New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-30

belong TO the year 1901, WHICH, Dul"ol OohOuS'
"Not so Bad as We SEEM" was acted by Charles
Dickens and 0tner amateurs fer The beneht OF the
newly instituted Guild of Literature and Art. The
play was first produced at the Duke of Devonshires
town residence, before the Queen and Prince
Albert, and was afterward performed MANY times in
public theatres. Dckens's letters to Bulwer daring
this dramatic campaign are good illustrations oil
the acuteness and force of his literary criticisms,
his extraordinary gifts theatrical manager ana
the unaffected delight with which he recognized tue
genius and the successes OF a brother author. lie
wrote TO Buwer, on receiving the Ms. OF the
comedy:
| think il most admirable. Full Of character;
strong IN ini crest rich in capital situations, ana
Ierf0I1 10 40 uOb;y You know how highly Thought
of Money! but | sincerely think these three aCIs
finer / did not think OF the sllght Suggestions you
make. but ! said, en- po3sGn that perhaps tne
drunken scene might do better on the stage little
concentrated. | don't believe it would require even
that, with the leadingup which you PROPOSE /
cannot say too much of the comedy to express what
think and feel concerning IT. and lock al IT, 700;
remember with the yellow eye OF an actor
should have taken to 1t need say so con Gst0re III
any case but | should have been jealous OF your
reputation exactly as appreciate your generosity.
If | had q misglylng OF ten lines shCuIu haNo
scrupulously mentioned It, ~
Stone will take the Duke capitally; ana VIII
answer for his being got INTO dong II c@y NcL.
Looking down the perspective oil le" , wihteI
evenings here, | am confident about nun. FOrsIer
will be thoroughly sound and real. Lemon Is 80
surprisingly sensible and trustworthy on the stage
that don't think any actor could touch MS part rs
he will: and | hope YOU will have opportunities OF
testing the accuracy OF this prediction. Egg tugl
to do the Author to absolute PerlecIion. as 10
Ierrold-there he stands III tue play! would pro-
pose Leech well made up FOR Easy. lie Is Goou
name and see nothing else Tor him .
This brings me to my own part. ii we haa any,
one or couid get anyone, for Wilm0t could do Il
Think something near your meaning IN Sh Gtl-
bert that let HIM go with pang Assunp ION mas
charms for mel hardly know for how many VIVA
reasons-so delightful. that feel loss OF, oh
can't say what exquisite foolery, when lose q
chance Of being someone in voice, ETC., not at all
like myself Bnt-I speak quite freely, knowing
Won viii not mistake me- know IRON experience
that we could find nobody 20 hold the play together
in Wilmot if | didn't do II. THINK could iOuch
the gallant, generous. careless prctcnce, with he
real man at the bottom of It, so as TO take the audi
ence with him from the first scene. am quite sure
understand your meaning: and ain absolutely
certain that as Jerrold Forster and stone came IN
could as a mere little bit OF mechanics. present
them better 10y doing that part and paying as much
attention to their point, as my own, than another
amateur actor could. Therefore ! throw M my cap
for Wilmo and hereby devote myself TO HIM, heart
and head!
everyone Is greatly improved he writes to
Buwer, during the progress OF the rehearsaiS
am resolved that whenever we come to weak place
in the acting it must somehow or other be made
strong one The places that l used to be most
afraid of are among the best points now" The per-
formance at Deyonshire House brilliantly sue
cessful and the public representations aiterward
| excited the keenest popular interest Dickens
| wrote hearty letter to Bulwer, In the midst oil
these dramatic campaigns which deserves to he
coped as graphic piece of description. The reader
will not fail TO note how wildly the enthusiasm
| and triumph of the evening are rendered IN a lew
rapid and unprecedented touches:
left Liverpool at o'clock this morning, and am
50 blinded by excitement, gas and waving hats aud
handkerchefs that can hardly see 10 write, but /
| cannot 90 to bed without telling you What "A
triumph we have had. Allowing for the necessarily
heavy expenses OF all kinds believe we can hardly
fund less than a Thousand Pounds out OF TINS TRIP
alone. And, more than that, the eXtra0rdlnary
interest taken in the idea OF the Guild by this
grand people of England down in these vast hives,
and the enthusiastic welcome they give II, assure
me that we may do what we will II we VIII only be
true and faithful TO orr design. There Is q social
recognition OF il which cannot give you the least
idea of. sincerely believe that we have The Oill
at our feet and may throw II up to the very Heaven
of heavens And ! don't speak Tor myself aiOle'
but Tor all our people, and not least of all for for
Forster, who has been absolutely stunned by the
tremendous caTnestncss of these great places.
TO tell you especially after Your aiteclonate
letter. what | would have gwen TO nave hau you
there would he idle. But can most seriously say
that all the sights of the earth turned pale III my
eyes before the sight OF three thousand people Win
one heart among them, aud no capacity in them, IL
spite of all their efforts, of sufficiently testiiyhg TO
YOU how they believe you to be right ana lei mat
they cannot do enough to cheer you on. hey I'M
gou mare seen "a as we'll as you do. They allowed
nothing to escape them. They rose up, when II
was over, with perfect Jury OF delight, ana the
Manchester people sent fequlsit0n aiter Us 10
Liverpool to say that if we will 90 back there IN
| May, when we act at birmingham las OF course we
shaD they will jOytully undertake to I'LL the Free
| Trade Hail again. Among the Torres OF Liverpool
the reception was equally enthusiastic We played.
two nights running, to hall crowded 10 the rool-
| more like the opera at Genoa or Milan than any
! thing else ] can compare 1t 10. We dined at the
| Town Hall magniGccnty and II made no difference
in the response. said what we were quietly deter
mined to do when the Guild was given as the toast
| of the night and really they were so noble and
generous IN their encouragement that ! should nave
| been more ashamed OF myself than nope ] ever
| snail be if | could have felt conscious d having
ever for a moment lalered IN the work.
| will answer for BIImlugham-lOr any great
| working town TO which we chose to 20. We have
! won position for the idea which years upon years
| of labor could not have given It, believe It's
| worldly fortunes have been advanced IN this last
week fifty years at least. ieebly express To you
what Forster who couldn't be at Liverpool ana has
not those shouts ringing IN his ears has ielt from
the moment he set foot in Manchester. Believe me
we may carry perfect fiery cross through the North
OF England, and over the Border III TINS cause II
need be-uOt only 10 the enrichment OF the cause,
but to the lasting enlistment OF the peoples SYM
have been so happy IN all this that could have
cried on the shortest notice any time since Tuesday.
| And | do believe that our whole body would have
| gone to the North Pole with me if had shown
! them good reason for It, .
| ] hone | am not 50 tired but that you may be able
to read this. nave been az II almost necessarily,
day and night. for a week and am afraid my hand
writing suffers. But IN al! Other respects am only
| a giant refreshed
We meet next Saturday. you recollecti Until
then and ever afterward.
Believe me, heartily yours.
The extraordinary effect of these plays. given
during what Mr. Forster calls the period of spen-
did strolling" was in great measure owing 10 the
care with which Dickens superintendent the minutest
details-another example of his habitual thorough
ness When Bulwcr gave private theatricas
at Knebworth, Dickens was naturally the chief
support of the undertaking. " Once in thing like
ths-Once in everything, to my thinking-it must
be carried out like a mighty enterprise, heart and
soul"
My DEAR BULwER-LYTTON,-On the principle OF
postponing nothing connected with the great
scheme. / have been to Ollivicr's, where found
our friend the chOremuSicOn in a very shat
tered state-hls mouth wide Open-the greater part