, 1879-02-09
BOSTON,.
Carnival Suggestions and Future
Promises.
How Boston Audience Received Mr.
HoWells' New Play"
A New Field for Gail Hamilton---
Violet Fame.
From Our 0rt7l Correspondent,

| BOSTON, fCU. 3.-N3AA LIE carnival over 1nt
tho sleighing gone, Boston turns its face theatre
wards once more, with still hankcriug for th
frccr delights of Carnival pleasures, where ON
could move about from place to place, instead
OF being confined to special seat for the even
t ing.
Brunetta says that, for the first time at the
/ atricat entertainment, woman had the sam.
| freedom as her brother, who goes out betwee.
| tll. acts ssto see q p,"-she could roam about
at will, not to carry out the little fiction afore
| said, but Us a means OF rest, and with the nleas
ant chance OF meeting friends and acQuaint
anccs. 1t is really the case that, SO great wa:
the success OF the Carnival. some Of the public
prints seriously considered the matter precisel,
/! from this point-of freedom from the contiue
ment OF the ordinary entertainment where one
is boxed Ia for the evening between one's
| ncighbors, and in this consideration there was
| involved the suggestion Of making entertain
! nents OF this kind permanent, where freedom
| OF action between the scenes Or acts would be
| the rule. Of course, the conservative theatre.
goer
| WILL CRY OUT AT THIS,
and Immediately ask how acting or other scenic
| displays arc to be possible, when q crowd OF
people are rustliug about from point to point,
losing signt Of the fact that it isn't consecu-
tive drama that is proposed, but detached req
resentations like the "a1asque Of Co1nus, u
which found every listener and onlooker at the
Carnival fixed and fast until the curtain fell,
OF course we shan't have any Of this kind all at
! once without inperfcctions, aud we are not
likely to have it all at once anyway; out some
OF us have firm hopes, aud with reason, that
eventually We will attain to this novel anu to-bc-
desired innovation as restful variety to our
entertainments.
Now 1 AIN on this topic of thcatricals, ]
mustn't pass BY
LAST EVENINGS RECEPTION IN BOSTON
of Mr.. Howels' adaptation from the Spanish OF
the piece called * New Play" Alr. Howells
Is layorite in Boston. "A witty New Yorker
suys OF him that be is more Bostonian than the
natvc-born. Without entering into consid-
Grafton uf this matter, have merely stated the
The audience who gathered last evening, there
fore, were largely composed Of his friends,
either personal or those general admirers who
follow to applaud. They we're very sure tlat
they were going to be more than delighted.
They had got the idea that this piece was to be
Mfr. Howefls' chef d'Guure, and that they were
to be taken by storm quite of their feet.
BUT, AFTER THE FIRST LITTLE BURST OF VEL
COME,
the premonitory promise OF what they ex-
pccted IRON the rank aud file Of the AUDIENCE.
from the personal friends. there was no further
warmth. One Of the journals. the most
favorable to Mr.. Howel1s always, says:
''That the piece did not meet with ul,-
qualified favor was soon very plain, and
before the end of the third net it was obvious
thata majority Of the audience were not we'll
plcaseo.' Alter this admission there is this
amei;orating conclusion: Nevertheless, the
merits Of "A New Play are Of high and re-
markable order, and we snail be sorry II wc
cannot make our admiration for its virtues shine
through our consciousness of its fauts.'' But
this is just what it mas been found impossible to
do. The paperfaand an+ Other S:I papers
virtues which ought to shine down
the faults; but rs YET tile general public, :tnd,
indeed, those who odmire Alr. Howells, find that
the faults predominant. That the play, in its
adaptation, abounds in elegant English, no
one denies, but y
MIR. uowELLs SHOWS HIS SKILL NOWHERE ELSE.
The piece required lifting aud lighting up from
the dismal Spanish tragedy, and one would GER
ta;nly have thought that A1r. Uowcls in his
IS adaptation u might have ''cut " here and
there and intcrpolatcd elsewhere, sandwiching
in some Of the wit aud humor for which he is
lckers through the dense ureaness of the
slow-moying drama. It is all unreleyed black-
ness, and a general moan and lament from be-
ginning to end, winding up with chorus of
l0"l5. Do5tDu ptop1E AIE IAt1lcT lOuu OI seuLl-
mental tragedy, but this was too much unre-
leyed, too heavy, in Short, spite OF its fine
be received with auy warmth of
welcome. There is little laughing SURPRISE
which have heard expressed in some quarters,
that Mr.. HowelIs, who is
PROPER, NOT TO sac sQuEAa11su,
in his judgments anti ''vicws," should have had
to do with piece where tile question of marital
arises. Some one has suggested that
perhaps the sedu'ous suppression OF anything
like wt or humor is Mr. Howclls' war ot dciin-
ing his position iu this atmosphere Of Spanish
intrigue; that he thought no harm could come
to auybody's morals where the general tone Of
things WIS no: 80 so!cmn,-a conclusion which
nobody would dispute. But, to sum it all up.
the play is . SUCCESS in Boston: people arc
eyen the most sanguiue. Ther
say that it gives no fine opportunities to their
tavoritc, LAWRENCE Barrett, and the popular
Leading lady Of the Museum, Miss Clarke.
IT'S WHAT THEY DID NOT ExrECT
and did not want-unrelieyed tragedy.
Another ripple Of question ind criticism |
which seems to bc gaining ground is in regard |
% the new book OF British poets, called '|9ihe
bears upon its titie-page the information, Ed
ted BY james 7. Fields andE Edwin P. Wlipple." !
file italic under the conjunction is mine, to |
ooint the purpose. Literary peopleat first were
/ little surprised when they saw air. Whipplc's |
1ame thus playing second hdlle to James T.
perfectly we'll know that, according to all the |
avs OF established reputation and literary |
aste and culture, Mr.. WhiDDle's name should |
layc been first, if the book had anything or !
lis impress in selection. Perhaps, how
.ver, he had simply lent his name to adorn
he page, and had merely given approval OF the
But, upon investigation, it turns
tut not to be the case. 1t turns out, Instead,
hat
tK. WH1pPLE Is REALLY THE LITERARY EDITOR
# the book that, in short, alt tho literary work
f Inc book, the selection, and compilation,
re his. The question and criticism after this |
comes in with its WHY aud wherefore !
Mr.. Fields precedence. 4 matter
# precedence sometimes is mere matter OF
crcmony, ami does no harm one way or an
thcr; but in this case it is not only an injustice
o MIR. Wnipple. who docs the work, but to the
ublc, who have the right OF choice as to whose
'ork they will buy. Those who know Mr..
yhipp1e know perfectly well that he is much too
lodes: and retiring 3 man to make any
rotest about this, but this knowledge only dis
Crbs his friends still more, and makes them
eel like making tor him individual protests, or
-hich the present writing may he numbered |
mons them. If Mr.. Whipple was imbucd with
Jnle Of
GAIL HAM1LToS's
he would erter the .7fnlds person.
[ly prepared forcon1est, aud come off vi5torious |
tile first charge.
I want now TO tell another secret Of tThc
[asgue of the Poets" | was entrcatcd, by the
av, III a letter, week or two ago, from yc i
Dodiy City Of Chicago, and from one of yu |
r,.af}nrs of 'TrTRUEE tn nj nil |