The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-06-13
THE STAGE.
Introd uctory Overture.

"Givc me leave to speak my mind."-Shakes-
peare
How trae OF the immortal bard that
"All the worlds stage, and all the
men and women merely play ers."
How particularly true is this at the
present day, and how pertinent its
application now, when nearly all
sublunary things are arranged for
dramatic effect. There are the farces
of the stock exchanges; the melo-
dramatic arrangements by counsel of
effects in a criminal trial; the studied
entrance and exit of the medical
man at your house, or at church; the
pese of a dude on the side walk; the
arrangement of "prorerties" in q
drawing room; the scene shiftings at
weddings and receptions: the prompt
ings of politicians by the "boss," and
even the artlessness Of juvenility,
yielding to the love of theatrical re-
suit.
We will assume that ali This is so,
because there is more study of the
stage than there used to he. The old
time prejudice that made every actor
an Ishmaelite no longer exists. Fifty
years ago in parts of England an
actor was considered as a vagrant;
to-day he is the guest of royalty Clate
kilograms announce that Henry Ir-
wing was the guest of the Prince of
Wales). Such is the respect that is
now tributary to the actors art.
The actor, to be sure, has advanced
with the times. We have traditions
of the vagaries of drunken genius
the great actor that could never play
such and such part unless he was
''full.' Where will you find such a
thespian now? Nowhere, unless
you can trace him through the
missing link' Of "crushcd talent"
that stands in seedy makeup and
bleared countenance wistfully cycling
yonder baTkeeper as he retails bis
experience of the palmy days when
he and old man CouldOck played at
such theatre, or when "myself and
June BOOTH went down to, ETC., etc.
Now, to go back to the times when
the crushed tragedian did appear
with old Couldock or June Booth,
and ninety-nine times in one hun
dred the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
great-actor- but-neyer-sober-enough-
to-play individual, was never more
or less than an ordinary supernu-
merry. There are, its too true, some
examples of wrecked talent, but they
are possessed of sufficient sensitive
ness in nearly all cases to shrink into
such retirement as will permit the
world soon to forget them.
The late Chas. Dickens had always
a good word for the players. OF
them he says: II like to meet actors
off the stage; not that 1 am possessed
with the fond idea of the stage struck
youth, that all actors are gods and
all actresses goddesses of supernat-
ural beauty, (Which have long ad-
mitted to be an error, but because it
has been my lot to- be thrown good
deal into their society, and
because knowing them we'll
and intimately, l have learned
to respect them. There are certain
actors and actresses whose hands [
am always proud 10 shake, no. u,-
cause they are eminent tragedians or
but because they are hon
ored men and women" OF the lat
ter it may be stated with pardonable
pride that no country boasts of u
greater number of ilIustrieus em-
amples than the "HOme of the brave
and the land ofthe free" and it is the
OF such that shall always
receive due prominence in the week.
~ stage gossip, and, therefore, with
this overture at an end, we raise the
curtain on act first of our dramatic
Renshaw Opera House is being re-
habilltated in new coat of paint, in
of coming events. The
Boulon Comedy and Concert Compa-
ny are en- route here. The Western
press speaks very favorably of their
performances. Old-timers in Mon
tana will remember Paul Baulon,
who in early days was called the in
fant Paganini. This infant Paga-
mini has fiddled himself into a COM
Portable independence, having one of
the Eeatest farm houses in the Walla
Walla Valley.
We are shortly to have season of
''pure legitimate" This will be a
for Montana. Mr.. John d.
Lindsay: sterling actor, is en- route
also. and will appear probably about
the 18th inst. He comes from Den
yer by Salt Lake, in both
Of which cities he has concluded u
very succ> ssful engagement both ar
tist ;cally and financially. Mr.. Lind
say was specially engaged few years
ago to play the opposite parts to such
actresses as Rose Eytinge, Mrs. Scott
Siddons, Augusta Dargon, Ida Cav
endish and other well known stars,
all of whom played under the man
agement of Mr.. John Mcguire, now
the local manager of this city.
Sol Smith Russell. the inilnitable,
will soon be with us also. He comes
via st. Paul and Bismarck, and will
go west via Missoula.
Collenders Colored Georgia Min
strels and Mirabile dictu the cir
Gus is coming in August.
SHAUN, THE Posi-.