The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1877-04-19
Anna DfekinsOn's Defense
From the New York Worid.l

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II does not appear that Anna Dickinson
on the stage has ever reminded any body Of
anybody except Anna Dickinson. But
Anna Dickinson's epilogue On Monday
night reminds us powerfully Of David.
When the son of jesse originally started
out after Goliath it will be remembered
that, to use 4 me.ap hor which Miss Dickin-
son will appreciate, he was dressed to
kill" He had brass helmet on and =
coat of mail, and very possibly he wore q
yellow wig. Bet when he really needed to
do some execution he got out Of those
clothes AID picked up handful of smooth
stones and advanced upon the Philistine.
The result is notorious. Similarly Miss
Dickinson, having marched about very i'll
at ease, and in a more dismal frame of
mird even than her audience, through
four acts, pranced ont, alter the curtain fell,
in her old character Of lecturer, and all the
air was red with brick bats and all the audi
ence sat up straight and regarded her with
interest not unmipgled with amazement.
| We are bourd to say that her missiles were
throgn with great vigor and considerable
accuracy, though none happened to come
very near our own head u result which
We attribute entirely 10 the leniency OF
Miss Dickinson and the fact that cur criti-
cisu,s on her were of studious miidness. 1t
il not in the least TO her discredit as a
markswoman, iOr We did mark where
I ...af, kr.al-o ALL liytt of than a liz
on our esteemed contemporary Of the
Herald, which was knocked entirely Hat by
citations from its own columns, wherein
last May j. had mentioned that her pls Y
was good play, and lat week that the
person who thought it a good Piay was g
crawling creature and incompetent critic
OF the drama Also the bonbsrdment oi
our contemporary the Tribune was vigorous
Iy sustained, and lett the tall tower shape
les mass OF moral ruins.
We condole with our contemporaries, and
we are inclined to congratulate Miss Dick
inson. But she will observe that the sue
cess of her epilogue was at once recognized
hy tie audience which had sat apa.hetio
under her efforts as an actress She had
left eff the weapons she had not proved, the
business she had not learned, and put on
the weapons she knew something about
Her assault upon her critics was an rncon-
scious and curious confederation OF them.
What they had said she devoted herself to
proving. If she wishes 10 prove that sic
can act, however, she must do that by act
ing: it cannot be done by lecturing. If
she can persuade the public that she can act
she need go in no fear of the critics. She
has already shown them By lec,uring that
-he is not the weak and the oppressed. Let
her show them that che is an actress
and they will praise, as we'll as fear
her. The "criIics" have .iien said
that women could not act. Who in
fact did act so a. 10 continually
draw crowded houses. There il merit in
acting which commends critical admiration
ard public enthusiasm. Plainly Miss Dick
inson has not arrived ct that condition.
There is another merit in acting WHICH does
not take the critics, but which moves IN
critical crowds in subterrabean regions az
far below the scope or puryiew OF dramatic
criticism as the thrice popular Upper is
below the ken of literary criticism. We
fear that Miss Dickinson will never attain
to this eminence or wallow in this success,
and her lively lecture really does not prove
her ability to do anything whatever except
deliver lively lectures