The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-14
FAILURES OF DRAMATIC AUTHORS

n
cersarily competent 10 produce god play.
No gItaitr mistake can he made Wncn we
have named Fielding, Goldsmith, Hook, Mt
ford, lnchbald, Buwer, Jcrrold, and Rei,le. we
have, We think, exhausted the list of writer's
tuccet siul in both walks Of literature. Inieed.
there is No comparison IN the RISK Uf failure in
ietwo O. ses. A novelist may achieve success
spite OF few badly drawn ChHrac'ers, q dull
ChApttr or two, poor plot, or aD unsatisfactory
detouemtnt. But one poor scene, one uhnnXtDls
character one weak situatiun, will suilice 10 rain
q play An unlucky sentence even has some
| tines brought piece 10 grief Dfyden is SAID
| 20 hBv, lot bis authors night on one occasion
| by making bis heroine say - My wound is great
| because IL l. so small, ." and atrTiing the Duke
Of BuCk'nth b. nj an opportunity for displaying his
! wit, by eBculat,ug :-"rheu 'twOuld be greater
were It none al a ~ Aud a tragedy, in whi,h
GaIHCk play ed an anc ent hing. proceeded safely
through tOuT acts, I'LL the monar h, when dying.
divided bis realm between two OF his sons, with
the words - Between you l bequeath my
crown" Upon which IN liciOus pi ite eX-
claimed ;-''Ye gudsl he has given them htlf-l-
crown apiece" aiur which no more Of the tragedy
was beard.
IL Shskcspeares time il was the fashion TO ex-
press dissatisfaction with Il play by whistliug
down the song, moving at the pas tomato
species, and leaving The epilogue to he spoken
to Emp btnches. ShHkeSpe. re, blm-elf, Ap-
pears TO have escaped these ind entities, nut
], OF bis compeegs were not 50 t'rtuua'e.
BeBum, Mt and 1t hers hnight of The BtrRiHy
Pestie, mock heroic plaN, was utter rrjrc ed.
DIyoen's fiTsI hentTit al venture was nauspi-
ciUuE; hut ii the town condemned the itIh
Gallant, its author fOuud favor with Lady Castle
maine, ana through b r, with the Court Tho
dramatic career ol Glorious john was One OF eN-
tTaordiraTy success and sidering the rapidity
with which his dramas were produced, and the
foes he made himself in the political world, he
had no reason To complain If Do~ and thcu nc
card sounds unpleaS ny 10 an uu hOrs ear. IA
did complain; and never at a loss TO had -ome
reason, apart Um he merits of play, - account
for a iuilue. Thus, he won have world b.
lieve hi ASS'gRdtiOn; or, Lore az NuHHe'y was
ruined by hHu acting ami tue presence ut Il clique
uet TU' ind tn damn it tor It's title alone; while
o. al other dramatic failure ne wres LnRt Is ouy
hult tbat il exposed the vice of The time a
tile roo tretly -
The, damned the play all at one fata bnw,
AID bryk, the glass Il AT did heir features show.
At lepg weary Of seeing inferior au hors ap-
| plaud d, and yeXrd at hearing peoJie nu IN
| when no jet was m ant, while they e the gen l.
| inc goad things pass unnoticed, the veterA al
| nuuuc, d L0uf Triumphant a. his last play. Ii
| Love was ir,Umphaut. the poet was not; he piece
was damned by the universal cry of the toyn,
| ntn,ino conhod'ctRte, ana 1t was il-uitn ediy
| tHio the dTamatist wuu q have done himself n
| kindness If he had earlier with Tawn himself
from the ot his by gone triumpns.
Congreve's star next 70 and shon1 with dtfnl
light in the theatrical sky. His irst attempt vas
a peaJ hir, and flush with his success he
huiriedly WToe the Double Deder which met a
very different reception from that of tue Od
Bacheior. The young play wright licvcd hts
tt mugs ny vhhhilluR q llt;S ~ On NHiCu
IL was remarked "he had done his Du u,inrss, "
bs ulwne cp being attributed 20 Dryden
ba,iig deluded hun into Initiating hls
own practice OF wiring angry p,efaces.
SIM uluTly enough. Cougreye's last pl y
| eXptueLccd The same fate a. tht OF his
| supPr scd mentor 1Iaditiuu says that when he
found the world progressing bally the iratg
dIamalst rushed upon the stage, and told he
audience they Dree not take the trouble 10 show
then OisBppI uBiinu, rs he intended 10 write for
| Nh, IN TO longer, and would never again submii
liu self 10 he judged 10y such imp ent crisl =
| Que can harul. Tan " Go. greve So tOrgetful at
bis dignity ~ Leigh Hunt suggcsts, u Is pos
| sibc he may buve made some remark IF tue
| kind 10 the cIliics anu tops upUu the stage
Whether he uttered the threat Or no, he { tr-
ii { cut, and ccaseu teuceiUrth 70 write iOr the
| ihrnue.
OF the eighteen piece Of one sort and mother
witt II by Ficcing, not one can be said 90 h We
| k'pt TIE sta-c, although the majority attained
sufficient success AZ the ume "a serve the author'
| pun use. L. lie preface To the Ua,UersIt q q.
| ant, FEEDING complains bitter that t wa
| CUuut NJ cd uuheHrd- and TUa.Ods tuuS aSat 1874
to- hnrhuIiy ~ which he wis the vjctiH:-
| lave heard tha' tucre ara some young geu-
ii,mtn about ihis tu~u who make a jest
"t danuiug puNr. II pleasure or reptJl-
tiun tie the reward suughr by tue auth ir, g.
| tuIel} an iutNcusahle barburity ia ,Iu ~
injured and unp"yUkei per-uu u defe 10 tn
hbppli ess II az her; ana IL ne is 20 unu tppy a
10 DEF cuu upon hi- success Tor hl, D Il, ht
uust be auiihuluau crta ure, indeed, VINO aIuld
tui q tlHI hNN Nhhl lih 81 Ntbb % il 40 Vt
| - ttiup q livtlhluu ~ au hUuvst AMI iunH ustyr
Nay, uud make ID jest ct starving hun ,ul nl-
| fanny 10 was very dlti''snt frame Ot
uiud ia I've published "Ery,iicr, a far Is II
wac canned The Theatre K yt in ID Il y
Lane" aud iO lpSed up lhe uulu'ky piece yir'
! urD.hlr, called EgyI.a4 Hty... iu Hu'ch %,
aryu,,, "f, tHe town have uuHsl my uiI,, tJi
ilelr own sabes 'h'y Eli upt dlDn the a1mla
zion ut l'."
Dr Juhrsop 0s1rcd among the great ansua
cessiui, when No
Tada OF tieiu sucr labouors s.r.in8,
Asdamuvl be- tir trIus a.. nef paua.
The doctor showed bis srn.r J' the resps.
due 10 ILe craua when bee arrayed mm clt rD
thai night uuy M scarlet wustaJaL Hp1 sp.i
hctd hat ana tuuk his pia'e n 'ns ausl g.
, hos 90 await the verdict OF me toWu, sIpli
OF opIusiuon we're audible even uetIra tLa curliu
rose; but the pro'Ogue -uOJh tle m 81 Ol.ou. IS
aid stupptd tue cat calling tor tue. IA
T play, ird "a, went of well enough unt tnt rri,.
| VI the piece ufrl, ed; hut VII "a the bIVsLlug " .
| plur WHurO "lTtuU'a' neck, d ut of 'N ir
| cen % rau through Tee house, ani sIC1 va, %
| uproar, th.t MIS-, PrtClard WAS cumJ petite q
leave be Stage alyri l' heroine was saved. 100
| The play was lost. Jihu pn nimsult is rs1Ire
| a. have tNpr. .-sru luuuls hi. u.slus- wll tll
si'uutuu when sctua'ly represented. Hs -tii i
| fen "ibe ile monuments" but be never sought
! fetODu Occasion to show his st.uClsm
| Poor Goldsmith b was uearl1 wOrr 70 deit
| oytr biz tWO CON d.ls-fHe Go07- N0t1se4 Ma
ma She Nf0ops ~ rnaq@ef th, lJst, IrfI e %
Ganik, IVES pUduC, ny Conan ~ CuveHr G II
dtu. Bebtley hy bis heavy delivery Of Johns a
heavy prol, que. Nuutr "a d 10 damp the spries d
| tne puultbce at tht very OuGset Powell, n.
lik,ng tho tar did his wOr Tor the nero, aud n
= nai ~ scene crew down di apprnbiu in. Sfutel
aN his HduHahe periUrmauce 0f CrOtl. q,
= Jltl thYt the piece from "A ter cOndenntliO
pp' - teecpupn WIS q mortlf iliy tlsapuoin
= hthi 10 eentls Oliver. lle -tayed only
. thunA the .onlelan, aud barr cd on 10 b.
u ilhhos OF tle Wfinc.dty Clup, am1ug VII
y ne appeared ~ nnna'arally high sPiris, eyeI