Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-11-10
Rather Severe On the Fashionable
Reauty.

Rather Severe the Fashionable
Reauty.
The Times says: at is likely that most
persons were anxious 10 discover whether
Mrs. Langtry resembled the Venus de Me.
| dici' or something by Tintoretto or Car
paccio; perhaps even Venetian lady,
painted by Sebastian. Artists aud aesthetic
conference.-the Mr.. Wilde, who appears to
understand women better than most of us do
-had prepared us for the blooming beauty
of Veronese. But Mrs. Langiry is merely a
very good-looking, bright-faced woman,
whose like may be found 10 our streets at
any time. She has not handsome counte-
nance, though both her face and her presence
win sympathy at once. She has the right
hight of women, the hight OF 'Rosalind' in
the thought of Orlando There is a gen.
tie, subdued refinement in her manner which
speaks far more eloquenly Than her acting
does. Mrs. Langtry is not, il may be said as
frankly as Possible, an acceptable actress.
There was nothing in her performance last
night which indicated that her intelligence
or her instinct belongs 10 the stage. She does
| injustice to her personality, in fact, upon
the stage. There can be no question as to
the genuine charm OF this personally. But
the charm of it vanishes curiou-ly in her
acting. On the stage, in spite of herself, she
is affected and artificial. She does not re-
produce hersef, nor does she reproduce nat
urally, spontaneously another character. She
makes herself simply self-couscioas. Mrs.
Lsngtry has a sweet, thin voice, which she
uses in a sehool-girlish fashion. At mo-
ments, when force is required, she attempts
to throw out her voice suddenly, and her
tones become, therefore plaintively shrill
There is monotonous lack of expression
above all, in her voice. Her gestures are
hardly less expressionless. Both her gestures
and her pastures ave strained and awkward
She is at ease only when she is In repose
As TO her conception of the character OF
Hester it is hardly needfulto speak Of that
Her grasp OF the character was both wanting
in vigor and, seemingly, intelligence. There
was a sameness of mediocrity in her way of
illustrating the gradalions of the part. Her
weakness at the important situations was in
contestable. During the first and second
acts of the piece her performance coald
hardly have been more colorless than il was;
during the last act her ability to
depict a character placed in a dramali-
cally complex position-to utter sarcasm
and tenderness in breath-was unpleasant
absent. We have attempted in this criticism
to treat Mrs. Langtry as amiably as possible.
Her right TO critical and, therefore, serious
attention is, it should be borne in mind, a
peculiar right. She is, above all, subject
which is interesting to the newspapers. The
newspapers do not pretend 10 be impartial to
merit. They talk about what is talked about
A newspaper is the book Of The moment
The past and the future are, in a sense, dead
to it. In its sight permanent worth and
Immortality are things set frigidly apart
from the daily grind of life. Those who
assail the newspaper because 1t Is not the
eulogist of genius forget what The newspaper
is made for. The newspaper chronicles to-
day. 1t is the NEST contemporary and IN
feeling of realists. If O,car Wilde, or Mrs
r &
be popular, the newspaper record. his popu-
larity. 1t is, thus, needless TO find fault
with newspaper because it is not a Tacitus
or an Emerson. Small attention may be
given to Mr.. Herbert Speucer-a great man
and one who belongs 10 the ages. Pages of
print are accorded TO Mrs. Lsngtry. But
there is compensation here. The Influence
of the thought of Spencer lives and grows
1t represents fame. The popularity OF
Mrs. Langtry will pass away quickly. 1t
represents noioriety. The difference between
notoriety and fame is the difference between
a caudle-light ard a starlight. A mediocre
person who is industriously talked of at the
moment reminds one of the street-lamp flame
which, when one looks through it at the
moon, makes the moon seem Insignificant. 1t
is Mrs. Langtry's fortune and misfortune that
she is notorious. She has reached the top
most hight of public fstuity. 1t cannot be
said that she is considerably judged and re-
spected. She has merely won the privilege
of being discussed, Photographed. As cub
ject of notoriety she is astonishingly success
lul. She admits, in her interviews with the
reporters, that her ideas upon. acting are
SomeVhat vague; mat, In 1act, she is
novice in her eWn business. She depreciates
herself judiciously. Sue understands as well
az others understand, that she is not an artist.
Yet, trading upon her notoriety, che demands
the salary OF a really great and brilliant
artist. Nine Bernhard and Mrs. Langtry
are, looked at from freezingly practical
money standpoint, on the same plane
As this is Mrs. Langtry's stand
point, we do not hesitate TO make
use Of it. But, regarded from any other
standpoint, how wide apart they are If Mrs.
Langtry had attempted to write books or to
cut statues, or to paint pictures, honest criti-
cism would have assailed her at once with
becoming ridiclle. Tout de meme acting is
an art, and the actor is an artist like The
poet, the sculptor, or the painter. Unfortu-
nately, it is held by many persons that act
ing is cemprehended and learned, as it we're,
spontaneously. An aggressive amateur, with
a vigorous social backing, breaks upon the
bewildered world as an artist. One who
knew nothing of the stage yesterday is an
actress to-day. In the circumstances Mrs.
Langtry}s success ct fooling people is lucidly
explained. 1t is perfectly clear that she i'm
poses herself as an actress upon those who do
not know what the art of acting IL, or who
have q SO superficial esteem for this srt that
they confound Mr.. Langtry, The actress,with
Mrs. Langtry, the favorite of English society,
the professional beauty the most dexterous
and charming poseuse Of the hour. The Times,
of London, upbraids Us because-to
use the 1fmes's words-we have Of
fered TO Mrs. Langtry an adulation
which Siddons alone should inspire. Our es-
teemed Contemporary OF London is altogeth-
er on the-wrong Track. London made Mrs.
Langtry, who came to us with ripe noto-
riety. Our own people have merely accepted
this estimable lady-who may, nevertheless
be laughing in her sleeve at us-at the En-
giish rate. 1t lie, one must admit, an I'M
pleasant duty 10 refer in this wise to a |
pretty and interesting woman. 1t is, one
may even say, heroic duty TO moralize |
upon her in cold blood. But criticism is not |
precisely gallsntry, and it is merely sensible, |
right and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES above all 10
the stage-to consider the acting of Mrs. |
Lapgtry from the preposterous standard set |
up by herself and BY her enterprisiDg mana
ger. Byron has said that 1ife's enchanted /
cup but spsrkles near the brim.' There is
always suspicion that a person raised
speedily to notoriety may have 10 say with /
'Childe Harold;
His had been quafied too quickly, and he found /
The dregS were wormMood.' p"