The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-04-12
Anna Dickinson.
Her Reply 10 her Critics.

The New York papers contain full accounts
OF Miss Anna Dickinson's reply to her critics,
made at the Eagle Theatre Monday night.
When the curtain fell on the play it was almost
Immediately raised and Miss Dickinson stepped
forward in her blonde wig and robes in which
when last SEEM she was about to be led to exc.
cution. She began by saying she did no OBJ
Ject to criticism, to being called no actress, or
to being called ugly. What she complained of
was deliberate Justification of the facts in
regard to her and her play. She quoted from
the Tribune the assertion that she had made
failure in Boston, and said that after only four
days rehearsal, after sleepless nights and anx-
GUS days-seventy hours without sleep an =
enteen without food-during which she had
lost seventeen pounds Of flesh she appeared be-
fore 5000 people in Boston. She was not elated
when the first, second and third acts passed
away without any of the audience retiring; bat
when they remained till the close and called
her before the curtain, she felt that her play
was not failure She directly charged the
Tribune with falsehood, several times repeated
In commenting upon herself and her play; and
She quoted the Boston papers and the papers
OF other New England and Western cities, al
most unanimous in the opinion that the plaT
would be the most successful historical drama
OF modern times Referring to the production
OF her play in New York, she told the difficult
ties and suffering that she had met with. She
had in times past felt SO strong that she thought
she could bear anything But what could she
do against the papers ofiNew York-'a small,
weak, sick, miserable, crushed, heart.broken
woman?' "God knows" she said, 81 was al
most crushed, but L struggled on, as L will |
struggle on; because, having taken hold of my
work in life to do, will not lay it down until L
utterly fail. was hoarse from the same cause
that am hoarse to.night-because 1 have
swallowed SO many tears that have strangled
me. went heavily through my
work because my heart dragged my
hands and feet until could scarcely move
Them" During the delivery of this part of he
addr ess Miss. Dickinson's emotion moved her
audience deeply, and the applause that followed
was hearty in the extreme. Miss Dickinson
added that but for the New York critics her
audience here might feel for her as they did in
cold, critical Boston, where :every one agreed
that her play was great success, until they
read the New York papers the next afternoon.
She closed by saying, "Al ask is that the
New York papers do what some of them false
ly said they have done-give the facts about
me and my work, not simply here, but else
where. What ask of all good, kind, generous
people is that they do not form their opinion
from what the New York papers say, but give
Anna Dickinson chance to show her work:
come and listen to it. Then if you condemn it,
Anna Dickinson has not one word to say in
reply" Miss Dickinson bowed herself off the
stage amid hearty applause
In editorial comment on this remarkable
scene the New York Evening Post says:
Miss Dickinsen's appearance before the low.
erei curtain of the Eagle Theatre last night
was touching, almost a tragical affair. She
came in the robes of the tragedy queen to
plead. not for Anne Boleyn but for Anna Dick
inson, not for the woman of the play, but for
the real woman, with an oppressive weight of
what she believes to be injustice, upon her soul.
Ii, as Miss Dickinson says, wall has been
built up between her and her friends in New
York, her passionate wall has effectually thrown
1t down, and we may safely say that there is no
one even OF her critics who is not touched to
something like tenderness by her CRY of distress
She has mistaken the attitude of the New York
journals, we think, but she suffers not the less
because her notion of their temper is erroneous
Of the actor who plays leading part in high
tragedy, and OF the author of the tragedy, they
nave been critical, as it was their business to be-
but for Miss Anna Dickinson personally, thew
have, we are sure, very high and sincere
regard; and now that she appeals to us in the
character not of confident actor challenging
our admiration of her art, but in that of a
struggling woman beset by difficulties, hurt to
the soul by criticism which she has mistaken
Tor sign of hostility, swallowing tears of Bit
ferness until her voice is choked, declaring her.
self to be small, weak, sick, miserable,
crushed, heart-broken woman" we have not
thought but to help her,
We n,gnt nope to accomplish that end, we
snoulo endeavor to remove from Miss Dckin
son mlnd the thought that the newspapers of
new YORK are in any way hostile to her We
honestly think that She is mistaken in I ha1;o,;r
tnis 10 Dc SO, and We know that no feeling nf
hostility, no desire to prevent her sncces, in u,
her new calling, has lurked beneath Iina
that has been printed in the Evening Post.
Miss Dickinson came to New York to act
the leading part in tragedy of which she was
the author, and in doing that the subjected
herself necessarily to criticism. The authorized
critics OF all the newspapers expressed their
opinion of the play and of the acting. The
verdict was not favorable, and Miss Dickinson
thinks in effect that it was not Just. Let US
not say her nay. Critics are fallible, and their
opinions are only the Iopinions of individual
men whose business it is to look for the good
time thap oints 10 pays and 10 playing. Some
I,me tney are wrong in their judgments, and
sometimes the Judgment of some of them
aniiectiy contradicrs the Judgment of others.
ferhsps they shave been wrong in this case.
ana m;d we would gladly have the public give Miss
DICKINSON the benefit of the doubt. Let ms
say, in her own words, ''Do not read what the
New York newspapers say and then sit in
Judgment, but give Anna Dickinson a chance
with her own work. Go and see and listen"
If Miss Dickinson can please the public. if sbe
can so act that large numbers of persons shall
wish to see her performance again and again,