The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-31
THE LONG POLE
Knocks the Persimmons and Irving,
the English Actor,
Has the Necessary ElongatIOn- His
Reception by a New York Au-
dience and His Success
Before 1t.

NEW Ohkt OCLs o. Dt ufSL dpDcttA duCO
of Henry Irving, the English actor, before an
American audience has taken place, and Mr..
Irving, at least, has no cause to feel other
than happy over the result. The audience
was critical one, and although at first the
applause was slow, the close OF the play left
but one impression, and that was
that Mr. Irving is a great
actor
Tie comments of the press are almost
uniformly friendly and generous The only
one that might be regarded as nu
friendly is that of The World, which says:
"Mr. Henry Irving made his professional
bow to the American public last evening 1t
can hardly be said that he was dsappoint-
ment, for he was interesting, but the verdict
of the jury of the vicinage was that he was
not great actor, though a marvel
GUS stage magician. He presents a
play with consummate art, but
maN it with bad defamation and unpleasant
mannerism. The Times says: "No matter
what may be thought OF the singularity of
the actors stage personality, of his idiosyn-
crasies of utterance, of gesture, and of
movement, the impression of his mastery, of
his art. of his picturesqueness, and of the
refinement and finish of his performance re-
mains unchanged and undisputed
Tribune; Since the old days of Charles
Kean no display of morbid spiritual vivisec-
ton has been seen upon the stage that ap-
proaches or even resembles the dream of
Matthias as acted by Henry irving The
audience was completely spell bound during
this scene. In all, the long back
ward of recollection, we find no
parallel to this sustainment of tremendous
agony in that most difficult of all dramatic
conditions, soliloquy. He wields a most fas-
cinating aud victorious magnetism, essen
TALLY personal. Nothing else could sustain
an actor in his complete hold of an audience
through SO terrible an ordeal as that The
effect upon the audience was singular; and
in fact this actor is one who will always
leave upon the same asSemblage strangely
different impsessions.
A prominent dramatic critic says: Since
Maeready came here no actor has created
greater interest than Irying-no actor has
more deserved his fame. Opinions differ as to
his histrionic powers but there is no denying
that, at the Star theatre he has told the story
of Matthias in 1.-THE Bells, with picturesque
intensity and tragic force that leaves
behind it a profound impression. From the
beginning he held the audience in spite of
itself, for while many friends were present
others possibly came preiudiced against the
actor. Among these were not few who
had paid the spectators SO and SIS for a
seat. This does not predispose man to be
kind, but Irving held them with his glitter
ing eye; he dominated them with tremend-
Gus personality. He justified his record
"The Bells" is weird play. Its lines are
simple; it never haltS Matthias is an inn
keeper. He murders his guest, Polish Jew
murders him on the highway for his gold, and is
forever haunted by his crime. The iangle OF
the sleigh bells as the Jews horse gallops
away after its masters death is continually
in the assassin's ears. Their sad music triekles
through the story like the ripple of rising
stream in fall landscape 1t sweeps over
the dramatic narrative like the signing of the
wind in "chilI October" 2emorse takes
possession of the criminal; he dreams he is
being tried for his life.
This scene is the best of Irving's strange
power. The judicial court of his dreamland
forces him to submit to the operations Of a
mesmerist. Under this influence he makes
confession of his crime by re-enaeting it.
agined. Before an audience as breathless as
the court, the actor went through the panto-
mime of stopping the jews horse, cutting
down the Jew with an AK, plundering tht
body and thrtisting it into lime kiln
Then convicted and condemned, tht
murderer dies under the violent shocl
to his nerves of this retributive forct
of imagination-dies while the church
bells are ringing for his daughters marriage
his last agOnizing words: Take the rope
from my throat"
Only a daring artist could undertake sucf
a part; only great one could succeed in it
Most of the last act is monologue, and in {
country like ours, which is accustomed Il
rapidity of thought and action, Irving wa
hardly wise in risking so serious a tax on tht
attention. The result, however, was in hi
favor, Notwithstanding the discomforts at
tending an over-crowded house, an ill-venti
lated theatre, and the rain that stor1ned with
out.
Mr.. Moss, of The Telegram, declares ''H
is revelationp Oakley Hall, of Truth, ex
claims, 81 thank God have lived to see sucl
an actor Buck and Fiske, of The Spirit
answer him with eve told you so" An
in the midst of this chorus of praise the cur
tain goes up again, and in due course falls
renewed enthusiasm, the call for Irving bein
followed by demand for ferris, his hand
some colleague, who is responsible for wha
is technically called "the juvenile lead"