Night—“Snow is as Bad as Fog”—AFarmer who Suggests Mathias in “The Bells”—ARomance of the Hudson—Looking for the “Maryland”and Finding “The Danites”—Fighting a Snow-storm—“AMinistering Angel”—The Publicity of Private Cars—MysteriousProceedings—Strange Lights—Snowedup—Digging out the Railway Points—A Good SamaritanLocomotive—Trains Ahead of Us, Trains BehindUs—Railway Lights and Bells—“What’s Going On?” | [264] |
| XIV.—CHRISTMAS, AND AN INCIDENT BY THE WAY. | |
| At Baltimore—Street Scenes—Christmas Wares—PrettyWomen in “Rubber Cloaks”—Contrasts—StreetHawkers—Southern Blondes—Furs and Diamonds—Rehearsingunder Difficulties—Blacks and Whites—NegroPhilosophy—Honest Work—“The Best Companyon its Legs I have ever seen”—Our Christmas Supper—“AbsentFriends”—Pictures in the Fire and Afterwards—AnIntercepted Contribution to Magazine Literature—Correctinga Falsehood—Honesty and FairPlay | [285] |
| XV.—FROM BROOKLYN TO CHICAGO. | |
| “Fussy”—The Brooklyn Ferry—Crossing the NorthRiver—A Picturesque Crowd—Brooklyn Bridge atNight—Warned against Chicago—Conservatism ofAmerican Critics—Dangers of the Road—Railway-TrainBandits—An Early Interviewer—A Reporter’sStory—Life on a Private Car—Miss Terry and her“Luck”—American Women | [305] |
| XVI.—THE PRAIRIE CITY. | |
| First Impressions of Chicago—A Bitter Winter—GreatStorms—Thirty Degrees below Zero—On the Shoresof Lake Michigan—Street Architecture—Pullman City—WesternJournalism—Chicago Criticism—NotableEntertainments—At the Press Club—The Club Lifeof America—What America has done—Unfair Comparisonsbetween the Great New World and the OlderCivilizations of Europe—Mistaking Notoriety for Fame—ASpeech of Thanks—Facts, Figures, and Tests ofPopularity, Past and to Come | [321] |
| XVII.—ST. LOUIS, CINCINNATI, INDIANAPOLIS, COLUMBUS. | |
| Sunshine and Snow—Wintry Landscapes—Fire and Frost—PicturesqueSt. Louis—“The Elks”—A NotableReception—“Dime Shows”—Under-studies—Germanyin America—“On the Ohio”—Printing underDifficulties—“Baggage-smashing”—Handsome Negroesand Sunday Papers—The Wonders of Chicago | [344] |
| XVIII.—CHIEFLY CONCERNING A HOLIDAY AT NIAGARA. | |
| The Return Visit to Chicago—Welcomed Back again—FarewellSpeech—Niagara in the Winter—A Sensationat the Hotel—Requisitioning adjacent Towns for Chickensand Turkeys—Ira Aldridge and a Colored Dramatic Club—ABlizzard from the North-west—The Scene ofWebb’s Death—“A great Stage-manager, Nature”—Lifeand Death of “The Hermit of Niagara”—A FatalPicnic—The Lyceum Company at Dinner—Mr. HoweProposes a Toast—Terriss meets with an Accident thatrecalls a Romantic Tragedy | [363] |
| XIX.—FROM TORONTO TO BOSTON. | |
| Lake Ontario—Canadian Pastimes—Tobogganing—On anIce Slide—“Shooting Niagara and After”—TorontoStudents—Dressing for the Theatre—“God Save theQueen”—Incidents of Travel—Locomotive Vagaries—Stoppingthe Train—“Fined One Hundred Dollars “—TheHotels and the Poor—Tenement Houses—TheStage and the Pulpit—Actors, Past and Present—TheStage and the Bar-room—The Second Visit to Boston—EnormousReceipts—A Glance at the Financial Resultsof the Tour | [382] |
| XX.—WASHINGTON, NEW ENGLAND, AND SOME “RETURN VISITS.” | |
| From Rail to River—Once More on Board the “Maryland”—Recollectionsof President Arthur—At the WhiteHouse—Washington Society—An Apt ShakespearianQuotation—Distinguished People—“Hamlet”—ACouncil of War—Making Out the Route of a New Tour—AWeek in New England Cities—Brooklyn and PhiladelphiaRevisited | [399] |
| XXI.—“BY THE WAY.” | |
| “My Name is Mulldoon, I live in the Twenty-fourth Ward”—ProtectiveDuties and the Fine Arts—“The GeneralMuster”—A Message from Kansas City—AmericanCabmen—Alarming Notices in Hotels—The ChicagoFire Service—What a Fire Patrol can Do in a fewSeconds—Marshalling the Fire Brigades—WilliamWinter—“Office Rules”—The Reform Club and Politics—EnterprisingReporters—International Satire—Howa Man of “Simple and Regular Habits” Lives—Secretariesin Waiting—The Bisbee Murders—“HuntedDown”—Outside Civilization—“The Bazoo”—TheStory of a Failure—A Texan Tragedy—Shooting in aTheatre—Evolutions of Towns | [423] |
| XXII.—“THE LONGEST JOURNEY COMES TO AN END.” | |
| “Our Closing Month in New York”—Lent—At Rehearsal—FinishingTouches—Behind the Scenes at the Lyceumand the Star—The Story of the Production of “MuchAdo” in New York—Scenery and Properties on theTour—Tone—Surprise for Agents in Advance—InterestingTechnicalities—An Incident of the Mounting of“Much Ado”—The Tomb Scene—A Great Achievement—TheEnd | [463] |
IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA.
