The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-08-25
CALVERT AND THE CRITICS.

! To THE EDITOR OF TUE HERALD:-
Tue outrageous letter OF Mr.. Charles A. Calvert,
which you published tue 18th inst, has been treated
by you with contemptuous indifference, but the pro-
iession cannot permit such attack upon American
criticism to pass unnoticed
In less than half column Mr.. Calvert calls the
dramatic critic OF the HERALD 'nippsnt and
puious writer declares that he knew ga critic
unexcusabiy (sc) unfair, false to the chvary
OF his order tho concocor Of tho string OF
lions brought against me-" says that the critic "dis-
torts everything be saw, and with sorry rbes and NAL
adrot ribaldry holds up to contempt and rdicuo tho
strong enorts Of Mossrs Jarrett Palmer charges tho
critic with having rcasons best known TO himself and
wisely conceacd,' with ''havinc dincd well, with
"coarseness, - with being "untrue, wicked and mali
cious," and with having eyes Tor the ballet only"
calls the CRITICS statements atrocious and stupid"
and ..irivoous," and him Of not being gen.
tlemahl
Naturally, a.tor all this abuse Mr. Calvert says that
no has many reasons for Indifference TO tho opinion"
OF tito critIc whom ho abuses.
This Mr. Charles a. Calvert, who comes to New York
to stage manage '.sardanapulus" und cri,icise tho
critics. is a little provincial manager England OF
possible account outside OF Manchester either us man
agcr actor, and CT little account in Manchester
that he be spared TO come here and relieve Mr.
Vincent in getting spectacle Tho proprietor Of tho
princo's Theatre, Manchester, Is Mr. Brown, who IS
very rich and very fond Of hearcals and his
this Mr.. Calvert, took advantage of Mr. Browns bad
taste to got up pieces mngnitcenty. After time Mr.
Brown employed another manager, who gees up pieces
still moro magnilcen.y. That is tho whole OF Cal.
vert.
Mr. Boucicault and Mr. Sothern know him well, and
are In town. Interview them to Ca!vcrt's prcten-
tons II he disputes this judgment
tli,V ctal to boa. ~
outside the Era the praises OF which may DO bought
over the advertisement counter at much a line.
Ho has never been employed to produce u piece in
London. If he to write such letter to a London
paper as he has wr;tton to the HERALD he would DO
laughed out Of tho country.
There be reasonable question about the entire
accuracy Of your critics article. Ca!vers ''Sardana
pnlusn is like Byrons than the 'lack Crook''
ia like "Thc Tempest" AS for I'LL his tall talk about
"historical accuracy" Mr. Calvert knows o.
Assyria than Sitting Bull He has simply reproduced.
in u clumsy way, the ordinary theatrical ideas OF tho
Assyrian court, and tho same scenery and dresses
would do as we'll in theatre tor Egyptian play
Any American stage manager could have done it better
and would fallen iuto such gross errors Of ar.
rangement those III the ballet net, where the king
was of his place. those tho scene which
has been repeatedly surpassed in this country
Ir Manager Chatterton, of Drury Lane were on
gage Mr. Charles Pope of New Orleans, TO so and
produce play Tor him, Mr. Pope would do better IN
London than Mr.. Calvert has done here, and be would
provo tho superiority of American managers by never
deserving such criticism and writing such lat
ter Yours truly, ONE WHO KNOWS