The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-24
NEW YORK THEATRICAL CRITICS.
Whe They Are, What Thov Are, and How
Mech They make-Dramatic BditOrshlp In
Gotham.
[ For The Evening Telegraph.

For The Bvening TsIegraph
There has been a very great change in theatri-
cal critics and theatrical criticism in the city Of
New York during the last ten years. 1t is
claimed by journalists whose experience in
Gotham dates as far back as that, that there is
no such thing as theatrical criticism in New
York at the present day, but that all the glory
was absorbed by that brilliant epoch. Let us
hope that this opinion is pronounced only be-
cause of the habit people fall into of over
praising the good that is past and undertaking
that which is present. Doubtless some bright
minds we're in the habit of meeting together
and exchanging mutual dazzles in an atmosphere
dim with smoke and the lack of ventila-
tion. But now the wits are fed, their
jokes are dead, and all but Clapp departed.
Capp, the veteran Figaro who has contributed
for 80 many year to the Leader, still keeps his
accustomed seat in the fore part of the subter-
ranean saloon, drinking his beer, smoking his
pipe, and evidently enjoying the perquisites of
veteranhood and notoriety. r..
Half dozen names will more than cover
those of New York theatrical and musical
critics who deserve especial mention. l have
not given the musical critics a separate niche
because there is not enough of them either in
quantity or quality to warrant it, Music meets
with very little criticism In New York, the re-
marks generally bestowed upon it in the journals
being very little beyond the capacity of smat-
terers in melody to understand. We shall
therefore confine ourselves mostly to the gen.
tlemen whose newspaper disquisitions are re-
stricted to the drama, and the people who in
terpret il.
The bevy of newspaper men who used to
meet together years ago numbered some
of the brightest Bohemians in the city. Some of
these are dead, some are married and grown
moral, some have newspapers of their own, and
with enlarged fields for ambition have overcome
many of their vagrant propensities. Of all the
brilliant circle Clapp alone remains like an
smiable feuilletonistic Fagin mumbling over the
memories of more garish days. .....
To get into our subject, however, the most
reformed and moral critic in New York, so far
as writing for the stage goes, is Mr. William
Winter more Familiarity known among his
eonfrereS as ''Willie Winter. Any one who
wishes to see portrait of this gentleman may
do so by consulting the lght-and-shadow photo
graphs at the entrance to Bfady's Photographic
gallery, at the southwest corner of Tenth street
and Broadway, where it is displayed among
number of other New York reputabilities. He
has a genial discerning face, bright black
eyes, smooth face, and moustache of the
pensive order. He is very polished
writer and a widelyread man, though by no
means a profoundly educated one. He never
writes carelessly, never permits a crude simile
or an awkward sentence to appear in his dra-
matte columns. He writes with such apparent
conscentiousness that it is difficult to believe he
is extremely swayed by personal prejudices,
which his acquaintance among actors and ac-
tresses gives him the opportunity of fostering.
Personally he is right good fellow, charming
IL e.. - l.
Before going upon the Tribune he was dramatic
critic for the Albion, that dead-and-alive Eng
lish ergan, of which nobody ever hears anything
at present. The sternest accusation that any
one can bring against Mr.. Winter is that he is
in the habit of overpraising that theatre in
which his wife happens to be engaged. do
not think the accusation is true, for the
lady is at present member of Mr.. Booths CON-
pany, and one or two articles not altogether
complimentary to that theatre have lately APP
peared in the Tribune. Whatever the lady may
be in private life, she is entirely too bad an
actress to deserve that one word of serious cri-
ticism should be bestowed upon her. Her name
is never mentioned by the New York press, for
the simple reason that 1t cannot be mentioned
with praise. She has some claims to literary
ability, and has written some graceful sketches
for the New York weeklies. Mr.. Winter is ma
turally tenacious about his position, and very
naturally resents anything which resembles an
attempt to interfere with it. When some seasons
ago. Kate Field wrote in the Tribune the criti
cisms on Ristori, and Clarence Cook prepared
the articles on Dickens readings, he naturally
felt himself aggrieyed and his province invaded
At that time, however the idea of the man
aging editor of the paper was to make every
department as impersonal as possible, and tC
DESTROY identities by confusing them. Hence
this distribution of criticism.
Mr.. Wheeler is the dramatic critic of thu
World, and is suspected to contribute to th
Sunday editions of that journal the series of ar
ticles signed ''Nym Crinkle." His experienceiil
newspaper life is by no means brief, and is no
confined to New York. He is very industrious
and has of late, besides attending to his dutie
on the World, been attending to the dramati
interests of Wilkes Spirit Of the Times. Man.
people deem him the best theatrical critic il
New York. though they are not so sure whe
they come to talk about his analysis of music
He is the gentlemen who objects to Mozart, an
thinks his style went out with the stage coach
AS with almost all newspaper people who writ
great DEAL his articles are not evenly good
There is often great falling off in the interest
he Sunday reading-matter, though from time b
time q singularly well-written article prove
that he has either taken more than usual pain
or has felt peculiarly in the vein. One of th
evidences of this was recent review of MI
Fechter and probably the best thing ever wrii
ten under the name of Nym Crinkle was th
article published in the Sunday World, som
months ago, ''pitching into" the Riching
Opera Troupe. 1t was extremely cruel but ais
extremely funny. Mr.. Wheeler is more sci
suous writer than Mr.. Winter. His imagiHatio