Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-06-26
the MAN WHOM HOWELLS PRo-
NoUNCEs THE AMERICAN COMEDIAN.
An Unexpected Compliment From " High LII
erary source--The Artist Of Irish-Ameri'
can Scene. In New York-News From
the world OF Amusements.

In his editors Study in Harper'S Mdgd-
sine, Mr.. Wm. u. Howells, novelist, draulatist
and critic, has pronounced very hlgh eonh-
meudatiou upon Edward Harrigan' the play
wright, manager and comedian. In looking
about for the coming American dranatist
Mr. Howell sees in Mr.. Harrigan the most
hopeful in sight lie thinks negro minstrelsy
a thing of the past and a novel contribution
to the drama has come to take its place
'.Mr. Harrigan writes, stages and plays his
pieces ne is his own playwright manager
and comedian. lie has his own theatre, and
can risk his own plays in II, simply and
cheaply, in contempt of the carpenter and
upholsterer. Not that he does treat these
useful personages with contempt but
he subordnates them. In his theatre
the highly decorated husk and gtlded
shell are not everything, nor the Kernel at
tenuated to the last degree otinnutritlousness'
But the setting is at the same time slnguiarIy
perfect and entirely sufficient Mr.. Harrigsn
accurately realizes in his scenes what he real
izes in his persons that is, the actual lie OF
this city. He cannot give II all he can only
give phases of ii /; ana he has preferred TO
give its Irish-American phases i'll their rich
and amusing variety, and some OF Its African
and Teutonic phases. 1t is what we call low
lite, though whether ii is essentially lower
than fashionable life Is another question. But
~
If they can, to present other sides of our mani
fold life with equal perfection Mr.. Harrigan
leaves vast part of the vast neld open. In
his own province we thing he cannot oe sur
p2ssed. The art that sets before us all sorts
and conditions of New York Irishmen, from
the laborers in the street TO the most powerful
of the ward politicians and the genteelest oil
the ladies of that interesting race, Is the art OF
| Goldoni-the joyous yet conscientious arr oil
| the true dramatist in all times who loves the
| life he observes. The old Venetian filled his
| scene with the gondoliers, the serving folk,
| the fish women, the trades people, the quack $
| the idlers, the gamesters, OF his city ana Mr.
| Harrigau shows us the street-cleaners ana
contractors, the grocery-men, the shysters
| the politicians, the waiher-women, the ser
| want girls, the truckmen, the policemen, the
| risen lrishman and Irish woman, oil contem'
| porary New York. Goldoui carried through
| scores of comedies the same characters, the
| masks of the older drama which he drove
| from the stage, and Mr.. Hsrrigan instructive
| ly repeats the same personsges IN ms NULL
| gan series. Within his range the New
| Yorker is not less admirable than the Nene
tian. In fact, nothing could be better than
| the neatness, the tiueness, with which the
shades of character are given in MIR. NULL
| gan's Irish people; and this literary con-
| scientousness is supplemented by acting
| which is worthy of it Mr.. harrigan is him
| self a player of the utmost naturalness, dell
cate, restrained, infallibly, sympathetic ana
| we have seen no one on his stage VINO did
not seem to have been trained to his part
through entire sympathy and Intelligence y
| Every newsboy and bootblack in New
| York freQuented Harrigan & Harts theatre,
| before the firm dissolved, and their plays
were town talk, their songs and Jokes the
bye.word of the streets. When their theatre
| was burned, December, lSsi, Harrigan *
| Hart determined to dissolve partnership. 1t
| was then thought that We would never hear
| from either again; that their success was
due to the association. The dissolution oc-
Cured Immediately after their theatre, in
which they had invested their all, was de-
stroyed by fire. This was severe blow 10
| both the young men, but Harrigan seems to
| have overcome all obstacles and Is now en-
jOying his old-tme financial ease, and the
| promise of great literary fame.