“ONE thing I notice about the American cabmen and drivers generally,”
said Irving,—“they do not chaff each other as the London men in the
same positions do. They don’t appear to be cheerful; don’t discuss
among themselves the news of the day; they treat each other as if they
were strangers. English people, as a rule, complain of the cab-fares
here; but they forget, on the other hand, to say that the cabs, or
_coupés_, as they call them, are beautifully appointed vehicles;
private broughams, in fact. The only inconvenience is, that unless you
make a bargain with a driver beforehand he may charge you, it seems,
what he likes. Against that, again, is this set-off: you can order your
cab at your hotel, or your club, and have it charged in your bill, and
in that case there is no extortion. Each leading hotel and club has
telephonic communication with livery stables; and what a comfort that
is! Then the messenger system,—one almost wonders how we do without
it in London. If London can give New York ‘points’ in some things, New
York can certainly return the compliment.”
Asked by a Boston journalist “how he considered he had been treated by
his American critics,” Irving said, “I am exceedingly gratified by the
intelligent and fair manner in which I have been treated by the press
wherever I have gone. The Boston critics have been just and generous
to me. Of course I read what the press has to say of my work, and,
while I think it is not the proper province of an actor to criticise
his critics, I will say generally that I have been pleased to note in
how very few instances I have had to encounter on this side of the
Atlantic anything in the nature of personal or petty feeling. I have
been struck, too, by the power, vigor, and critical acumen which your
leading papers, both here and elsewhere, have displayed in passing
judgment upon my work and that of my company. I have a feeling that an
actor should be content with what he gets, and that it is his duty to
accept patiently any reproach, and to profit by it if he can. After
all, criticism, if unjust, never harms a man; because any final appeal
is always to the public, and, if any wrong is done, their ultimate
judgment invariably corrects it.”