, 1877-03-19
CHARLES MATTHEWS.


CHARLES MATHEWS.
An Hours Talk witt, n Dramatic Veteran.
Eond3n Wavfd.
The hnuF II 2 p. ill.,, the scene Helgrayia.
Wrnppedjn flannel dressing. EnNn, made gorge
GUS By cascades Of azure velvet Ills head covered
with au embroidered smokIuR-cai, his blue cycs
hparkltug With ntl their ot viraclty, the veteran
comedian proceeds: "This talk Of thu tcgencr-
acy OF the drama is all hurnbue. il Is IN old
stosy, and Is about rs true as most old stories.
] ain tired Of bearing Of the model rasts
OF times gone BY. recolleet them well
enough, and very good they werc; but things
erc done quite Us we'll now. stnce ! returned
home !lave seen two playa, Peril und New
Met, aud old Acrcs.' Now, without goine Into
say that at Ilo time within my experience could
they have lceti butter uctcd or tottrr nut upon
tbs stage" 4 little startled at this uptinlst
View q the british tlraRa. ne complain that
tnG K9bc5tt9nlal. plays, ft,r. instance, might
dies. "fou literary critics will hayc Your tic
oEiet, Of coursr; but don't you think you arc
trying tn make something out Of the drama
quite foreign to It's m!ssfDnt You insist on line,
nn'l rule, and form, Just as ytur gra.,tltathcrs
i,'sateI on llya acts ca their ancestors worried
themselves about tho nnties. The Object of
the tileatru appears to be mistaken. lis tunr-
tion y to atnuss, nut to teach; people eu to tho
rlaY fur amusement, not for Instruction. They
want to be cntcrtaingt; to be lifted out Of them
selvcsi to fau.h at the blunler. or CRY orer tho
trials u others; to get rid, in short, Of thur
Own particular misery. Why Do the critics III.
sist On something ut Variance with the spirit Ut
tho tne' Tic tlrana Vi, any period is fts l,rotl-
uct lust rs much rs its architecture, PARTING,
or nIualc An,,thcr important consideration
also overlooked by tho critics Is TINT the audi
etce OF to-tlay il not tile au4iicuru tur witch
{trttlln Htl Ffaf1r1p f1,rr a}nry
Is 1oa crcn tl!c audience Of fifty years ago The
nut1lcuce was cViiI.Nsctl, until almost recent
tltnes OF people wlIo llalt reA1 ittlle un trurel.
cd less and WIN, wheu they went to ttEc theatre,
could neither SEC nor hcar t.lD much. The lull.s
tirItles 0i the old plays no tionbt delighted tlu
people WHO listened ~ them; hut just louk ut
modern n:ay-g'cr wien he secs tho twb chairs
placed side by sitc. nnd you cunnCnce: Six.
Us It Wcrt, with great SORROW. ulId bows Ills
f,cal In silent wrctchctlness The instant one
suggests the Blghtttt alterattOn, the vuttl. uf
si'crc!, here, tl,s insertion uf u few wards
untlcr his arIn at'd procIafmK hfF intention Ut
taking II elsewhere. Douglas Jusrulu was fear
flll stntsrc VI tlu mprarticah!s uutllut. n,nl 70
was Sheridan Knowles. Thu Instant u,lc Offered
"f. tho f0incst thing In the play an,l lie Htno
tu hi" glaH, tta,, till lhu rEutc WIS PRODUCED.
Thc morning afser the first performance tho
,nnrIie nI M turned to WAN. 'Cnt ust What "
icrkel n,st III .c:,Nrl.s tones. 1t Il llu regular
rule. All, II thcy wuuIl onty cut ~ frccir tho
tiny btiute a. thu day aitur low mu,h truulllu
a''.l how many there's would he savctll'
Ell tile rtHn Ut t!Ic ill tuau un is u.s, lila ft,r-
ttluu might be Tho same, aud that in any tusu
II would be wise author t!lat k1,rw jiia ow,,
p!cts after everybody hall workes, hls. llrr, anil
eyes twtnkIr tlits time with rare cmjoyu,vIt.
'sTat IL precisely what l,as happened tt, lna,Iy
Of the nlnst klseccssful pieces 0t modern ttlct,
Without a}lutl,nE to Il certain inrre With wjri,
my hume IL Mss4NEntc,1, may lrt B,,t the Mo.
verbal cat ~ fur ~ Il, tcl sui thut .I.o,l,lon
Asaurnyrt, nty lu suIl tu urc tepn con .,l,.trly
rewritten Oh tlip stage, absolutely on tlr sinut,.
every line 0f It. Atr. l3ollrcs.I!lt wua rctark.
ably 0uick and clever III taking al,u utilizing
hints a,ll as tho company was c,s1ltOso<l of ir,t
ME who kt,g,Y tl,cir sft,.ss tn. httte vnr,. fru
aucnt. Alteration. fulIowc'1 altcrutIo;, DIV l,y
day, untIt the cupy!<t bccan,e lr4uralp: Bit
highly su.rcssful at ll.c time, but strors cnouyi
10 keep the stage ever sine. Tie fnct l., that
4 literary nans accustomed 10 t.i,,k, to rcasun,
tn explain, tn write s.ys;nnlwIcf E,t la, e,I,.
to dilute II with talk, often trtJlant, pitty. nj.
nirai,jc-cyrrywI,cr but in n n,av. liz r,a'Is
hfs pct hits to lis friends in nic.r,aeal iuslun
Il little at time; they npplal,l, md tl,r,r an.
plauss is genuine, l.s atlst thry Ii, t,nt ar st
1le luz cat tu say Ut one sitting. NnthJur n,je.
els atl autIn,r i.,trc than tcec fnrtul rn,li1I,,
Ut his work. Tie Ilulls asr lair pi,s.,iE in t!rui.
sclyrs, but when nut together tcy Duniliru Vi,
uprustlrs,h'c munster. fthuk AUTHORS oyrrlo,k
fur t.Iu frv.ll,cnlsy tint tbs etsclN,. ,f drama il
tlI1t lis Mrsullurs ehu,,id tt1 ennrti,,u,.. ,,nt
I'LL; anut it-tIlat to e1yu yol, u, EXTREME illus.
trat,n,l, That wo.l 10 tiis lwst- I'll drama
tell ttx story .utnrlrtrjy, Thu 1wrsut,s IN ihu
sret,t, xlo,,lf iii things not talk r;,iIyr n,,l
rxplu!n what Is supIAscl to la,u bcc,. tlu,,u uIt