New-York tribune., 1886-07-11
4 GREAT ACTOR on GREAT ACTORS
HENRY IRvNG's OXFORD LECTURE.
From The London 7Ymes's Report


What he proposed was To say something
shoat four Of greatest actors in the past sash OF
whom might he termed ne felfeschali'e oi an iMpo.
been remarked in a biography Of Edmund kean that
lie schools OF nature and art az they might term
them i'll tue annals OF tho English theatre Now, FOR
art Lo might he allowed t. Substitute artihci"lIty
wnch wa, what the author really meant lac thought that
The epome OF the history OF Cur stage;
ana struck him at that be could not select any
thing more al prOpTate-he would not text, for
sounded as ne "ere e3ng to deliver sernonbat
as tie theme OF the rcnlarks he was about to
The four actors OF HON he sbond attempt to tell
them something -burbapc, Beteron Garrick aud can
were the greatest champions, in their respective
times the stage, OF nature in conadistncton to al
fciahty. / might say tnat sh kespeare the first
dranals TO rob tragedy OF her stills. But
Gully With regard to tho writing OF his plays that
shaKcse9e sought 10 tight the battle OF ature against
arliBcality However naturally he might wrie, the
affected III mouotonous delivery OF hs verse by the
would neutrnlz~ ali his efforts Tho OH rhymns
Ten s, liable lines could hot but lead 10 monotonOus
10 the natural expression of and not idea.
tranes "f blank erse In order to carry oIt these
peedcd the help Of actors IN whom lie could trns and
especially OF leading acior who could Interpret his
dramatic creailOns such lie found in Rich
BGrnage. Buriage was the first eioat actor that
Enean ever saw tie original representative Of among
Oher chai acteIs. yock, hlchard. koineD. Hamlet,
Lear Othello aud Mccbcth. We might fairly conclude
acting TO have had 81 the best
o natural, opposed 70 Artificial, acting of style ad
vOcated in Haniets advice 10 the players
Thom.s Betlerton at the very time when
dramatic had wcrr TO he rtsuscated. Directly
the rrri,sns twLo hated Tue .a ana every one con
ncced with II as heartily as they hated their cavalier
Dcighbur- cane into power, they ABOLISHED the theatres
;,s
and for may Years e nfdna pny existed III the Ioim
few vusar" drSlls." II must have cen, indeed
In'r's n, civil war re.h in their memory fe more than
paterEal Government allowed its subjects 10 otter
am, seilen, en- ai" ,as d u" 81, c, r % t ~
sut,rrn,t,"m"au rhe b.,t reserved seats in heaven
Wn ,ns N took pace las inevitable ieactnn
followed. Society iHVIgP peen condemned to lcaEti
enei period of an invoiun.ry pety-wich sat ytnc
hut easily ON i-rushei into tie other extreme All Who
wanted 10 be in fashion lrofessed nut tlt morality, aud
dl mot con. short OF their PROCESSION Now Vas The
ttue wien iuste d Of poor paycrs" fine gentlemen
oocnisp ~ wrtc fip ta lac and II sniit he re-
,"TSrd hat as long AS tie literary Interests OF the
1Ioafre we're in their keeping the tone OF the plays
rer seuted w.s more corpt than il ever was at ai,y
other period history Of The drama. timt,
when the highly favored cnIie lies ana
IoI g.ve were all and when the ionoVs
,rI,a,v OF nearly all the characters introduced into
i"sc lvs was calculated TO encourage tho mo Il nrt
rci 81, l- OF acting II was something to ne thankful for
nj Irt1ton an1 one ~ two orr er actors cnni intnvr
ii, mo tLc nnhest creations of shakeSpcare 0wIns
,nr csrcciaiIv 10 Bsilettop's nI.ryellnus now era
Ham Ct held it's own In popularity even against suoh
,.,Itv rrolnctions gs Love for Love II was $50
fortunate that the suo actor VINO coud draw tt ars as
Hamlet was equally ii hOue in the fcgnea madness
that amusing raks Valentine, or IN tie somewhat
lnnos OF SIR JOHN B,1s By charming the public III
what popular novelties OF the day. able
Ia command their support wheu he sought it for a
br. ono of ertect uaprluess When one heard so muc
q: ine proGigacy OF ac!ors and Actresses aud that tney
we're al sach IA very wicked lot Mas pleasant TO think
OF his couple IN an arc proverbia for is imnoiiy IN
a CIV where the his. est ia rank set an exag,us OF
shameless license living ter quiet, pure, artistic life
respected aud bel by all that knew theui Better
ION ia" few physical advantages are to believe
snort thick necK. slooped shoulders had fat
snort arms. which rarely lifted higher than his
s''uach His lcf hand frequently odg III his BREAST
bei"een Inc coat aud "sstco' While wlth his righ no
ll"pared his speech lo The same critic obliged 10
couiess that ai sevcnty years OF age, younger
nieat have erson,teH. n4t cont not have acted Hoh@
better IL might be added That the censuic SAID 10 have
been dre led against bc'terton FOL tue introduction OF
scenery was Tie prototype Of ta cry which We heard so
oieh nowadays against over eidoaon III the arrange
hithts OF tno stass. H. salu MI. irving, II be
CRIME against goo se 20 eeaVof m az 10 enlist every ar,
Ia tne service Oh lne sse any 10 r.hle the erc, oi
h"ec Poctiy oS siI".ins s !. WIZ ,nn most u aunn
ahd alI"lIiao d.'essuils; my soil Musl pi'a Ruly
10 'h 'n'Iee, pu' % i'h 70 oiut gu. tiihl every
Giau 's'st 1mo ' f co. ,S % t 90, ", & ~ 40 NJ Sn
WIN" i''s CIV" "' & 80. " a., nc ', ut"h tnc
- p. wi" ~ Sm. ne,,' nigh, NH ,l, - ra, W., ,
az foe"I0 , a. 10, ,'S .''t ~ ~
no no. sTo" e anS If dd net an ne no e