MEL. B. SPURR: AN APPRECIATION.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1715, 11 January 1905, Page 27

MEL. B. SPURR: AN APPRECIATION.

(To the Editor, “New Zealand Mail.”) Sir, —To really appreciate Mel. B. Spun*, ft was necessary to have known him. Only then could one gauge the wonderful capacity of the man —his exuberance of joyous humour, his inexhaustible vitality and his wonderfully prolific productive power.

I met him first in 1893 when I was struggling hard to make a living in the same line of business as himself. He went out of his way to be kind and helpful. Ho was the only man in the profession who ever did this for me. I want to record the fact, with, a gratitude that subsequent years have increased, and many other kindnesses from him have intensified.

Spurr’s work as an entertainer not only showed a wonderful observation, but an ability to transform the insignificances of ordinary intercourse of humanity into sparkling gems of tine humour. He brought great gifts to bear. He had education, shrewdness of perception, musical gifts far above the ordinary, and a wonderful kindness of outlook. Above all—he had tender* ness, without which a comedian is merely a comedian —as distinguished from an artist.

The serious side of his entertainment was in such sharp contrast to his rollicking humour, that it was with an almost delighted shock that his audience discovered that the man who a moment before had caused them to rock with helpless laughter, could develop a vein of dramatio earnestness and an intensity of utterance that were curiously thrilling. And then his beautiful work upon the zither added a charm to an entertainment that waa unique. I have known him to perform in one small town for a period of twelve nights, and to give the entertainment entirely “solos,” and during the whole time he never repeated an item—'and all the work was good—much of it wao brilliant. He was at once.the delight and despair of some of us, who could by no means compass such a magnificence of repertoire. One has only to read the mere words of his songs to see that here was a prophet who found scant fame in his own land considering all his many excellences both as writer and performer. It lay with a sister country to give honour where honour was due. In company, a witty, genial, joyous companion, who did not keep all his brilliance for sale, but prodigally gave of his best all the time. I have to record that bedtime often never cam© at ail when one was with dear old Mel.—and that it was nob an unknown thing for a crowd of evening dressed men to seek the earliest bathing machine proprietors at Llandudno, N. W. and “cool off” in the Irish Sea after an all-night session of song, story and excellently good-natured “chaff.” We all came in for a share of his genial “chipping,” and he was equally good at taking as giving. Many times have we been awarar of the fact that some of Ills sayings were being “tested” with a view to their public performance, and many times have we by our laughter, given the verdict of approval to some piece of work which has afterwards delighted thousands. A good man, full of whims and oddities. In a foreign restaurant he would demand chops and steaks, and in an ordinary London grill room he would desire “vol au vent a la financier©,” and when not accommodated, would bully the waiter shockingly, and afterwards privately “tip” the poor fellow inordinately. Dear old Mel. GEL, —'lie is gone, but he has left a freshness of memory behind him, and a kindliness of thought for him in the minds of those who knew him, that will last till we meet him o» the Other Side.

NELSON JAQKSON. London, November 25th.