The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-17

Prof. Stephens is back from an extended
trip to the headwaters of the Missouri,
feeling better than he ever felt, and look
ing in all ways ready to WELD anything
from baton to club. He has already
plunged into preparations for the recon
vening of the Choral society, which will be
next month, and he feels confident that
during the season the big society will roll
up to 400 or 500 members. 1t is in -four
ishing condition, has 81, 900 on hand, and an
active, warm interest on the part of its
members, live enough to make a success OF
any undertaking. The Choral is one of
Salt Lakes big fixtures and the whole city
is interested in its perpetuation.
As The HERALD predicted, Nat Goodwin
scored frost with his "Gold Mine'' in Lon
don; how he could have expected play SO
anti-British to tickle the Britishers is more
than we can understand. He put on an
English play, ",The Boekmaker," last week,
and that only succeeded a little better. Nat
has got into print, as usual, and has raised
a genuine English Channel storm about
his ears by saying English critics are pre-
JUDGED before hand against anything that
comes from America Last Sunday the
New York Herald had cabled to it from
London expressions of various actors and
critics on the subject, which make two
columns of very interesting reading. We
make the following extracts from some OF
the letters.
Augustin DAILY says:
must say, in strict justice, that within my
experience the English critics have been fully
| as ready and as willing to accept and recon-
mend good thing in the actors art, whatever
country it halls from, as the critics OF our own
country. And when they have had occasion to
pY hpp sol aAv nlyy a
ance, it has been-.with single exception
with a forbearance and consideration for the
feelings of their victims not always present in
contemporary criticisms by many American
writers. who, being possessed temporarily of
the giants strength, have believed it proper to
use it with brute force.
| Henry Neville, the English actor, who is
about to cast his lot with America, says:
| To charge English critics with being unwil-
/ ling to see good in anything which comes out of
America is 10 display dense or willful ignorance
| of what has been and what is every year tighten
| ing the bonds which join the two countries in
their dramatic interests. AS in other things, /
| see no reason why America and England should
not share their funds of theatrical treasure, and
each be proud of every success achieved by the
other.
James Lewis, of Dal US company, says:
| don't believe Nat Goodwin ever charged the
London critics with being unwilling to see any
good in what comes out OF America. III he did
Y IL
did mean it, as far as am concerned, l know
he is mistaken.
Frank Wyatt, of the Savoy theatre,
says:
The British public will hiss bad play, al
though they may admire the actors. American
actors cannot understand this, and take the
kissing as personal American actors, am
certain, are greatly appreciated here, but as to
the average American play-well, the less said
about it the better.
Cecil Raleigh, critic of Vanity Fair, says
| About the American drama know very little
What have seen OF it does not inspire me
| with resDect. In fact when an authority like
Mr. a. M. Palmer says that there is not an
American drama do not feel inclined to doubt
him, Personally, / am of the opinion that
| dramatic art is the outcome OF "a high civiliza
| ton, and America is not yet sufficiently civil
lied to evoke dramatic art of its own, do not
anticipate that for another one hundred years
an American author will write play that is
as good and as true Of any other country and
people as it is of America and Americans. No
classic thing will come out Of Connecticut yet
Mr. Charles L. Carson, editor of the
Stage, says:
Anything good that comes from America, be
it comedy, drama, variety, play, actor or actress
is gladly welcomed here. All plays produced
here ana all actors who appear here are judged
on their merits.
Leonard Coyne says:
The statement by an American actor referred
to in your letter of the 9TH inst. had not reached
me, and is so prepoSterous that / doubt very
much if it has any foundation in fact.
Olga Brandon, now in London, says:
London critics. My experience is that they
show much more lenency. courtesy and conSid
Grafton to their visitors than to their own PEG
iple But, that's English, you know. l have
nothing but thanks for both the press and the
public.