New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-04
ftcLISH SPEECH GND WANNEE> ~ CIR
M1NY.

Ie,Ir L,'i.r 10 m, L"ndou TJrcs
Tho theatre gong public oi the capital wore this
week Treated 70 singular cnitri 1inmrht NJ the
EesItcuY Theatre. where MI Edwin BnOth. the eel
ehfaton American actor. appeared IN the role oi
U0pici The PECULIARLY 81 tle performance con
.i.trd in fine fact that Mr. Booth himself spUke his
mart i'm English. while the rest of the conf any
usc their native German. Iut this ~ by 10 mcInr
the first time that such hllIngua performance has
bcen enjoyed hy the Bcrlinrrs. II frequently hap
pens nj tue opera that no musical language OF a
southern cline N COnirnstcd Win the hatsner ac-
cents Of The north and ~ i not long sinc" NignUr
Eo.sl .oupLt 10 in'erurrt Shakespeare here ~ the
language Of Dante, with the support of company
speaking the tongue of Goethe The late MI.
Fnelps think, brought over to Berlin an Inglisl
troul,e Of players shortly before the war OF 1870
and the success they achieved lls'lhci the enter
prise. Mr. Bon h. too had serions thoughts of BRING
inG q, or with him the English company with when
he acted in England; but he was dlssnadrd from
doing 30 by Friedrich Iaase. one of ihe best high
comedy performers the German stage, who has
lately made professional tour of America and la,
embodied tho results of his observations OF mcn and
things IN the United STATES III Il llttic volume of
" 'nadorned Letters" winch have caused almost as
much sensation III their way rs the animal, cf sIous
OF Dickens produced at the time. " IL would never
do said Friedrich llaase to Mr.. BOoth, "tOTGn hnnn
cal rIsk 10y bringing with you to Berlin AN entire
Eugli,h tioupei" The attention of tho puhlic me
said would be fixed 10y the simple acting OF the
chief character. hut whenever he left the stugo II
would bs difficult for the rest of tho company To
sustain the interest Of the spectators To most OF
whom the dialogue would pe unlntelllRlble. Ihls
a least may safely be said that II an attempt of
this Kind were to fail here. IT could succeed m no
other capital OF tho Continent. Tor II ~ probable
that in other European city n the English Ian
guage 80 much studied ard spoken rs in Berlin. he
number OF those who speak II Iuently Is quite sur
prisng. No Englishman moving III the higher and
middle classes here ed ever iail To make himself
underst)Od; even If. like the ancient Greeks lie
speaks no language but his own.
Before The war of 1870. aud until popular and
accomplished English Princess came To settle IN
Berlin the French tongue and French taste used to
be ali the rage bat tho GallOnanla which was
rendered fashionable by Frederick the Great. aud
by the men of letters who drew their inspiration
from Paris has now given way 10 Gn almost equally
strong atlcc; z0n of English manners and customs.
his cOun ymen, their besrtting sln is seideprecia-
ton, and eDyiOus admiration OF the foreigner. Tho
Chauy inistiC Chancellor has himself confessed, IN
one Of his Frankfort dispatches lately published.
thai his liking for England has ways beeu live
llcr than for any other country after his own"
Most OF BIS well-educatCd COuntTyncn-and tho
class Is "a very large One-are moved with "a similar
sympathy. which manlIests Itself more particularly
IN the energy with which they study the English
Language and English literature Certainly no
Englishman who gets at the heart Of the Germans.
who, with all their gushing sentmentality on Ger
tau subjects ale ronew hat sensitive and TetIeent
people, can fail to be battered By their admiration
Of most that Is English. All they want to make
them cUntented IN corresponding praise from their
insulBr neghbOrs whom they much esteem but
they are unhappy 10 think that Ly most Bfltons
they are maligned, because they grossly misun-
derstood. There ~. doubtless some Justice IN tho
COMPLAINT. A German desplses the animal YER
slOns of q Freuchman, nor does lie caro- "a straw
whether your Italian and your Russian thinks well
or Ill of him but TO be adversely criticised by an
EngshInan is norv Than he can bear.