New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-01-25
TIE DRAMA.
IN ART MR.. JAMES STEELE
MACKAYE.


MACKAYE.
The adherents of Mr.. James Steele Mackaye-
"new Matched to the wofu time "-cannot be happy 1t
appears unless that limited, undeveloped, and cor
respondingly pretentous young actor Ia admired Ivy
everybody else as much as he is by Themselves With
out intending the least unkndness toward the object of
so much gushing interest venture to submit that
this of facts is both Illogical and bcra We
not unIrepared however for lack Of logic berallty
and reasonOn the part Of the votaries of amateur
ism in art Experience teaches The attitude OF these
bencfactors always the They exist in state OF
complacency They wear the arms encumbered'
and the "head shake of sagaciou forbeafdnce Their
cuckOOcry ia that which Hamlet 80 deity fancied:
"Weu we know" and 1--WE could an II We would"
And their nod the nod Of Lord Bureigh himself They
are nevertheless mercifu They sec that the existing
stageof courseis weak, commonplace, deplorably In
efficient but they also see that man himsef-wih due
exceptions in favor of the eects but poor forked AMI
NAL benghted Ephram welded TO idols Of straw. and
that both his idols and himself things that the truly
great ought TO humor aud paronize Therefore do they
spare and smite not-and the frame OF things man
ages keep in joint Once in while indeed they write
TO the newspapers and occasionally they find editor
willing to publish their O!ympian ebuilitions But, for
the most part, they keep a0of-"each separate on his
painful peak, "-aristocracaly cOnGeaing in luminous
austerty The Brahin philosophers. it is said, spend
much OF their time sitting crossleGgcd in the sunshine
and looking at the umbicus and out Of this cOntem-
platOn they evolve heaven knows what OF massive and
magnificent convictions and images. So, but 70 different
results with these rareed vOtaries Of amateuIism in
art On the sun-sphered and dizzy nights Of intel
lectual grandeur they always brOodIng: only
which is the unfortunate part OF 1.-THE eggs that they
hatch invariably turn out bad We get along toler
ably well with Kreeshna and ATjoon Avyaktam, and
POorooshottama, and even with Nakshastras. But II is
easy he reconced to projects for the
atng OF the drama by caow amateurs who, in public
scarcely know what to do with their hands and feet
Yet this the sort of that perpetuay proceeds
from these "nne spirits finely touched" The long
haired and shadbelied young gentleman with the re-
markabe BRAIN whose knees knock aganst each other
i'm Romeo OF claude Menots the thin young lady in
the white muslin gown, with the red hands and the
great intellect, who whispers with white lips that she's
"wedded to country life" While every suffering specta-
tor wishes to heaven that she would 30 TO her rural
home and stay there-these alas are but too familiar
objects TO the afflicted journalist. Year after year tho
same old story is told. There is genius IL Madison
square; there Is paragon on Brooklyn Hghts there Is
Sddons and Rachel rolled into one in Baxterst there
is modern Garrick just arrived from Schenectady
Every experienced journalist knows these gems OF re-
pressed elory-monstrum horrendun, nfOrme, ngens,
having a single eye to the puff direct; and knowing
Them recalls with natural shudder those evenings in
somebody's with the phenomenon In the fOie
ground and the adrurng relatives aud the scenes from
"Ingomar" and the scenes from Fazio ana the recita
tiOns of The Song of the Shirt and the sherry ana
sandwiches and the torrent OF uDmeaning eackle, ana
the wretched WEAKNESS and disgust. Every
experienced journalist, We repeat, has passed
through this ordeal; and when, at last, fairly cor
nered by the formal debut, he has been com
PEELED 10 print his honest opinion that the phenomenon
is fzzle, how often has he heard the subsequent bIa
tant and supercious babbe about the ignorance and
venaty the press 1t is the oldest OF old stories
There is no standard There is Acknowledged head
There is French Academy. There is no London Times
There s stage in fact since the good old land well
reInembered) days OF Beterton and Mrs Pritchard We
shall never see such days again. Brains Sir, have no
chance Waack and Booth have bought up all the
critics OF course they have And, of course every
established actor the land green and yellow with
jealousy Of the phenomenon and shaking in his boots
with fear OF the great awakening!
For Mr.. James Steele Mackaye-whose misfortune 1t IL
to have incurred the friendship of these barnacleswe
have but kind wishes. He has undertaken the
tabshment OF aud decent theater, and that is
enterprise always oommeud,ble: for should IL succeed
tho community Will have increased opportunity Of
ing good plays well acted while considerable number Of
persons artists aud artisans. will be provided with
genial and lucrative employment. Moreover Mr. Mac
kaye sincere and meiitorious amateur and one from
whom may he anticipated, In the course Of
time. The pinnaces Of merit and OF fame Ia art however
are reached by climbing and not by flight Mr. Mackaye
has received at our hands nothing but justice tempered
with that truest all kindness which consists In telling
the truth We have not, indeed fet impelled 10
upon minute and elaborate discussion Of his pretnlioDs
aud theories though long ago gave them ample state
ment. Criticism Is under no Obligto 30 FAR AS we can
perceive 10 accept beginner ~ arr III his own valuation
OF himself 10 undertake Ia dig out, Illustrate, aud de-
fend AN artistic hypothesis which his own want OF eX
pei1cnee In the PRIMARY business of tho stage makes II
nearly Impossible for Lin Ia sXlblt-cNu " the hR
itself be not wholly ysonary and There
O certain measure OF Wise ssn'h abce 'p Lhu I""-