, 1869-02-21
THE DRAMA.
BcueieAult On Dramatic CrilicIsn,s,
a L b floiiM Nall HazA

To tic Editor oI the Pail Mall aazete.
Sill: An anonymous Correspondent, writ
INK 10 NOR. ing paper, has atated that
Mr. Robcrtson's new comedy, "School'' D." Is
not - original" 1t Is time TINT this n
dlcnlous cant about ''oriaina1i*y" should be
exploded. There is no such thing AZ origin
alny, as the word Is Eow used. When IN
anthor conceives work, hs It great or small,
there IL always father to It. In come works
the leautrs Of 1hst tathsr arc apparent, Ia
others the production takes a!tee the mother
that Ii, The author; bat although We fail
10 trace lhe maie pareut. he Is there. 4 play
Is compfssed OF three essentials +: The fable Of
plot, the manners or characters, and tic
dialogue. Now, without reading the Ger
man drama from which Mr. Robertson has
been sccused Of taking his comedy, a
spectator must perceive Internal aud elesa
neither tf1usalaied nor borrowed l.s in.c.
npity and exquisite polat forbid even the pr,p.
ositicn; It Is simply impossible. The char
actets are essentially Epg!lsh. both In outlinc
AID color. excepting the subordinate role.
mean the tutor CEux. This offensive person.
returned the better. Now for the plot;
there is uone, ant sha. Is all that can hAys
been takrn trum The German. The feeble
thnad en- which the dramattst has htruns
his Jewels is not plot, The incidents do not
ee,ye TO deycl tho characters they are
spectators do net = ait In suspeuse what the
persons viii do; they only desire TO hear
what next thcE will saY. There Is lo action
involving the characters IN Whist
VT Gull complication. and there u no denoue.
nebt arriving at catastrophe, What plot
ella II eeems that some Grrt1au author
modern domestic lie. III. Robertson adopts
the ea1uc notion, aud uuilds comedy upon
i; Il comedy a. original As any In tile Eng
lib or any q her lAuVuagc.
This cant nbnut "ollgsnnlfty" Is new cry.
II would Lave opeeed shakspcare's eyes 10
bear himfeli acct cd Of lsetuy mere li.crAry
thief. Wycherley. who borrowed material
irom 3inliere. would bssc smiled " ti'ottcrn
literary :eAisl4t!on. FsnbIush t!l wot.o
b "a, aid, adopting I'll tl.t principal charac:
tets H. ruin, be wEute contfnuh lon. Aud
2he1idau touk tanLrugh's continuation and
rem9de'lel il uuder.'hs tlts Of a Trip to
"!eglliu.ate'' drama forbid oslc!uality IL ,1e
| modern eense u tue word: turhid It nb<o-
tu,e1y aud With high authority. Horace
warns the oramStist against oriYteal plnts.
| and Ids him heuarr o. tryttg to Introduce
| nr1pius1 characters. lfc urges the pous 10
| Lot to wander rom 4 boa.en track In search
! p: cts wbo took fables aud subIccu from rnca
nthsr. Novelty belongs, properly. to The
lllt GliiAatntrnna ard II that Is my prorioce,
hop- Mr.. hobcrtlon'a udmircrs will keep
h!p, OF my demtanc.
Opre, m,ny yr..s sgu, wrote legitimate
comcdha. allldc to Tho period wh"n Mr..
| S1acrcJdy collected hls crtehrntsl eutnp4uy
| Of t1serdtpnt, trcluding Warlr Phelps, .4u'
derBon, TnndtnhutT, Eitcu. @. Bennett, Ma.
cready, A,.s iin'en Fsncit. Mrs. wnrncr-
l BIZ Ia
with Fs1Fen. Dai'ie9, Harley. I. Mathews,
Kectcy, McnjoHs, Cooper. Mrs. Nlsbest, Ves-
trls, Mr.. o!Eer, Mrs. Glover, Ma. Aanoy.
These were 1he pAlmy DAYS Of the drama,
v hsn Kunwlcs, Hnlwcf, I.e'gh HINT, DouxlAa
when stantlrld. Rob rts, Masshall, the orlsve.
work., rreatfy noted md spendiatT rrnaneed
| wtrc strv-c up TO the critical world Of Londnn
then, indeed, Drnry Laue showed ltt empty
wall. These were the shat.pearean times
Tic manager Of Coyent Garden hec,mc bank
iupt, and Mr. Macrczuy escaped With yer,
sore pockets. Let US unsna.k the truth. Thl
dilellnpfi arc more iond pTai6tug the legit
mate drsms than of paying tn see IL, II Il
kind Of person TO wave ones hand aud dc
clare, ''fhera IS n'thirg worth seeing q. tbt
theatres uow." One might reply. t. Did yot
go there when there was eomethius
worth feetnK!" ihest fopf. thess
hearthrnS crirics, are created BY
the Newspaper cant ! drPrecate. I have
teen 2u0d deal OF rubbish in the tha ape O.
drama: have contributed not q little to II
myself; Int Of a.rtLe rubbish which encun
tGes ths stsge, that furnished bY the press j:
the Mcst mlschievnus, hccausc 1t Is well
written norkensr. sometimes an temptet
TO Wish that those paluJ old days were our
again when the morning poger used to scnt
q reporter Tram the cailcty cr the Hnu>e, o
! the gentleman who did The public dinueEs,
10 "nolicr" now play. What The maj
: wro:e Is stupid, but nobody minded him
, ! YCufs, &c, DOS GGUCICAULT,