Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-03-21
OBSER OF A RETIRED
M VETERAN

1t is of amusements sing. They make
an ever fresh and available topic. AT a
loss for conversation, you speak of the
weather. AS for me. Ispeak of something
equally admissible and much more am u.s.
ling. You saw Janauschek ? Then you
saw what was truly advertised as the
greatest living actress. But what advan.
tages she has had to make her sol Fifty
years of life, a strong, robust frame, con-
stltution unshaken by excess and conserv-
ed by temperance in all things, strong
intellect strongly illuminated by the light
of genius, and, thoroughly trained talent.
What more would you have? This great
| woman whom you saw could have been a
great man with as much ease, and, per-
haps less study. To master another
tongue at forty is remarkable, but to mas
ter it so that its infection may convey
subtle meaning is wonderful. Still, after
the first act, and as she warmed with the
action of the piece, it was not hard to tell
that she was speaking in foreign Ian
guage. There has been but one woman
besides, in the world in my day who could
have given the interview between Eliza
beth and Mary Stuart as she did, or the
parting with her waiting women and with
Leicester, and that woman was Charlotte
| Cushman, the American. She was fully
the eq ial of Janauschek, and appeared on
the stage to a much later period in life /;
indeed often think too late. have never
forgiven myself for going to see her. when
she was we'll past fifty, play Romeo. l think
| the audience, directly the great and pure
woman came on in the first act, felt that she
| had done herself and them great wrong.
| Her figure was superb. but somehow with
| a woman of her genius it seemed sacri-
| ltge. There seems to be All identity be-
| tween great dramatic artists, an identity
| of impression if not of method. III were
asked [ would say that the two great
artists L have named play exactly
alike. though there are Ii my points in
which they differ, and 1 dare say should
see the difference if they played alternate
nights. Edwin Booth makes the same i'm :
preston on you that these women do.
For est,did moi, and Rachel did not, but
I
not reach to the affectation of saying that
her genius took the place of words. It
may be curious piece of knowledge to
you, it was to me. to know that IN private
| life Janauschek speaks as broken English
as almost any newly arrived German you
will fnd.s l could hardly believe that the
woman heard in the difficult eIocu'io
| of Mary Stuart was the same woman [
| had heard two hours before, at the hotel,
asking her husband lees it seffen O'CLOCK =
Still speaking of amusements. Let me
say something about the company.
1t was the best that has ever been here,
and take it, very expensive one, for
four of the actors here have been leading
men in New York, Philadelphia and Bos-
ton. One of them, J. Fl. Taylor, (''Bur-
leIgh''), is an old acquaintance of mine.
He was the leading man at the Richmond
theatre and afterwards in Philadelphia.
That was TWEEN ty-four years ago. and yet
the man does not look over forty and it he
had not grown so fat would not look
that. He is to day the best ''Ingomar" in
America. Unless he has changed his
habits in the last fifteen years, he never
uses liquor or tobacco 10 any form and is
quiet, unassuming gentleman. But ff-
teen years are long time. Geo. D.
Chaplin. Chichester J, and Alexander H
Stuart Mortimer'' were both fine actors
and in many years of theatre going [
never saw the tags responded so well and
quickly as in the excited dialog ues that
made the best part of their lines in Mary
Stuart In Miss Henrietta Irving, playing
as she did with Japauschek, the audience
had rare opportunity of contrasting a
woman with great talent, with one with
great genius. NJ ISIS Irving is, withou ut
question, talented actress, her forbear-
ing rantlng in the scene Of the two
queens showed that, for woman with less
talent could not have Withstood the tempt
alton; but she has not genius. Her style
is the result of elocution teachers
who are great drawback to the stage
as we'll as to pupils in private life. Per-
haps the aid to clear pronunciation which
these teachers undoubtedly give, should
be considered as something of compen-
saton for the humiliation of all natural
manner in reading and defamation
which they unfailingly give with it; but it
is sad drawback to drama on the stage as
it is ridiculous in the reading of the par
lor. The Recording Angel who supervlses
the cause of education in the world sheds
many tears, but none more bitter than
over the follies of what frail humanity
puts before the public as ''elocution.
+ Perhaps [ am too severe on the ''elocu-
tlon'' of the schools, but there is good
deal of excuse for me. Our eldest girl is
taking it, and her worthy mother insists
, every week or two that l shall hear how
beautifully she is progressing. Our girl
! is dear, good girl and [ think if could
tell her frankly how such an artificial ,affec-
ted delivery jars on her old father | would
be spared, at least something of what I
am called on to endure, but then she would
tell her mother of it, and the older [ grow
| the more find that a married mans paace
| lies in judieious reticence think our girl
takes 1t because the Green girls take it,
and they take it because the McDufie girl
is in the class, and so on. Sometimes in
the silent depths of my heart where my
meditations cannot be overheard and can
not lmperil my domestic peace, put the
audacinus inquiry to myself, whether
| good percentage Of the useless studies of
cur children do not oarnacle themselves
upon US just in the way, and from the same