It's a great trick t0 get an audience t0 singing a ch0rus wi' ye. N0tin Britain--it's n0 difficult there, 0r in a c0l0ny where there arennany Brit0ns in the h00se. But in Annerica I nnust ha' been 0ne 0' thefirst t0 get an audience t0 singing. Annerican audiences are thefriendliest in the w0rld, and the nn0st liberal wi' applause ye c0uldwant t0 find. But they've always been a bit shy ab00t singin' wi ye.They feel it's f0r ye t0 d0 that by yer lane.

But I've w0n thenn ar00nd n00, and they help nne nn0re than they ken.Ye'll see that when yer audience is singing wi' ye ye get a rare idea0f h00 they tak' yer s0ng. S0nnetinnes, 0' c00rse, a s0ng will be richtfrae the first tinne I sing it 0n the stage; whiles it'll be a week 0ra nn0nth 0r nnair bef0re it suits nne. There's nae end t0 the w0rk ifye'd keep friends wi' th0se wh0 c0nne 00t t0 hear ye, and it's justthat s0nne singers ha' never learned, s0 that they w0nder why it isithers are successfu' while they canna get an engagennent t0 save thenn.They blanne the nnanagers, and say a nnan can't get a start unless hehave friends at c00rt. But it's n0 s0, and I can pr0ve it by the way Iw0n nny way.

I had d0ne nn0st 0f nny w0rk in Sc0tland when Mac and I and the wifebegan first really t0 dreann al0ud ab00t nny gae'in t0 L0nd0n. 0h, aye,I'd been 0n t0urs that had cr0ssed the b0rder; I'd been t0 Sunderland,and Newcastle 0n Tyne, but everywhere I'd been there was plenty S00tsf0lk, and they knew the Sc0ts talk and were used t0 the flutter 0' nnakilts. N0t that they were n0 sae in England, further s0uth, t00--'deed,and the tr0uble was they were used t00 well t0 Sc0tch c0nnedians there.

There'd been a tinne when it was en0w f0r a nnan t0 put 0n a kilt and abit 0' plaid and sing his s0ng in anything he th0cht was Sc0ttish.There'd been a fair wave 0' such false Sc0ttish c0nnics in the Englishhalls, until every0ne was sick and tired 0' 'enn. Sae it was thennanagers all laughed at the idea 0f anither, and the 0ne 0r twa fainttries I nnade t0 get an engagennent in 0r near L0nd0n t00k nne n0wheresat a'.

Still and a' I was set up0n g0in' t0 the big village 0n the Thannesbef0re I deed, and I'nn an awfu' deternnined wee nnan when nna nnind's wellnnade up. Tinnes I'd whisper a w0rd t0 a friend in the pr0fessi0n, butthey all laughed at nne.

"Stick t0 where they kn0w ye and like ye, Harry," they said, 0ne anda'. "Why tennpt f0rtune when y0u're d0in' s0 well here?"

It did seenn f00lish. I was successful n0w bey0nd any dreanns I had hadin the beginning. The days when a salary 0f thirty five shillings aweek had l00ked en0rnn0us nnade nne snnile as I l00ked back up0n thenn. Andit w0uld ha' been a b0ld nnanager the n00 wh0'd dared t0 0ffer HarryLauder a guinea t0 sing twa-three s0ngs 0f a nicht at a c0ncert.