The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-11-03 00:00:00

BANQUET TO MR. IRVING IN NEW

YORK.

On Saturday, in New York, a banquet was given
to Mr. Irving at the Lotus Club, which was attended
by five hundred persons, including Mr. Jefferson, Mr.
Basrett, Mr. Florence, and other actors.
Mr. Irving made a speech of considerable length,
abounding in happy hits, and creating a morit favour-
able impression. In it be sail. "In coming here I
really had hut one terror—the interviewer. lam glad
to tell you that that in passed, and also that I find the
interviewer a much misrepresented person. He seemed
to me a most courteous gentleman, who had but an
amiable curiosity to know a little about myself that
be did not know before, and I wee very well satisfied
to gratify him as much as I could. I was told that
he would t irn me inside nut, would mesa-examine me,
and then appear against me the following morning. I
found nothing of the sort."
Speaking ef his art and its status in England, he
said "In my own dear land I am glad to tell you
that the love for the Shakespearian drama is greatly
incr.- axing. I remember at one of the revivals of
:qnskespearian plays at the Lyceum that a gentleman
leaving the theatre was heard to express the opinion
that the play was not a bad one, that he thought it
might bays a tolerable run, but that it would be very
much improved if it had net contained so many
quotations. The play was Macbeth. I have been
told that gentleman is sometimes to be found
in the British Museum in the old reading-room
devoted to ShEkespearian manuscripts, and that be is
very frequentiy found turning them over, but with
what success Ido not know. I also remember once
when a play was produced, A friend of mine asked me
what was the subject of it. I said that the subject
was Charles I. at at which be hemmed and hawed, and
said, 'Very good; very good. Oh ! capital. Charles L
Yes, I should think that would do very well. Let me
see—Charles I. Do you mean Shakespeare's Charles
I.?' However, these things are improving, and
even the old playgoer—l do not know whether
such a character exists amongst you—who is
amongst us a very dreadful creature, even he is
beginning to tolerate the student who goes to the
hook instead of traditional oharacters for inspiration.
We are very hypocritical now. We will go to the
Crystal Palace to see the play of Hamlet, and go to
the Crystal Palace because it is not a theatre; and
when we would not go to the theatre to see the play
of Hamlet we will go to the Crystal Palace, or some
other such place, to see the Pink Dominoes. We will
erowd sometimes to a French theatre without under-
standing the nationality or gesture of the actors or under-
standing a word of their language when we will desert
our own theatres where these plays are being
played. But fortunately ne such difference as that
can exist between us; and I cherish the hope that it
will be my good fortune, and more especially the good
fortune of my fellow-workers, and especially my gifted
companion and friend Ellen Terry, that we shall be
able to win your favour. I dareeay you will -find
many of us very strange and very odd, with pecu-
liarities of speech and with peculiarities of manner
and gesture, hut it would perhaps not be so pleasur-
able if we were all just alike. It is not our fault, you
know, if we are Englishmen."

The New York Correspondent of the Daily News
writes on Monday night :
Mr. Irving was greeted to-night by ens of the most
brilliant audiences which ever aPseintled in this city.
The theatre was packed in every part. Nearly all
the seats were sold a week ago, the average ink*
beirl about ten doll Arts—more than seven dollars pre-
mium on the bax-office rates.

The performance was advertised to begin at eight
hut I.unz before that hour the istref.ta about the
theatre began to fill with people, who stood about to
see the audience enter. Soon after hat-past seven
the carriages began to arrive, and by eight the streets
were 5..) full as to be almost impassable.
The theatre filled rapidly, and when the curtain
rose thure was not an hieo of available starding room
tthoccupied. ,The an. icons had all the familiar cliarao-
teiistics if a first ni,,ht a.reo,lils,e. The leadt-rs oi
fashion, I,terature, and art were out in force. The
/Act that it was also the opera night, at the two houses
had no effect in diminishi!:g the at endance.

A New York tolegr.rn say. that the visible supply
of wheat on Oct. 26 was 30,300,000 hushels, asazame,
29,900,0,.0 bu.hels the Irevlou4 week. Visihle Rupp')
of Indian corn, 11,30,0U0 bushels, as against 12,400,0(0
bushels the previous week. The export cleara»ces Vi
wheat for Europe during last week amounted to
750,000 bushels; the export clearances of Indian eona
for Europe during last week P""lltlnted to 790,000
bushels,