Morning journal and courier., 1882-01-23

The London sHTtmes'' 8Rld Mrs. Lnngtry
 The austere Saturday Re0ieao thus takes the London Times to task for 8 recent notice of Mrs. Langtry's first appearance as an ac- tress
 Perhaps the greatest of M Sardou's faults is a tendency to personalities which is not peculiar to him among French critics, but from which English criticism has as g rule been happily free. It is safe to say that all French criticism has been distanced iB this respect by an article which appeared last week in the Tunes. The occasion of that article being written was a performance al the Haymarket Theatre of She Stoops tc Conquer in which. with one exception, the parts were taken by actors of mark. The one exception-the part of IHiss HG7'dc0stte, filled by Mrs. Langtry-was no doubt an i'm portant one. Mrs. Langtry appeared on this occasion as an amateur, anf we have no in tention of discussing her capabilities as an actress until the intention attributed to her of appearing as professional actress is car ried out. It does, however, seem desirable to call attention to the nature of the article referred to-an article which, we hasten to say, it is safe to conclude from internal evi dence, was not written by the regular dra- matic critic of the Tunes This remarkable
 production of modern journalism, which oc cupied a prominent place in the columns ot the leading journal, began by telling again, in singularly unamusing fashion, the old, old story of the first production of She Stoops to Conquer and went on into such a burst of mawkish and garruious servility as is happily seldom seen in the pages of a paper of reputation. In the inception ot what was supposed to be the critical part of the article the functions of critic and repor- ter were curiously confounded. 'The house, we leanred, 'overfowed with rank, fashion, and celebrity as if this had anything what ever to do with the merits or demerits of the performance The rank, fashion, and cele brity were there with praiseworthy purpose, since the proceeds of the performance were to go in aid of the funds of an excellent in- stitution,' although the writer had informed US 1n previous sentence that the audience was drawn to the theatre by sheer curiosity. Even those who came only to look, the writer continued, will admit that they had their moneys worth
 Comment would be wasted upon the taste which allowed such stuff as this to be written and published as part of what pur- ported to be criticism on the performance of Miss Hardcast1e by lady who, 1t was un- derstood, was anxious to put her powers of acting to serious test. It was no doubt to be expected that many spectators would go to the Haymarket Theatre on this occasion led merely by motive of curiosity, but it was hardly to be expected that the Tunes should write of this curiosity and of it's qualification in the terms just quoted. What followed must be allowed to speak entirely for itself. No words of ours could add anything to the condemnation which every line of it carries in and to itself. Exquisite purity of com plexion (rensarkable in this lady) unaided by art is apt to Become paleness on the stage. The brightest eyes are not seen to advantage across the footlights, but the finely-shaped head the classic profile, the winning expres- sion of the features, the fascinating smile, the musical laugh, the grace of the figure l. a full flowing roundness inclining to length'-these are gifts which the public in a theatre can appreciate as well as the privileged admirers in a drawing-roo and the enthusiastic ap- plause which greeted Mrs. Langtry on her entrance must be regarded as the willing eager homage to the ar-famed beauty as well as cordial welcome to the debutante. But even this was not enough. The writer must needs further show the versatility of his accomplishments by exhibiting his compe. tence to compose airy descriptions for the lKag0sjaa Ges Modes. IM5ss HGrdc0st1e, he in formed US, appeared in three dresses. Her first dress was pink and yellow brocade, cut low. Her second, sprigged muslin, and 8 hat with orange ribbons. Her third, gray dress, like 8 French waiting maid's with white muslin cap and apron. All were voted becoming, the third most of all' Then came in an attempt at scrap of critical writing, in which it was noted as it seemed, with sur prise, that the merriment' excited by Gold smiths play was kept up continuously to the end, unchecked by the reflection that many of tho situations were more farcical than comic and then followed a dismissal, ir few lines, of the claims to consideration of the players who had appeared in She Stoops to Conquer, relieved by what was probably meant for graceful compliment to an actress who took comparative minor part. It is happily not often that English journalism descends to such depths as have been reached in the article upon which we have commented and it is for that very reason impossible to pass unnoticed the pub lication in such a paper as the Times of such intolerable and offensive rubbish.'