The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-09
DRAMATIC EXPRESSION.


j. Steele NIackaye's Second Lecture on Del
sarte's System.
large and highly appreciative audience greeted
Mr. Mackaye last evening on this his second ap-
pearancc In New York. This audience was largely
made up OF professional men and women, eocu.
tionsts, teachers in vocal and physical gymnastics,
actors students and public readers. II there Ii
anything which this pupil OF Desarte's cannot do
with his face, arms body or legs, It would
be entertaining to see him attempt It..
To those unacqualntcd with the possibilities OF
Desarte's system or instruction, this change from
a modest though perfectly sell possessed and really
handsome man to the drunkest OF drunkards, the
most idiotic OF Idiots and most stupid OF fools must
border upon the marvellous The lecturer excused
himself from few Of the most difficult exhibitions
on account OF illness
The audience was very cordial ana sympathetic
well enthusiastic, aud IL one OF the objects o. Mr..
Mackayes visit to this country to insure for NJ Del
sarte field OF labor here there Is no doubt but he
has succeeded in securing for him not only an In.
tellectual recognition but better for Delsarte, a
place In the hearts OF all scholarly Americans.
Mr.. Mackaye commenced by saying that there
was no mystery ut al In Delsarte's system. Del.
sarte aims at something higher ana more important
than the presentation TO the public OF the authors
personality. HIS pupils are taught to express ac-
ton according to the laws OF action With his sys
TEN Of
EsTnETIC GYMNASTICS
laws become distinctive and action becomes spon
taneous. TO say that this system will make the
actor artificial Is absurd TO say that the
OF thorough bass IS ruinous to musical genius.
Delsarte gives us the grammar OF the language OF
gesture. Add soul enough TO the grammar
or speech and we have Shakespeare; put soul
enough to this grammar or gesture ana we nave
Rachel No culture can make musician, but add
culture to genius and we have Mozart ana Paga-
mini. Delsarte takes the raw material aud gives
great develoDment, but he does not bargain TO add
to cry out 'spontaneity |" Rachel was sponta-
neous that Is TO say, she trained herself perfectly.
and then poured her soul into her art IL cultiva.
ton Is not desirable, then
THE SAVAGE IS A sERAPH.
Desartes' definition Of art-emoti0n passed through
thought and fixed III form-tndicate5 the reta-
ton or the mechanical to art. What we need IN
the United states this moment is school where the
painter and the costumer too often the theatri
cal stars There can be no grand progressive ar
till there Is school TO educate equally the heart
| head aud hand OF the artist.
DELsARTE STUDIED EXPRESSION
| In gambling houses in hospitals ana battle fields
| In churches and prisons, and he has devoted NJ
life to the development OF his system. He teache
that purity alone enobles and exats art.
jective part Of his suoJeG, ana divided and sub
divided gestures anu expression TO the last limit o
analysis, giving the expressions of the hand the
head aud hand, The arm, the face, and showing
every phase and degree Of human feeling. True ex.
preston, he said, is ease In force. The great fault
In delnearng passion Is the strainiDg Tor effect.
Passion Is violent effort at
4. 80 REPRESSION,
not expression.
The speaker closed by saying that there Is today
a widespread prejudice against the stage that pre-
vents many people from encouraging 1t VINO might
give higher tone To the drama. This is most uI-
lust There Is no profession OF which so much is
expected ana yet 1t has no school OF training mere
Is scientific training for all professionals except
actors. The stage VIII never become source VI
good Till 1t has a school for cultivation according to
the laws OF dramatic art. The stage should be q
great Me,aSch6a1diien full OF ..-....-,-,
soFTENING AND HUMANiz1NG INFLUENCES.
1t should lie to men and women what the kinderRar-
ten Is to children giving practical instruction under
the guise OF amusement Let the pulpit cease to
preach against the stage, and let the stage give It's
hand TO the pulpit, asking for instruction IN the
churches, that 1t may know how 10 encourage
grander manhood before which all meanness snail
shrink in shame.
Mr.. Mackaye spoke enthusiastically OF his master
saying That he had come hoping 10 plant his Ideas
In tile intellectual soil OF fresh and stalwart
nation.