New-York tribune., 1879-01-02
THE DRAMA-SIUSIC.
, THE BANKERS DAUGHTER.

who originally discovered and PROMULGATED tho I'M
portanee.-as connected with the business OF writing
either for about the stage,-of knowing how TO
wear dressooat; and, moro urgent stil of having
dresscOat TO wear. In the presence. accordingly,
OF dramatic production from the pen Of this
gentleman, 1t is not unnatural that the observer
shOld cast bis wlsnfui eye IN eager quest OF that
victorious garmsnt. Mr.. Howard rises nobly
e1s!on There are eight men his drama OF The Bank
er's DaushteE." and every Of them gets into his
drecoa long before he gets Of his troubles Great
therefore, Is the merted OF this play. and
ended the long agony OF waiting with which the
Nation has ye3rned for fts American drama! IL
used 10 he thought, by persons who bother their
wits with the history Of American ge. thst
Der OF good plays have been written in America,
and tlst the store Of our dramatic htera-
turr II cUDiOas, least considerable That, II
seems, ecror aud nOby has Il been denounced
from those local nurseries FOR dramatic crItes winch
are now CoiumDias pride. Never tn this instant Las
the genius o. naive land bestowed ulon
q National Play. FROM tAis time onward
nave Native Drama. and there viii be
occasion hereafter suggest 10 The suffering
Muse 81 thc sCar-sPang.ed Banner that, in the
ancnage Of the rural editor large dose of psneSyrr.
on Email lump Of sugar is often good for an infant
with the stOmaGh-ache."
The salient features Of tiIs American play be char
aycTized peculiar. It's for example, being dis
tncdvc.y American, pass caehy 10 the city OF Paris.
one OF The prnciai persons who figure in II Is
French COun; Who is famous duell;-t IT.
most prominent incident IS duel, foucnt with small
swords, tie American manner. what seems 20 be
me courtyard OF Pur1'An palace tde banks OF the
Sel!,-a place much fr-Guan Ell by duesJs from Amer
c, the CLASH aud report Of whose weapons, It II We'll
Known. often disturb Paris,sn gentlemen while
/ their deyottons SOtre Dana Tie situation on
which t is grounded, tOO-hs betrothal, namely OF
ady. who loves Another, 70 reh gentleman WHOM she
does love, whose wealth wiz hrr distressed
8lher from the incoayclienccs OF DsnEmptcy-i, nos
ouy racy OF American SOL blt strikugly new aud fresh
RCh p rSOrs OF American breeding. iHvarablv
/ matter OF fact, wish TO marry reiuctdn. glrs,
ana always have passi0n-bOuHdlrSs as our
prdiues, and bounding bufaUes-fo
write checks for fabulous Of money,
relieve their afflicted slres BulNer foresaw thls
with science more sagacious thau Que praise
worrhy, borrowed from III HOWard's novel comedy
the central idea for the last act Of bis LADY Of
Lyons TAe situation would hardly have occurred
10 American; but, those whose privilege 1t Is
contemplate American society frou the tan o. dress
coat consider the spec lclc afforded bv IN Amer
Gentleman wIo, his Partisan drawing-roOm,
iuo9- himself be made the uuInt~I nj butt OF
covert impcrtnence, natural aud highly effective
Incident. W. should hardly have thought, eItnrr tnat
well-bred ani representative American woman, after
s.Ver yeas of welded ife and after haviAg become
Il mother, would feel moved aPolo giZe to
Another for not having married hun ins.ead
his rival! To I've however, Is 10 learn and We learn
here, not only that t1s is national cOmedy-ncidrnt
but essentially American thai il - calculated 10
CRATE most harshly foreign mind nf French
and dHrllsts. The ensuing situation, accordingly.
ls at once explained, -WHeren. at the 'oOt OF the
Grand Staircase, IN the house o; the American
Minister France, the enrased Count scratches and
even sjaps AnJtn. r-lelyHg him unto mortal COM
Bat for having made love friends wife and
meuted hJs offence ny accepting her apology. The death
Of Another hands Of get Gaul
4 fff+lo h.uFf haop fu1aa orf,y
drop for extiu.ulshed couniryman: bot Ike
grieving listener I. relieved. and even com
forted 70 hear, after this catastrophe. jubi-
laut and n0gOriting performance Of the mar
/ tal airs " America NOthinI. certainly could be
more appropriate under these national circumstances.
han nterrogative strains Ot say, you seer"
which are SVEN TIth great VgOr by Mr. TssIpgOn'
band.
There are pscuiarities in The Bankers Daughter"
however-and still in acting of it-which
are WORTHY and eOnJnendable broad grounds
of sympathy With high ideal OF conduct
and with human nature it's TRIALS and afl ctiOns.
There : a noble sketch OF manly strength aRd ma.
naunItv There is atOuching sceBe-between who
oves hui IS enoush to be able 70 reuounce. and
woman wno ice!s thut OGgnt to love. bus whose
heart Is swayed by passion not yet renounced IIe
SITUATION 10 sure il produced by irrational means
and through imr0sshie occurrences; but, when pro
duce4 II ". psi hetc. magn ARp1ns and human.
Thereis = gaod psre OF eccentric ed
I with delightful eruStIneSs ana IoYlbe -hlshcs OF
] feeling and sentiment by J. H. stoddart. There
sone tender little plssage5 about children. wich quite
touch the heart There is delicate BIT OF autumnl
/ sentiment between two old men. at the close
There an image OF tTu. masculine sweetness and high
chlyalric thiBsng tae embodimant gwen by CEules
Thorne Aud tIere i--sde from the snrill. explosive
! mOmrnts-some instructive illumination OF woman's
heart in the earnest sympathetic. graceful perforan
OF Miss sara These things and the respondent
4 scenery, AMI the rather fsG-feiehed carcatuie
| ,lcmrnt. supplied by Polk aud LR Meyne-and. in
| these instances acted with shining abiiiiy-Ofer
the work for thought artistic OF view
The Indication Is that win shaping sHd
Controlling power TO guide his dramatic instinct. :,
| Mr. Howard might make a play that wound stand
! IA stngeiteratnre A. present the mind OF this
writer appears to obey almost Of compost
ZION that occnrs it, and 10 dt with whatever current
snJping-wiihou endeayOrng TO control and di-
rert its fow The Bankers Daughter" accordingly,
a. might e expected l. r. more the accident OF
Der OF crude i'm pulses than the firm, round
! concentrated creation OF central purpose and
settled design. Ito incidents allowed u
occur neither be pobabic sequence OF actual life
NOR an that delicate strain of the eIaegeraion OF actua
hfe whch constitute. the ideal, but chance or the
supposed necessity Of management OF the scene
may happen slgy st The father o: tse heroine for
instance at a critical n is made 10 act like des
peable traitor aud crd'i snnaursi villain when ne
in fact, Il pat forward as conscientious acting
from the best OF motives. TAIs ia no. ONLY
unnatural. bat, artist in dramatic writ
ing ia unnecessary. Nowhere In Hr Howards
WORK do we recognize tnat law of Intrinsic
necessity whereby natural action should proceed IN
dramatic movement, should cease for dramatic lea
SOM. The IN ,trrals for play are present but ney
are scattered about all directions, ike the line
stone the ains ard mortar and all the rr-i o. the para
! pne-naIC which la6oTers gather when they mean
! to buIid. The Result is a general Ar Oi intention,
,c,,vv and dirusvc effort, cOnmagicd with ~ unsat-
se ory -ei-r Of du1taIiOn and iurpmpletcncss The
/ here Is mn IknVHI.n.