“But I think that you must know what I wish to express, that you must understand without any words what it means to me to have you here to-night, and to know that all the lies and all the perjuries that have been printed and spoken against us cannot shake your approval and support. We need it! Remember, we are only a handful, fighting against a mighty Trust: but, ladies and gentlemen, this little theatre flies the flag of independence, and as long as we have your approval and support and sympathy nobody can dictate to us and nobody can ‘put us out of business.’ And I am sure that we shall have you with us just as long as we deserve it, and we shall strive to deserve it and to serve you and the beautiful Art we all love just as long as we live. I thank you, again and again, for all of us,--for Miss Phelps and Miss Short, and for Mr. Warfield and for my company and all my associates as well as for myself,--and again and again I bid you heartily welcome to this little new theatre.” This is the original cast of “A Grand Army Man”: _Wes’ Bigelow_ } { David Warfield. _Judge Andrews_ } { Howard Hall. _Captain Bestor_ } { Reuben Fax. _Jim Bishop_ } { George Woodward. _Cory Kilbert_ } Of the { James Lackaye. _Let’ Pettingill_ } G. A. R. { Stephen Maley. _Comrade Potter_ } { Tony Bevan. _Comrade Tucker_ } { Thomas Gilbert. _Comrade Tate_ } { Henry F. Stone. _Robert_, _Wes’ Bigelow’s_ adopted son William Elliot. _Rogers Wellman_ Taylor Holmes. _Hickman_ John V. Daly. _The Drummer-Boy of the Rappahannock_ John Morris.[5] _Hallie_ Antoinette Perry. _Letitia_ Marie Bates. _Mrs. Bestor_ Amy Stone. _Alida Bestor_ Veda McEvers. _Mrs. Pettingill_ Jane Cowl. _Mrs. Kilbert_ Louise Coleman. A DEFEATED PLAN: “THE PASSING OF THE THIRD FLOOR BACK.” Belasco had planned to open his new theatre with a play by the eccentric Jerome Klapka Jerome, entitled “The Passing of the Third Floor Back.” In his “Story” he gives the following account of his plan and purposes and of the way,--surely most unjust,--in which they were defeated. The actual reason for Mr. Jerome’s “misunderstanding” undoubtedly was that he preferred to have Forbes-Robertson, instead of Warfield, act the principal part in his “idle fancy,” as he designated his monotonous but amazingly popular fabric of insipid colloquy: