The New York herald., 1874-12-14
.Alas! Poor Yorick."

.Alas! Poor Yorick."
Our irrepressible and benevolent friend
Bergh makes his appearance in q new charac-
ter. Having fulfilled his mission as the cham
pion Of the animal kingdom he now becomes
the champion OF the plays and the players. 1t
Is perhaps the most natural transition. for
after his crusade of benevolence what remains
10 phllanthropist of an active nature but to
try his skill on the comedians. A few days
since Mr.. DAILY, the enterprising manager Of
the Fifth Avenue Theatre, having exhausted
the literary resources OF France, made ON ad-
venture into Spain. He discovered the play
OF "Yorick." It is good play Of the sombre,
gruesome school, with touches of sadness that
evidently suit the tastes of a Madrid audience
fresh from the bull fight. Somehow our
American taste does not welcome ..Yorick."
We have our merry moods, and shrink
from entertainments that strain the nerves
and keep US awake at night Then Mr..
Daily invoked the sacred figure OF
Shakespeare. dragging it from the Olympiau
heights Of an almost holy fame to walk up
and down the stage as o mere man. The
play oppressed more than it amused, and Va
presumed it would gently sink into the we'll
filled sepulchre of unappreciated dramas. Mr..
Bergh insists that it shall not die; that no
such play was ever written or acted, and that
we must all hasten and see it.
For Mr.. Dalys sake we should like to see
Mr. Bergh's advice accepted, for he is an in
genious, original man, who has labored hard
10 al 20 sho ckoU boc
opinions. 1t is not pleasant, especially in
these mellow, gracious, Christmas times, to
see o manager with SO many natural resources
and SO high a purpose bufceting the cruel
waves Of . receding sea. He has o Ane thea.
tire and splendid company. But who can
rule the uncertain chances Of popular tastea
We can imagine that for bull-fghting com.
munity, 'Yorick" would be an attraction. But
we have no bull-hghting fancies, as Mr.. Bsrgh
must be happy to feel. and Mr.. Daily cannot
even get up newspaper controversy as to the
merits of his play. just now our theatrical
people ore under the spell Of o great genius
Of one who can write masterpiece and act it.
world is concerned about the ''Shaughraun."
If there is one thing the people know, it il
what pleases them. Mr.. Boucicault has suo-
ceeded in pleasing. He has written one Of the
best comedies that has appeared since the
"School for Scandal" Envious critics may
say it Is all stolen that it contains effects taken
from Byron. Shakespeare and Hugo that the
dog is only copy Of the dog Schneider that
there is the same old priest, the same hand
some officer, the same forward Irish girl anx-
ious to be kissed, the same police spy and
informer; that the fox hunt is repeated
from London Assurance" and that Conn,
the Shaughraun. is kind Of Irish Rip
Van Winkle, who drinks, idles. peaches,
sings song, plays on the fiddle and
dances with the lasses. But genius for
stealing is genius after all. II Boucioault con
steal 80 we'll why can not his critics do the
same? The field is open to them just as it
was open to the rivals Of Shakespeare, who
proved that he stole his plots from Plutarch
aud Boccaccio, old jest books and wherever
he found anything worth taking. II the dra-
matists cannot write as well as Boucicault lot
them steal as we'll, and the people will b
satisfied.
We welcome Mr.. Bersh into the guild q
dramatic criticism. He makes brave battle
for .'Yorick" We wish it were winning Aght
But the misfortune with Mr.. Bsrgh Is that, like
his immortal prototype. the last Of Spanish
chivalry. he always puts on his armor in ahops-
Less cause. He cannot fght public opinion
any more than Don Quixote could Aght the
windmills Of La Mancha. The mills will turn
when the wind blows. Just now the wind
blows in the direction Of the "ShaughrauA."
Good Mr.. Bergh may shoulder his lance and
go home. As for Mr.. DAILY he has won 80
many fights with his splendid company and
his own unsurpassed taste that he can enter
with courage and the assurance Of renewed
enccaar ,,ron hriohter camnaiona