St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-06-23
Anna E. Dickinson.
NEW YORK. Nav II. |

NEW YORK, May II. 1876.
Probably no American woman has
been more severely criticised than Miss
Anna Dickinson has during the last twu
weeks. There are about six thousand
newspapers published in this country
and ut least two-thirdS of them intimate
that she can never become il successful
actress principally hrcause the New
York critics who went to Boston and
drank champagne together. have writ
ten against her. Ii is safe to predict
that these critics will never change
their opinions until long after the pub
lie have decided hat she can act. They
certainly had Il right to say that her
performance did net please them. if
they wanted to, but it WAS unfair to
assert that she had no dramatic talent.
ana would never rise to cmnence on
the stage. 1t is not ALWAYS safe to
make positive statements concerning
the future on the debHt of any artist
| l'lSlaelI defines il critic as il person who
has failed in everything he has under
taken. In New York those who have
IlIed to write plays, with one or two
exceptions, have always failed. Nym
tnnklt. the most severe of critics, SAW
his play pI"duccd to slim houses at
NallackS. and then he fled to the
Rocky Mountains. Lancaster is more
kindly disposed, and he has been fnr-
iunaic III writing Il cha>tc and popular
play. Because the critics unite in con
drInhlng play, il * no reason why it
may not have merit. Madame .Janau-
Tnrh drought out Il representation "t
Dickens ''Bltak House" and it WAS
universally denounced in New York
one "eHed lhtlII, however. and played
l." empty houses for short season.
Ai'erWatd the play drew large audi
tn'eS III 'iiI> country ahd III England.
Ii'' WIS 'i,e iau%hIti "i Il banker IN
~, t's"'' ne ''e" ana Itft htl pthnil.>S.
lh'h sue "ecalilt an actic>>. hut hen
hl>' appearance WAS lIdIculcd. and she
was advised To Z" back To her music.
III which she "Nccllcd. To-day she l.
the greatest tragc'ilcnnc of her school
on the stage. She l. a woman of com
hlahulhE stature. with deep VOICE.
hlt htr temperament l. the same ~
Miss DlckIn>"n>.
The best reply To the critics who pro
tr>S I" he just. is quotations from THEN
own articles. The New York sun i
considerable able. 1t SAYS Miss Dick
inter OF the Tribune SAYS she has
uiahlatic instinct. but he does not like
her play The Herald praises it. Kate
iahdoIpi Rogers. who l. Il leading
a''r'>> III Boston SAY That Miss Dick
i'lN"h h"' oiI\ mas talent f"l the Stage.
hut SAYS that she viii hcc"mc Il SIG
c's,inl iraGcdltnnr.
men Miss Dickinson hr>t began I"
II lIl al
talI'Ilr, ald II M:S not until she WAS in
\lttd |" speak III The nltrd states
SENATE hammer 81 Washington. hN
Charles Summer and others. that they
wcr" sure she would not disgrace them.
Since then. lrrl cl"qurnc" has charmed
them.
me new NsplptrS lay much stress on
her rn-r"hidrhcr. They call II con
ct'. ne iliiiii l. she L. a woman ot
Sltal lh''IItc'IlaI lt>"'li''>. She know :
what she can d". and all that she asks
I"i Ir enough tln" l." master the tech
h'rail'f> ol the Stage ana htc"hr Ia
> lnliial WIN lis machinery AMI surround
'"SS'
il'n"N "h" KNOW itr ana r"mplr-
leh" 'ht pc'ullli nature ol her mind
nave II" lt'lr h'il she VIII ht'"IIIr an
; actress ni powell li'l >'II-chIir"I ana
IRON VIII are something rnI'NhhIr' ~
lht l"lI"N III" narrative VIII SHOW.
p,!iih" 'lie iIh'"Ih campaign IN" lie
P"'''''" ""''''''''' "l '"hNN anna
were 'i""'''tn !" "'' competent speaker
VINO uhic a''"i'>> 'n,' miners IN III,
M"IIN MaS''ll' '"'.' ui>'li'l>' Around
i"''>\ me II WIS a,'>"'"'clH dangerous
'"i any man ,', "''h' : l'rr'h III laN"l
+ "i tue h'P"pi'ah tahuIiI't>. some
one suggest" MISS I,'hlh>"h name
'H sue WAS '"'"iiIili% famous. she wa
looked ON is P"ni GIi used I" the
. haldHhll'> "i travel Hhu they Offered
itl me c"al-lnihr district I" pIacllc,
= on. She needed money and accepted
i he brave ana rhl\aII"u> gentlemen
= VII" claimed I" represent the IntrllI
@rh't ana morality "i ichn>N lNanIa
Il laughed among themselves and rallr'
the bargain Il good Joke. y" man c"lIl'
he hirtd I" enter the dangerous region
and make Il telling speech. he poe"
, gIli packed her >rantN WARDROBE" am'
started Tor the seat OF war. ON the ear.
she had IN IntImltI"n that she Wa'
, gong I" peru her ME. II not lose 1t
Strange I" say. Iu>I before the tran
u reached the town where she WIS t,
speak. Il member of the committee re-