New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-08-29
THE DRAMA.
TWO MEN OF SANDY BAR.


The genius of Bret Harte is OF high order.
IL uses with the grace of spontaneous power tha' great
and victorious touch which calls up the smile ana INC
tear at the same instant It's art method Is Oolo ye'
delicate and subte so that makes itself felt beiore
makes itself understood American literature hau ho
received in the course Of many years. suCh e' ''ie
endowment as Bret Harte's first book OF STORIES ~ wac
vital with real character and with lrreslSuDie ho ~
nathos Beautiful attributes Of human nature anu pcau
eel of heroic conduct found in social outlaws
or in the victims Of hostile and cruel ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
tbe flowers that grow in the ecVices OF the
denieted in it. with poets tenderness ana an afsts
telictous precision "The still, sad music OF humanity
was heard through those pages and the countrymen OF
This author have listened to him ever since with their
hearts.
no oones before them now as a dramatist, and in his
D. Nov called "Two Men of Sandy Bar" which was pro-
dueed last night before numerous ana eager assem-
bage AT the Union Square Theater he has underworld
nv means of action to sound the stops which be
formerly sounded By means OF narrative Opinion VIII
greatly differ at present with reference to tie success OF
The experiment Our own impressions are generally al
verse 10 the piece; and think the verdict oil tlme
while II will recognize popular elements and respect
literary ability will reject tho drama, both because OF
e., INGREDIENTS and because Of the crude manner in
which they have been combined.
The niece indeed contains materals-by which we
mean character thought sentiment, passion humor ana
rsvs usually acted in this period But, when all is con-
ce5ed that this implies the remaining impression is that
Of panful effort distorted form, languid movement
and vagueness OF Specification. The merits are
strong bits of real character, situations made
pathetc by the contrast of innocence and repenlant
guilt flashes OF farce fun, glowing and eontrasted
strokes of color. and some epigram OF language 1he
ne, sons however, who used to interest when III story
rousng the Imagination and touching the heart-drop
down i'm this stage showing the level OF coarse COM
,nouplace There are sixteen OF them-mostlY black
guards They figure, through four acts AT OF near san
Francisco and most of the experiences through
which they or understood to pass arc
prepOsterOusly impossible The plot which twists up al
least four strands Of narrative is extremely eXasper
sng and suggests that sort of tangled sken which Its
owner promptly cuts in two tho middle an drops into
the fire. by way of making it straight To the spectator
who has not Mr. Hartes stories comprehension OF
it-involvng ything like correct and suitable idea
Of his genius - would be next TO impossible
In brief, the method of the sketch IS
no ADEQUATE substitute for the method OF the
dramatst-and the two conjoncd as they meet IN TINS
instance are like two spent swimmers that do cling to-
getber and choke their art" All the types OF character
with which Mr. Harte has generally dealt are reproduced
I'm the play and in this respect the work teens with fer
tility rank garden bat these characters are
found 10 be representative and not draatc they at
tract or they repe in consequence OF their condition ana
MOI their action: it is to what persons are and not TO
what they do that the attention is mostly drawn; ana
tAatas studOus observers of the stage have lately haa
occasion to remember in looking at Lord ByrOns Sar-
danapaus lis not the natural method OF dramatic art
play which stops portraiture OF the surface life OF
set of characters chosen region may have the value
of faithful photograph but 1t remains common in art
unless its substance haowed by the ideal touch Ihat
touch Mr. Hate given in his Stories aud that he may
vet give in drama but did not feel it in The Two
Meu OF Sandy Bar" The scene with the white dover
aud the schOostress and the scene OF the OLD man
blessing came nearest to it-recallng The Red Gulch
and ThonpsOn's Pro1igal The first two acts are
devoted 10 Illustrating the ENHANCEMENT of the persons
the other two exhibit show uurceiug Of everybodys
topsaiis There are mclOdranac situations, with rob
bers and with pisOls-but these arc thrown IN pretty
much as Capt Cuttleg hat by Mrs MacStAser, ana
they are turned iatO farce by their cCmiAaiiOHs Tho
best Of the piece is in the first two acts and
a bit Of the fourth. Whether perfection o.
form would commend the drama to different
estimate will be questioned. There IS no doubt
whatever though that the excelsior Of its yocicrous
profanity would greatly commend II 70 more patient en-
durance. Since the days when Julia Ward Howe's
dramatis persona filed in with brief utterance OF all
the heated monosyllables in the vocabulary, we
have heard no such public swearing as there
was IN Mr. Hartes piece last night. II was doubtless
in perfect Keeping with the extraordinary crowd that the
piece resuseated They probable, natural. and so
"a a garbage Darrell and one has as good a
title as the other to illustration in art. They
could win sympathy on the printed page
swathed in the glamor OF beautiful style
and made ptiable by that tender humanity which recoZ
good the dregs Of our race They are
different when they meet the eye-and the nosc-comng
up in sections like Of pins "At short distances
says Mr. Emerson, " the senses are despUiic"
These remarks denote a drama in which there are
diversified materials not always well chosen and not
often well used Tne popular elements, though,
and the fun of Mr. Stuart Robson, wiz noet the
play. Mr.. Robson but little rcsembied StoIboWe,
yet he was very funny and very clever Ar. Harry
Murdoch, as Sandy Morton, made the serious
hit Of the piece His performance was full Of feeling
and power and we'll brought 10 a climax. Mr.. Pa sloe
gave a skiuful and comic portrait OF the Chnaman The
acting in general was Indifferent, and some OF II was
bad. The scenery and dresses showed tasteful care
and a liberal mind The local coloring Is
strong feature in the piece 1t has 10 mcral-and no
immoral We have already only l0l printed sketch OF
the plot while the cast was printed yesterday The ap-
pausc was frequent and Mr. Rob on In particular, had
b hearty welcome and several recalls