New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-20


1am mo- Dr. pr Sc. with % illustrations. John
Murphy ( Co.. baltimore.
To think OF John 4. Owens IS 10 recall one OF the
NEST comlcal men that have crsccd ana cheerco ti'
stage. He was both huinOrlst and COMEDIAN All fis
Nfe he was clos. student OF the drama and OF the
art OF acting and he devotccly laborct 10 equip hn-
self as an artist nor did he fail In that endcavor-ior
hs impersonnt /, diver ihod ami e1ch OF them
was b. iantly distinct and thoroughly ana hheN
6nished. Yet owens was more Indebted 10 nature
than 10 art for those characteristic attributes that
made him great. The DEVELOPMENT OF hnmor upon
The STAGE within the last thirty years In taken ire
direction of cracking wit and dry droll'ry. me
comedians OF that period. with scarcely an eAc'lu'"'
have been men of sender person. thin ' sage acute
mind. iaclsive voice aud Intellectual ana cEipoh"
method. The predominant and the most app oveo
style hns tecn the style OF Charles Mathews. Art
IN its best repre- SCI tatVcS. has usually concealed arr
and Its manifestations have often been del gh'iu''
Wallack, Mu dock. Solhcrn. Bou'lcault' 'ilr D. ~.
Mortimer, Raymond. Lewis. StOddart, Wyndham' ana
Others of that school. have given pleasure 10 'h'u
sans end scmc Of them have gained renown. Yet al
tlts while scarcely one cOmeji, has arisen In whom
the cement OF humor has revealed Itself a. an dhn'n
and spontaneous force. Tn" essentially urclu'us
comic actors-lIolland, Blake, Warren Florence
set hell and. above all. Owcns-werc tn" survivors
Of an earlier generaton-aS Jefferson Is VINO Is
uniouc and stands Ly imself. II has been
fcverish anxiety of it has everywhere manlfes'ca
,.elf in the growth OF diecontcn and In the dcchnc
of 10Y. Upon the stage that anxiety has appeaieu
in the hardness and metallic glitter tnat erSu" rom
acrid strife and ravenOuslr ambitious cloi" i"'
Wks type OF actor indeed has had IFS successors All
along The Mundcn type has rcappeared IN iarrei
and Fisher aud Gilbert. There has been no lack oil
,ntelect or Of brilliant vvacy. OF pitlcss SATIRE or
OF aroesquc and sardonc burlesque; hut OF happiness
the stage has given few signs. Burton, VINO Trans
mi,tcd the tradition of Haynes, and euet ana A''o
and Reeves-BurtOn al the sound OF whose voice
every heart beat happily and every face sm'cn-haS
had no successor born and reared In our time ""ohs
% tho arc Of seventeen, was associated with Burton
then thrtv.six and was his disciple and belonged 10
his period and owens was the last coMeWah OF 'n"'
happy lineage and that suspicious strain fNch "
remember him now-for those who knew his achhe' De-
fore the fever OF the age began to pcrpex It's eeeo
and chill its sunshine. 1t did toward Tho last when
no trio, IN adjust his fine powers TO such fmsy Sum
"a Ebert Rogers in Esmclalda" and lleAeklah fcihh'
In Cookies Corners"-is be composed refreshed ana
cheered.
Tragedy. with all IT'S difficulties, Is easier for tho
actor than comedy The tragedian can to some OK
tent depend upon his theme 70? his enec''' inc
comedian must depend upon himself VIVA hhh'
therefore natural powers are more cSseh'ai ''"" -
,,,roa facilities owens was born TO be comi'
actor lie was inrinsIcay funny. His personality
was comlca and at the same time ioVaoe' TIC "''
thoughtful In mind and aiccionac IN hcaT' DIV '"'''
nil he was a creature Of buoyan ana merry ''"p'."'
ment He enjoyed life, alb outeY ana iuN' ann IL
did NOT trouble Inns II with frDitlr>s ana sddlcnhG
spacYl ton a, to lis i-in or IT. de,tp. lie co'''
vh never he pleas d. lO)k praci al affairs III tue
lrn OF common s.lsc. and he ooud see them PIE
cisely as they arr. and could deal With th'h III =
p,fc III practical Spr. lis Character wa cNce"'
inaly strong and his principles wrc those OF hn'A
rccttrde Hqbitusly Lowc,c?. be law everything
nndt no
o could not d nv mlt He wa, ful Of hn1nes'
and Of the d sic to maxi Others a happy as MIN
self III, hum1ru, vitality WA pr"1igiou'. II
sp1,kl d in lis ight brown eyes: Il rpp"d II IN
music OF his rich. S,nOlouS, flexible voice" Ii 'Na''"'
In I bounteou, health o. his Vigorous con tuition
~ reioiccd in his alert demeanOr. his c!ao'ic sep
n, leaning smil. his cxu6crant and nccs-ant sire'
Ito WAS when acting. too truly artist ever Il IL
tercept with his pcls nality the spectator We"
O, the character Re lad assumed DUt. WI"l
acting n humorous part he Invariably conveyed me
impression OF JOYOUS ease and personal RELISH h''
cheerincss ovcraowcd Ills comic acting was rosy with
health and redolcnt OF enjoyment. he never Impartial
the sense of nadcquacy and Of effort HIS h"m'r
which WAS ludicrons drollcy instinct with kindness
ras difused from the hydrant and not from mo
tan lie refreshed with the excess ara snprrhulN Vi
O rich nature. lie was never strenuous never c"'i-
MEX: never stilted In word. hi> comic power WIZ
elemental and the natural manifestation of IT newt
eerious plts for lie possessed true vein OF pa'h"9
and he lacked neither authority nor rcpoSc' bui Els
distinctive Gift was that Of comic power, ana a. llhS
~ he acted from tho dlSnctivcly humorous Impulse
no never wen, astray from nature" ana lie never lH''
70 touch tie heart. His embodiment 81 Oaieo rum
NOR In which there an exquisite staih Oh
Spontaneous and involuntary tenderness was ".7
nerfection % hnnor ard the eyes that smiled al "
always smiled at II through love ana tears. IL Wa
only in those moods when he was critical OF hhSeh'
and chose to act from prcccpt rather 'hah I"'" III
s,,nct that he sometimes married the beauty o. hi arr
a,a 1cf. his hcarcr. unmOvcG. VI those om'S ne
thought 1t essential lc what j. styled the 10 me-
and in becoming literal ard Photographic he bccamc
n,ono:opous and dry. The excess, icT cNahP'' =
which he sometimes carld the ccarS"r nait' OF 9oloh
sh,rc,c was one result Of that critical caprice. NO
dramatic embodiment was ever runner DU 1t "'"i"
have been Just as funny. and it would have been more
enscarnc II IL had been quite 70 true Those TWO
,rnersonations howcvcr-Cacb PluInmer aud SCION
chIrco-,norked Rim rs a great comedian ana cs'ao-
rshod his rank beyond dispute or question: Ills rcS"'
lar repertory comprised about iifty parts out toae
were at the head of the list, and with those were i
matcy associated Dr. Pan2loSS, IN INC H"n'r
Law: Joshua BUTTERFLY In "Nicfma': Henry Dove
4, Married Life: Grimad In The Lie oil an
Ac,rcsen. DR. Oliapol In The Poor Gentlcman''
uoratio spruggins. ia Forty Winks; John 'nit' III
/" Self: Mr. Gilman. in The liapple>t Day OF NY
Iiten: Graves In Money!, Medic, Toode ana T""I
pry lie was the best representative OF TRAN hccp
Emo. hos be.n seem lie paycd silky, in The Road
"a Ruln" better than 1t has ever been played on inc
Amcrlc an stage except. perhaps, by John scitoA lie
was equally delightful in characters so widely con
fr,sld as Micawbeg and Amlndab sleck Farmer Aliah
md Billy Lackaday. lie developed all Inc humor
.herc * In Touchstone and IL the best Tony
Iumnkin OF his time. lie cOmprchcndci character at
n glance and he completely merged himself In ms
ideal, Each of his cmbodimcnt' WIS stamped With
his sgnet-as it ought 10 have been for no man be
comes an actor merely hecau>c he puts on success
fuI dlsgii,e-but each OF them WAS different person
In every particular lie undertook quest Of theatri'
,,, exoi.cs but was content with accepted types lie
was Conservative IN his profession: h, respected !.
and lie kent 1t pure Ills career as an acor covered
period OF forty.tw0 ycarS--from 1s4O 10 lso"-and
Of II The