The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-10-31


| last moment. Had he been tossed into an
old well, all would have been right, per-
haps; we would have been spared this
morning job of embalming him--a Job
but for the "nice weather. would have
been very distasteful. 81 had no in
tention," says this mounting actor of
his brother, ~ had no intention OF
building up Mr.. Rosene at the expense
of Mr.. Marston." What, then, was
your purpose in saying that the +" sup
port " which yoa and Mr.. Rosene gave
the Webbs was improved by the absence
of the first low-comedy man? Be
cause, he tells us, 'during the Webbs'
engagement, both Mr.. Rosene and Mr.,
Coleman, the second old man, had to
work very hard, more so than at any
previous time, and | consequently made
mention of the fact !" You did, did
you? And what does the public care
whether you worked very hard =
"more so than st any previous Time" or
not; all the concernment the public
have in you, is to demand that your
work be well done. Compensation for
the labor you perform is a matter be-
tween you and those who had the mis-
fortune to put you on the stage. AS
| an actor, you are bother enough, Shak-
| speare's ghost knows, to the poor spec
tators who sit to see you nightly; you
have no right to tax the public with u
weakly recital of your aches in the New
York Mercury; nor are you justified by
voice, face or form, in this free induI-
gence of self-praise. We are done With
this Norfolk correspondent7this histri-
onic wonder-this mitely maze without
a plaintiffs ill-shaped body with the
daring soul, who has the eilrontery to he
dramatic critic; ''and," borrowing the
closing sentence of his own dreafS
muddle, eve have no doubt when III
peruses this, he will be perfectly salts
fled with the explanation A word o
8 caution to Mr.. Rosene: You are prom,
Using young actor; but you have man.
things to learn yet. You are deserved
popular, and have many friends VIII
wish sincerely to see you rise. Take tn
advice of spectator: '''shun DANCE
and fly" from the paltry puifery of a
empty poltroon. study hard-stud
diligently, as during the past two years
I and avoid mercury in all forms, whethe
: it be commended bya second old man
4 or DR.. Quack. And now friendl
D word in general: .s,f.r sis5 t,e.t
3 The fact that the criticisms in ii
!; New York Mercury are written by fit
rate actors in every city in the UniO,
sufficiently indicates their value. IN
n individual either puils himself or h
G equally undeserving friends and fam
{ liars, at the expense of the really mer
, torous actors in the company, and thu
: are regulations built UPTON the mos
unstable foundations and out of the mos
S flimsy material. In this manner tn
@ Mercury makes up its budget of theatri
s cal news, and in this manner it ha
x made its questionable fame as journa
n devoted to the interests of the drami
J. II deceives the public, but the professiol
d know what estimate to place upon il
G Impartial riticisms,' and have no conf
n dence in any of its utterances. Whe
t not paid for, it is the prosy twadde {
e some interested "stick y belonging t
the company spoken of, who failingt
receive any recognition from the publ
G or the local press, writes his own com
t mentaries, and brings himself prom
: nently before the theatrical world in TIL
! columns of the Mercury. In this man
ner the people are humbugged, the pro
fession scandalized, and the standard 0
dramatic excellence lowered. No acto
or other person connected with q thea
, tire should be permitted to write hi
{ views of his fellow actors and publish
them in the journals. He is not in {
position to express an unprecedented
| opinion, and is too technical i'm his
ideas. a writer to he impartial in his
criticism, must separate himself from
all personal acquaintance or individual
, sympathy with the actor. His duty is
to the public and not the profession. He
is the guardian of the interests of I'll,
+ people, and not the panegyrlst of TIL,
small people who strut their brief-hou
on the stage for the public Amusement
and their own profit and it is his dut,
to sustain and eulogize the worthy arts
and ridicule and denounoe the igEoran
: dupes of their own vanity, who i'm val
essay to hold the mirror up to nature
A critic should have no friends, and II
} enemies. AS for ourselves, we have nc
pretended to criticise the performance
at Mr.. Glenn's theatre to any extent.
is the only place of amusement we hav,
and it is as good as the general run-bt
tlfe company is far from being perfc,
in all its parts. We have done our be
to encourage every member of it--bl
the bitterest pill we have had to swa
low is w. f.. Coleman's futile. attemp
to act in any capacity. Turn the pie
ture to the wall.
+ ENarr. [Srr. rme': annette; G. ;saeisse,l An q
or pisinire. 70 'if --
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Z GENERAL BANKS CAN'T TAKE TIL
: OATH. BY a law OF Congress, before an
/ q. La INNS