New-York tribune., 1876-12-25
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
Ti1ppFP,s "WASVTNGTON.D

,.., o,,riastv lie announced that it was written
for the Centenary American Independence IN hoh'f OF
It's founder not yet published in England" we VIII aa
NIT that in poetic sense (which the chief sense MI
uppcr claims TO possess) Washington may be caeo 'he
founder OF the Centenary OF American Independence:
vet We must be allowed to express our surprise tDat inc
author of drama which is evidently intended 10 Oeiong
10 the commemorative literature OF the year shou'u
not have read, before writing IT, a Common seh"oi
History of the United States. at least 1t may
SEEM pncracious-possibly ungratcful-to subject
IN critical analysis a work written nnder
sueh friendly inspiration, and offered Win sooh ou
air OF Mr. Tupper has visited US
he knows the vulnerable spot In our armor OF hauOh
pride and he touches neatly and gently tpat we e
almost ready to suspect cruel hardness IN our nature
because we cannot at first feel wholly delighted Inc
titIepage informs that be Is ID T. Ia Oh oAiofe'
md also f. r S." which ia additional emDafrasS-
mept When the recipient of such hOnoTs IN us own
oountrv celebrates the rebellion and cunqnered nde-
ue1denoe of ours we ought simply to accept the mag
panim!ty Of his genius and be thankful IL is gnu
horse which however may to Ealt We daTe not
examine for spavins second thought thereforeW We
will not attempt TO ctese, but simply receive aoihre
nnd be instructed. .
AetI onens with a scene on the quay at Boston,"
Deseon Eldad Nathan the Quaker, ana others oscueo
the situatou The former says, To-day the Congress
meets" I'm Boston H. and thereupon enters behenct
Arnold followed after little defamation oy DIS Sstcl
Mary She informs him that Major Andre 10 Whom she
las been already bctrothed for some months assures het
,bsi "peace is down." Benedict fOrbids the marriage
md calls on the citizens to follow him TO the Congress
md hear what Franklin just arrived FROM England, mas
,o rcport The second scene introduces us 10 washing
ton m Council" I'm Boston y, whom Frankln' eh'ers'
addresses as woTshpful President ana t9eh proeeeuS
10 describe the failure of his mission TO i1hRiahu n
vote is taken and Washington as President OF Congress
declares the thirteen colonies FREQ ana independent
States and orders the bell Gn Boston to proclaim liberty
throughout the land. In Act H. We ma pe-lcoh Li' ~
and Nathan the Quaker in street OF rhi','r
mia There is also with them man named Tilnothy'
who endeayors to ind out how the war; row laly oo
cp,, has sped; but ne gets news until John AaalnS
eners Then tho latter rersOBage astoundS them with
the information OF the fight at Lexington anu Oohco'u
the battle of Bunker Hill. the siege ana eNaeuHch VI
Boston and tho capture Of Ticonder0ga ond 0ro"n
roirt-au i'm n breath! We learn, ALSO 10 our ahabc-
,nent of the fights on Long Island and Harlem HShs
and the victory at TrcntOHthree years history com
r,,picated as a single piece OF news: Ohly q great
dramatic poet would dare TO do this Ire secobu scehe
is a Chamber" Gn Philadelphia where washington
and Patrick Henry confer together we casn' iof INC
first time that Washington must sometime have pHVatJ
sod 70 be great yirginan orator." Call me George -!
for the latter always thus famiaIly calls MN we
recognize beautiful image drawn from the landscapes
Of Virginia, in the lines ~ - =, >. .,,.o, MIN,
However hcmmed BY ,o,. aayIIsg bsos. circumstance
= ALWAYS hsrpy ,, !, n ITS itst 5o5 at Pe5es 'Ss VIII
The tbof,s Of stii opposing circumstance
The comparison was too 10 US, too obvious TO DC
used by our native poets Only synpatheuo lorelgh
bard like Mr.. TCpper, could have pictured Washington
standing I'm abyruth Of cactus hedges, happy M him
self vet paradoxical it may seem. ready To beat
down the thorns Of still opposing circumstance. Inc
tb scene Is street in Baltimore where we meet our
Old friends Timothy and Nathan the Quaker who nave
progressed that much further south. They are Hpecu
laling upon tho new American flag, when Frahkin
kindly enters and tells them that it was his design be
nj the Hcrrd'S college IL
London where he found 1t he the arms of the wash
ingtons Of washington" adds, further evidences:
And at Mount Vernon l myself have have nStee ,lS
Charged with thai heradry
Act III gives us Benedict Arnold in command az west
Point He calls his sister gives her permission to love
Andre and sends her with message TO him. Then foi-
lows scene between Washington and his wife, or rather
"Ccorr" and Martha" in which she expresses fears
Of treaehery which combats There are three other
scenes in the Act relating TO the Andre episode Dut cor
tanning no facts except that tie unfortunate SPY
vss "gibbetcd on West Point battleinentS" Act w.
ons with Washington in bed at Valley Forge, suffering
with chls and fever and attended by Martha" and
pisbop n seryant. To them comes Mary ArnOld, VINO
draws a dagger and attempts to stab "GeorSe'' Dut
Martha and Bishop struggle with her and dlSarm her'
Washington lets Der 60 free; and Immediately aiterWard
LAFAYETTE yhoyn we always supposed was wounded at
Prandvvipe some months before presents himself rs
inst arrived from France and offers his services He
comes-etrangc that Mr. Bancroft never heard OF ts'-
in company with Admiral DE Grasse and RoehalnDe&u'
and Washington may well say: Thanks, good gentle
meuIp The act closes with scene in baltimore, Where
Deacon Eldad Nathan the Quaker and Timothy still re-
main and have taken TO recruiting for the Continental
army All We learn from the scene is that Edad has the
rheumatism badly-a touch of genius; for the spirit
OF the people must be stirred to its depths when rheu
matte is willing TO enlist
Act v contains but a single scene In six pages MI
Tupper gives as the surrender Of Cornwahs at YORK
toUn We can readily understand the natural British
feeling which leads him forbear from introducing any
of his own countymen upon the stage He presents 10
us Americans only and he succeeds IN indicating WASH
tngons intense excitement Of victory under the disguise
OF his stately habitu8l manner, by making MN uheOh-
sctously bundcr IN the uerance Of two Count
La Grasse and Baron steubel" We doubt whether
n touch so subtitle as this would have oe-
CURED to Shakespeare. There is no such reason
for Jshn Adams-who with Patrick Henry, is present at
Yorktown-speaking washingtOn's stepson as Gus
ss" We suspect this is another delicate stroke OF
the poet who contrast John Adamss Ignorance
with waslngtOu's suppressed excitement But we can
not hope to fathom at all the profound psychology
cal meaning Of this drama II easS quite new light upon
our Revolutionary history We may be Obliged to change
our views Of cverts-even 10 change the success
zion and relation OF events,-but we cannot
refuse 70 be instructed by an intelligent ana
sympathcte foreign genius. In Mr. Tuppers quiet
sanctuary az Albury hc enjoys perspective OF VISION
which no American hope TO reach In this century
Some things in his drama startle us: we are naturally
not little depressed at finding how weak and confused
must have conception of our great histoT-
cal period But, although we cannot Immediately re-
ioice We must more the less accept In time, perhaps
we may be grateful
To suc readers as may perversely doubt Mr. Tuppers
arrangement OF history, only commend his
assurance in the preface that there will be found due
historical authority for most Of the incidents' In re-
ad q, me nreseufaon of the drama upOn the stage