New-York tribune., 1867-07-26
TIE DRAMA.
TIE srAnr AND THE CRITIC.

a The professional dramatic cdc, who is like the man
with the cork leg that e6ud not leave of jummnS bt
ilcDoo is task that is seldom set for such ~lue o
must not rest upon the let the s urliV Ia@y
along He must be up and doing, still achieving sui |
sursnpe and making himself as uncomfortable as poss
Tie Few persons who TO the theater arc a'ouSVOo
tothnk upon what they there behold II they are pu'
ovea ar amused AZ the moment they arc quite content
and o,n proceed in heath serenity to The ne9ie. res
taurant and nOat their satisfaction IN tho h"uo"'
"cobbler" But the critic can by 10 H'' 3
be tEas serene. lie must thnk' no -
estimate the nature OF the influence when INC
exertng over the public. For these noncha.'
of the cheering cobber are, even "ltloN' 'i -
90 agecod bv the intellectual atmosphere OF uie U'e'
tor IL Is one of the feeders OF ther eApo'ie"0'' "
assists in the lifelong process OF thclf cuuC"uou &
critic s bound to consider this, and TO Keep MS weather
onen and continually to insist that the influence OF
,Se stage be GOOD that pare forms Of art be presented On
n that il inculcac right ideas and high ldeasi 'nal us
atma phcre he clear and bright and ennobhhS; anu '
IT maintain its place Institution, by nlerpFeVhs
GOOD works Of dramatic literature by giving scope 10
genius and to every pure form Of aDhy III tne '''
AZ acting and thereby benChung the puolc
And this is at all times laDofous pusF
ness It necessitates continual attendance ~ VIs
thoaier The critic must all sorts OF plays interpreted
by an sorts OF people must be hustled about in crowds
must sustain the Of savage ochesras must face
tho scorchng glare OF gas night after night and conn
uay nhae the heavy OdOrs Of the playhouse; must DC
patient with the sticks" whereof there is an eXhaustcss
wilderness; must study everything that passes DeioIV
him; must Try both play and player by sonhd Iper'l
impartial tests; must form his conclusions rapdy anu
tpust record them almost rapidly as he forms the
Thon too the thorough dramatic critic must i've III
condition of almost ceaseless antagonsm 80 many pei
cons administer tloaeTs as If they were mercy snopS
and pursue the profession of acting as II IL Were "
sort Of mental drudSey that the 'nuc WIZ
commandments the resources and eapaDlhtes OF
The stage, and honOrs its dignity, must be s'eaoHy
protesting against greed and duuess, Ihs WORK. more
over must be done at the risk OF being sunuelsoou'
misepresented and even slandered All sorts OF mo-
tYes-except the single of desiring to tell the rulh
for the truths sake-are attributed TO the firm ana eX
pheit critic of the drama II he censuTe the acting oi
the great Mr. Bre why Of course, that eminent arlsV
has not offered hn.a sufficient sum OF money HAD the
tender amounted TO 81 instead of s. 60, the critical
bird would lnye sung very different song. H. on
the other hand he praises the acting Of some realy
able and truthful artist, why, Of course, he mas pee
paid 10 do il. If he denounces some frivolous eA-
hibition Of female ndclicacy-sone bold, silly woman
who pretending to be actress, comes upon
The stage solely TO expose her sawdust shanks to crowd
of lcerng Ihacklegs the brOthels and the street
eorners-why of course, he has an ndelcae misd ana
cannot behold, in innocent delight such as blaciegs
always feel and manifest, the symmetry OF the lenae
form and the poetry of motion. IT, in charity to some
stage.stTuck mOecie, male or female, he Is silent
toward conspicuous preense and disastrous failure, then
of course he maiciousy lending his influence to crush
arising genius One day he learns that he is in dark
and deadly conspiracy against some poor manager
tho next, that he is the sakred hirelnG OF all the
managers in the city. All his judgments, whether
Sn praise OF ccBsure, are ascriDed TO personal mo
tiyes No person who is praised considers
that the euogium is adequate TO the SUBJECT
DO person who is blamed considers that the cen
enre is either just candid Any little error that the
critic may make whether caused by haste, nadverehce
or sickness is te.aciousy remembered against him. while
almost every newspaper reader wonders that such an IN
competent is permitted to write dramatic criticism
md Inaenannously avOws that he could write it great
himself with perfect ease, If he but deemed
Il worth the while These are few Of the conditions
under which the task of dramatic criticism is pur-
sned And then there the small malice of the petty
journals fed with falsehoods and squirting venom TO
complete the picture, has but 10 fancy some
bedizened counter Jumper or fat-headed talOw-
chandler as he wisely and vittiy remarks to some
lovely female with pounds of chgnon on the back OF
her head and vast vacancy within to we all know
what these newspapers areg Nevertheless said
at first the critic must think must be ever igant and
must stand by the OF the stage All the veXa
tions have 70 be endured. In the regular dramatic
season all the banners Of art and enterprise are
huIg upon the outward walls, aud the merry music
OF action continually sounding and the stTeamers are
ayng in the wind and both mind and pen too busy to
care for trfes they he endured very easily Nor in
" deed any time DO they troube him 10 whom fortunes
Bullets and rewards" are alike Indifferent and who cares
Cor no but the consciousness OF integrity in good
work To him, as 70 all, however, the drama, in
Midsummer, becomes even as the scriptur9l
grassbOpPcr burden. This is the season Of
rest and Art TepOse side by side with Industry Shows
sppersede acting in great measure, at this tme-shows
that are ayOwedly ephemeral and do not invite discus
aioD. Hence said, many tasks are easier than-s
the discussion Of dramatic matters at this Hap
ply at the moment may, without negligence, briefly
dispose topic. In the present aspect Of dramatic
matters New-York the thinker find but little
significance one way another. The Irish Drama the
Ballet, Burlesque Pantonme, and 20 limited extent
tho Legitimate Drama, represented at the various
fheaters and the influence Of the stage be just
particularly powerful for good at least it is not mis-
eievOus Looking back the last two months, and
forward 10 the Autumn, plainly discern that the
turned and that the art Of acting is about 70
assert itself with renewed vitality This viii be fortunate
aud happy both for the stage and the critic.
BROADWAY THEATER-GRIsELDIs.
Julia Deans engagement at the Broadway
Theater is drawing to close II will, in fact end on sat
urday night She has slCnazed the last week by pro-
ducug the drama Of "Gr,elds," which, till now, has
been a stranger TO the NewYOrk stage. "GTlseldis"
was done for the first time in this city Wednesday
evening. fye-act play, translated from the Ger
man OF Frederick Hahn. and adapted for the American
stage by Mr. ZavaTr Wilmshurst Of this city. Mr.. Wilm
shuTst whoisa thorough German scholar, and writer
Of taste ard experience. has, n this translation taken
great pains do fun justice 10 the original work His
version, made about ten years ago. expressly for Julia
Dean has been frequently presented IN different parts
Ttah. Il is wtteS blank ~ ana It belongs 10 the
tchOol Of the poetic drama IN construction it is quite
The simplicity OF German plays I'm general verges toward
eiiness Mr. WIlmshurst has wisely guarded against
that peril "Gr1selds' is compact and telling. AS s
title may suggest,Iit revyes IN dramatic form the Old
story Of Patient Grisse, which may be found in Boo
cacciO's "DecamerOn," and an the Canterbury Tales"
Of players or paygoers The charms Of the story are its
of