The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-26

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municipalities will no doubt be fully con-
sidered, but something great is naturally ex-
pected from London, and the experiment,
whatever it may be, will be eagerly watched
by all who take an interest in the welfare of
great cities.
MIR. Howard Staunton ON s.Making the
Horns"-Old-Time and Contemporary
Acting.
In late number of the London Athensum
Mr.. Howard Staunton, the distinguished
Shakespearian scholar, in pursuing his inves-
legations into the unsupported corruptions Of
the great masters text unearthed very
curious bit of the ''business" of the old
actors from the time of Shakespeare to that of
Wycherly, fully century later. Mr.. Staunton,
it will be remembered, first pointed out the
fact in his edition of Shakespeare that certain
phrases in the plays were always accompanied
with peculiar gesture. That example was
where Volumnia, in ''Coriolanus," entreats
her son to return to the Forum and conciliate
the incensed people by putting on this action
Of humility -
Thy knee bussing the stones
The present case, which explains pas
sage in s'The Winters Tale" is Of much
more familiar kind, the quoted extract being
as follows -
cam. You had mucn ado to make his anchor
hold;
When you cast out it still came home.
cam He would not stay at your petition; made
his business more material
[Aside.] They're here with me already; Whisper
sseciiis 10 a-so forth"
According to Mr.. Staunton the stage business
here used is the sign employed to indicate
o cuckold- lifting one hand to the forehead
and spreading forth two fingers like pair
Of horns-Leontes, in his jealousy, believing
his subjects to be cognlzant of his nuptial
dishonor, and already deriding him with the
gesture which denotes it. He quotes from
Chapman, Massinger and Decker to sustain
this view, and even points out q stage direction
in Wycherly's Country Wife, for making
the horns" More remarkable still is the
fact that this sign was often indicated by
letter, as in Chapman's s'May Day." where
Fannie says of his master, Quintilliano, cas-
often as he turnes his backe to me I shall be
here with him, that's certaine." ALI the
older dramatists use the phrase s:Be here with
them," to emphasize the gesture, just as boys
nowadays cry, do you see anything green 2"
when they express incredulity by peculiar
operation on the lower lid Of the right eye.
ALI this has an interest Of its own,
as indicating the customs Of the early
stage; but it has value, apart from
this in showing the utter worthlessness
of stage traditions for the purposes of art If
q modern actor should make the horns he
would be laughed at, even if the sign were un-
derstood, though in Shakespeare's time it's
use was so common that it was employed by
Roman heroes, Sicllian kings and English
tavern brawlers. 1t would be rare treat,
however, if we could see s'The Winter Tale"
for instance, played exactly as it was played
in the Shakespearian era, just as we now see
"The Rivals" and "The School for Scandal
represented OF Wallack's according to the
manners and customs of Sheridan's time But
this we cannot hope for, and, in time, even
what we SO fondly call the old comedies will
take their places with the pictorial drama, the
poetry and wit Of the standard plays receiving
a picturesque setting for an elegant delivery
Of the lines, free from all the conditions of
old-time art. The realistic drama we shall
always have-the actors of the mimic world
seemingly enacting the realities of the world
they copy-but the Juliets and Rosalinds
of the future win be only pictures
of the imagination We all like Miss Neil
sons balcony scene immensely, not because
it realizes the Shakespearian realism, but be-
cause it is the transcription of beautiful
ideal. None of us care to 60 beyond this poetic
ideal for it's historical accuracy or its faithful
ness to the Shakespearian conception. It is,
too, her laughing boy Of the period that we
like best in her Rosalind. We have often said
that Mr.. Lester Wallack is the only teacher of
old-comedy art now on the American stage.
When he ceases to teach old comedy will be-
come only stage pictures with splendid
scenery, picturesque dresses and graceful elo-
cution. Shakespeare's plays occupy this atti-
tude already, as Mr.. Daily tries to show us
once year in his Shakespearian REVEALS, and
sooner or later oil the old favorites will be put
in the same category. And SO, while we thank
Mr.. Staunton for showing us how the old
actors made the horns, we shall not rob our
higher and more poetic conceptions by en-
ploying any part of the pantomime of a ruder
age.
The WHOLE COUNTRY Is responding literally
and promptly to the cry of distress which
comes up from the bayous and plantations of
Louisiana.
Our FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE this morning
will be found very interesting. Those who
study the capitalization of new Italy will