The New York herald., 1871-01-09
The Great Boston Theatrical Row.

~ Sioas, coiu Capitdtb, ike Now I0fk, the
passions of q village are generally most
amusing, and that which has for the last fort
night created such tumult in the veins of
Boston is no exception to the rule. 1t has
given US here for the last week or two matter
for much merriment. Now that the storm In
her saucers is somewhat stilled it may be plea.
SAINT to sum up this great "Cheney- -Fechter-
Chanfrau- and Wallack affair."" even though
the quarrel may be a mighty pretty one as il
stands, and explanation may help to spoil it.
Boston, as is well known, is somewhat pre-
tentious for small place. It sits, like Mr..
Dombsy, with starched neckcloth and
large bunch of seals, and has huge sense Of
its own importance. It especially affects the
drama. Yet how dses the drama stand there2
There are three theatres In Boston-the Bos-
ton theatre, the Museum and the Globe. The
first Of these is leased and mana ged by Messrs.
Orlando Tompkins, B. Thayer and Mr.. Booth.
The first of these gentlemen, as his name, which
implies mild mixture Of poetry and pills,
conveys, Is what Is vulgarly termed on the
other side OF the Atlantic, licentious apothe-
cary; the second Is an open air broker, aud
the third gentleman who, Of course, for con-
sideratious Of high art purely, permits to be
sandwiched between them the notoriety Of his
name. The second Is governed by Mr.. Moses
Kimball, q species of Boston Barnum, whose
name implies cross between Hebrew and
Yankee-one of the most dangerous class Of
cattle to be found. The third, the unfortu-
nate victim of these riots, is Mr.. Arthur
Cheney, Massachusetts manufacturer, who,
in some wild moment of lunacy, conceived the
matte Mecenas, Mr.. Fisk. Now, all these
men are most worthy men in their way, but
the knowledge they possess of art in any Of
its branches might safely be pounded into the
most diminutive of pills, placed in one of Mr..
Tompkins' smallest pill boxes, and labelled
the most infnitesimal portion of grain.
The last Of these theatres is the scene of the
great drama which has now been the sensation
of Boston for the last fortnight, and which
promises to close-well, about as late as the
''Black Crook" upon its opening night. Mr..
Charles Fechter is the manager, having UNDER
taken its direction, as he modestly informs
the world in his card, ct great sacrifice, for
the sake, of course, of art, and his big
hearted and big-pocketed friend, Mr..
Arthur Cheney, at a salary of eighty
thousand dollars year. Obi History,
how unreliable thou art We had always
understood that Mr.. Charles Fechter had
made heavy monetary failure at the Lyceum.
Last season he appeared at the Boston theatre
and aroused decided Juror. This was chiefly
created by dim but very false impression,
artfully fed, that Mr.. Fechter was urgently
treated by the New York critics; and
that is ever sufficient to make the quills
of Boston stand. Next, frem the fortunate
circumstance that number of Cambridge pro-
being in more than usually gay mood after
pleasant dinner at the Parker, 80 far forgot
themselves as once or twice during the even
ing TO break into mild applause. When the
fact of professor having applauded-an event
which had occurred but once or twice before
in her hlstory-had been carried through the
city the whole of Bosten s'rose at him."
Hitherto Mr.. Edwin Booth had been the fa-
vorite, and number of school misses, with
the fond fidelity of girlhood, still threw up
their little hats and handkerchiefs for the hero
of the slate pencil pallor and shallow shanks.
But the professors and the people swept every
thing before them, made lion of Fechter and
lifted him to the throne. Our manufacturing
Mec@nas, Mr.. Cheney, caught the contagion,
and, seizing the opportunity, scattered all his
Gagged him at his theatre at salary of eighty
thousand dollars year. He has since found,
we fancy, that he has had to carry an ee-
phant instead of the royal beast. From the
commencement of Mr. Fechters management.
when he opened with very weak and washy
version Of his own Of 'sMonte Christie" down
to the present hour, his direction has been,
both financially and artistically, melancholy
failure. Actors who resemble women in the
hour Of theatrical ease-being coy and hard
to please-do not at all resemble them in their
tenderness when the hour of sickness comes.
The moment disaster appears at the door ac-
tors get ready to leap out of the window.
Had Mr.. Feshter's management been success
full we should doubtless have been despoiled
the delights of that amusing drama of which
we regret we can only present slight synop-
sis.
The scene opens in Mr.. Cheney's parlor. Mr..
Fechter and Mr.. Chanfrau, sort of half-and-
half of Bombastes Furioso and Bob Acres, are
discovered with hands clasped. Actors always
clasp your hand; they neither take nor shake
it. When they become unclasped Mr.. Chan
frau Immediately repairs to the Parker House
and employs his portion of the hands in indit-
ing an epistle to his brother clasper, Mr.. Fech-
ter, in which he wildly throws number Of
innocent substantives and adjectives around