The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-16

uously betrayed "a that mans nature changes
every hundred years with the notifications
effected in his manners.
Nothing can br morS erroneous. The diiTu-
sion %, knowledge does moi les scn the sum
total of fccnganl emotion in The world. These
vital forces are Il fixed quantity. Knowlrdsc
only changes thr.r manifestations. culture
r'rrcsecs ihc Expression ui pain and passion.
ii does no; dc-,royth them. Sldons and G.rrick.
could they come back 10 ne, would ul.cnd u. by
In" rncr.v and amrtddc &c their words and
actions. We no longrr need % .0'c .iUi cor
rorcal symbolism 10 und rrstanl d spiritual fact.
and II il a physiological certainty that tiocncrgy
which is awakened in Us by real or simulated
suffering is not expended along our muscles.
hut along orr nerves ana at eur centres.
This viii cNplaln in part the substitution Of
emotional for passionate plays. as it explains
tn dccorum and scrmini. apathy Of modern
play house audiences.
Tho truth rs. we are not whit less romantic
than were our fathers. hut weurc less dramatic
in our li,c4 aud habits. We do no, feel lc.-
W. act lrss. Man is still tie niysl .ry that i'm
tcr'sts man. hut - man in our day hides his
character under the most parij cNtcrorS. the
PLAYWRIGHT must ~ dcrurrto find h.M.
In orl"r To- show that Mr. Buuci .uit did not
believe what he had written about The ehans" In
the mind of mankind during the ua-t bundled
years. IL is only necessary To- quote his 1Gl-,-
Qucnt stUt'mcnt. made with u prciiN 81 sincerity
-thu, the human mint always mainlaii, the
ssinc average level. As no man nui endowed
with sup'rhunau capacity % h"ir. r1n accept
both these statement. at the same time. pre-
sumo We. who nay our money, can take oar
! choice. b.; / do not feel ca,lcd upon ~ sub
scribe t. tho notion tina, there is always Il
Homer. a Virgil. % Shakespeare. in existence.
only that mankind f. not plnnscd to call thrm
forth. for do not understand that these trans
/ ccndcn, minds have anything 10 do with the
/ average Jewell"
Nor ran 10y the strongest Mort " the imngi-
nation conceive Of a Virgil or Shakespcar"
mutcly loungins through life. waiting for the
cue of action and the spur oi circumstance.
/ Genius. have always observed. Is s"li-asscr-
| tive. and muuldS the circumstance. As rule.
! il forces itself against the r'aiomi orancous
current. content 10 do what is ordained
No. MY dear s.. it f. the world that. having
something tu Doe done. waits ages Tor the Man
/ with q capital VI To- come and do II.
Then ~ Emerson says. the universal attracts
/ W. hccnuse it j. housed in an individual.
! What anazrs lnc more than nnj ding else is
/ the strange notion that Shakespeare Is editing
IL mornin.: news paper which morning ncwspa-
per is it,. and logically is in part responsible
for the destructive influence Of the press upon
the drama
Now. II ali the ten thousand things laid at the
! door of William. this Is unquestiOnably the
most unkird
Blu, / suppose it must be- classcd among Mr.
| Bouccaults errors o. judgment.
! II i;wrrc worth while to examine his errors
Of fact. | should have TO common 'e with lis
treatment of the press. IL j. nrAcu-ably le-
hind The times IN His picture 81 the editor. The
Jagged traditional hack that Ar paints. who
writes up the whole sheet oy tie yard. and
| learns 20 cover with Icrtnc-- of -tyie his hGid-
nns- OF trcatulcnt. and g. put satin face upon a
! shoddy argument. does not eSis, upon any i'll
i.lcutial journal. H. 80 tar IL me daily press
deals with art and literature. il employs the
best minds To- do is work. and the organization
and division Of labor are such that every de-
rartmcnt % thought receives the contributions
OF trained specialists.
As ior the press having destroyed criticism.
It has. on the contrary. created II. By educating
the public and giving them standards II value
it has made critics of them all II gives the
playhouse and the player a prominence 10y it,
discussions which. according 10 what Nlr. Bou-
cicau!i calls the u;lilaran a-c th,y DO not de-
serve. for they are non-prJtu er-.
Hedorarcs that the press must bee cruel 70 he
kind. You rrmemla that saying IL Puutu-;
" Nom IS, cT,osos, gtn ,o~.' So mGl'r"it o..
Well have not forgotten Il. hat should really
like to know whether Mr.. Bou irsut owes more
10 the tolerance or To the cruelty OF The press.
As the newspaper press has prosperrd. -
says Mr.. Bouccault. $50 in pr portion have
the poet. the novelist. and the dIaiAatist disap-
pcarcd."
Til. is most careful rcyersion OF the truth.
lust in proportion as ia" newspaper press has
grown have the novolists ana drarlati-is iu-
creased They have multiplied ten-fo.d within
TN hundred years. and this Is In strict arcg rd-
ance with the diffusion of intelligence. Instead
of having u Walter scott. We have uy actual
count twenty novcl.-i- who can and DO writ,
with an insight. 70 sSill. and an elo.uenco nj
one dcgrrs less than his.
In the commencement Of this century" "N.
claims Mr.. T.. the list Of authors headed D.
Byron. Shelley. Moor. scott. sheridan. Colo
man. Bu!wer. and Knowles. formed int a few
Of tAr lhnlanx. Where are their conpeers 81
this period -
TIL. astOundin. int'rrogatory Is addressed
to Charlie, H.sdc. vino is certainly of this p'-
Rod. But surely it doe not n""d a Charlie
li-ade 10 remind Mr.. Bouelcauit that Thach-
cray. Dickens Tcnnyson. Douglas Jerrold
browning. Swinhuriir. os.o Ihpi. Auer
la u. Robertson, Tom Taylor. Wagner. Hugo
arr Assoc; tbs period and ina; some co tll" u! l-
distinguished If them were H. direct and 20.
Tive outcome Of tue newspaper press.
Lam bound e. tell ynu. M frioni, that If {
dramatic critic wrra To- Writ with So little re-
gar! for the facts as CIR distinguished play
wri.:h, has shown. he would have To- coui!n.
himself to- tIe reviews. for the daily pros
would not tol. rate hnn.
lie declare, L.at tl.o most irroparablr loss IN
Afcd ol tu" agc rs 7,Gvl managers was ta'
loss oftradltion. IN this part uHr Nr. BoucI
D.