The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-08-11

ernph. Of me that were then printed were
:Ss ssd wa: the . s'Ts Of SA SsS 3
my mind but of which l had not written line. Ny
engagements IN 1,72 wero intended to be my farewell
had Inspiration, and my success n Conn is nos,
Keeping me before the public as an actor
l-How many plays have you written?
POUR HUNDRED PLAYS
HE-Between three and tour hundred, large NUM-
Der Of which are adaptations One year translated
between forty and nifty plays ! never translated
literally. | read page and then dictated TO
Shorthand writer whatever tho French piece sug.
OF work. DO you think did it from
choces ascribe the dccadence of the English drama
to The invasion Of French plays from 1914 TO 1850
Then London managers, who had depended ON Bulwer'
Knowles. Taourd, Douglas Jerrod aud others found
that they could lake the cream OF the French s..ss
get the best pieces translated ana incur little or no rsl
OF success. These pieces cost them $50 or 500
whereas the same kind OF work, written by Buiwer
cost then $4,000 az least So when took a I'VE aci
comedy TO the Haymarket was offered for It sum on
which IL was impossible to live. Thus the Eng.
became a translator received $3.50 for an adapta
ton Deprived OF sound English characters our actors
we're called TO depict the milk and water conyen.
honal puppets Of tho French stage Tho Frorcl
dramatst has art and passionate dialogue bat no bu
little power Of evolving character How many charac
tiers survive OF the French drama Of the last hity
years? mean great types OF character, such as Mo
here invented in the Tartuiie" and tho sMisan
thrope'-such characters as abounded in our drama
With this faith, what will you do in the'future,
HE-Kecp on with the Irish drama and writo dvt
act comedy OF the school OF Moliere
Then you have not done your best because you
knew II would not pay?
HE-Precisey. Several years ago gave a dinner II
number OF literary men among them Charles Dick
ems We got on this very subject and maintained
Dickens did no. agree with me. VERY we'll" SAID
IN prove IT, III wrltc three dramas, one OF
high, one Of middle, ono OF low life. They shall be
produced IN London simultaneously, and the Will
be the great success =" wrote "huned Down" "Tho
Long strike (Which Dickens pronounced my
the consequences Hunted DowS, an cpigram.
matte play, In which my wife ana
modsrac success, While "rhe FLYING scad. produced
at he HolDorn Theatre with scratch company, ran
year! Now IN tell you an anccdotc On the revival
0 ''London Assurance" mt The Princess four yearf
ago sat IN private box with critic who turned "a
me at the end OF tho third act, saying 'Wby don't
you write something OF this sort. now ?" ssrhirty
years ago. replied al wrote this very play. and
lew day after appeared article in leading journal
IN which the pubic were attacked Tor tocratng such
tissue OF RUBBISH but the writer consoled himself
the reflection that said public would
and play would retire into an obscurity from which
II should never have emerged That the criti-
What answer did your friend make?
HE-What could he answery Nothing But he
home and told another friend that Ind nursed
this grievance for thirty years; watching for oppo
tun,,y of retaliating That's the sort OF man am.
However caustic the criticisms on Dion Boucicaut
and whatever may be the amount OF justice contained
in them, 1t IS undenable that for thirty five years he
has not only held The commend OF the English STAGE
but has so dcd it that tho middle period OF this CEN
tury--trom lS46 to lS15-exhibits other figure OF
great prominence. He is the only dramatist during
that period who mas written an enduring play Of The
first order-l mean an original comedy IN live
Besides 'London Assurance and 'Od Heads
and Young Hearts, no has invented the Irish DRAMA
and perhaps, Is destined to live by that achievements
This idyilic, romantic comedy mclodrama Is his Alone
It's plot Its characters and dialogue all and
peculiar The 'Coleon Bawn' was the hrst OF these
works, and although there have been subsequent mIta
lions see equal to il except those Irish dramas
with which ,Bouccnut has followed up the bright
original This is his due. Bouccault may not be
great dramats'. bu, he occupies position in tho cen.
fury which his critics acknowledge by their vchemeas
den uncintion.