Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-10-20

&h4E,I@| NJ. that after {; J., :
SV=&SNA' ssa u, :,oi it
%'AtMi t has sG he a snort Ses
- ~ y throned and
exiled. 1t Is held, says Max, that
Apollo who directed the course of
the sun and conducted the heavenly
choir to alleviate his distress, when
the sun refused to move. concluded
to make use of his musical accom-
plishments and become a tenor singer,
and since that time all tenors believe
themselves ApollOs This is the rea.
son why tenOrs are usually so con-
ceited and think that the sun will
not rise next morning IL they refuse
to sing on the previous evening.
Everybody knows the iegend Of
Venus, which the great master Wag.
ner used for his opera of "Tannhau-
SER" 1t Is said that Venus kept, in
the middle ages, a 'uive" 10 the
Swiss Mountains called the Venus.
berg; that she lured Mr. Tannhauser
and other dudes OF that period tc her
subterranean mammoth cave, where
they passed their precious time in
orgies and lost their health and souls,
instead OF becoming respecta BILE
burghers, or devoted, love-sick Min
nesingers, or learned doctors at home.
The ancient divinities were ostra.
cised by general pleblcite for abuse of
condolences; for their frivUling and
for occasionally washing their soiled
linen in public. That was the
trouble with Italian opera. It lost
some If its power over and hold on
the hearts OF the public by becoming
frivolous, by remaining stationary in
autiquated forms. and being guilty of
occasional anachr0nisma To be re.
called from exile, and to find favor
anew, 1t had to reappear in q new
form. and to advance with the spirit
of the times The bare, simple
italian melody, however pleasing
and catching, must hereafter also
cover its nakedness ,with q dress of
cortrapuntal texture and of mathe-
NAUTICAL cut II it wishes to regain its
old empire.
The latest operas Of Verdi, "Othel-
TO-" and 'Falstaff," and the works Of
Mascagni and Leoncavallo, prove
that the Italian genius for music is
not yet extinct and that the modern
composers Of Italy understand the
situation and are moving in the right
direction.
The Eocentrio Comedians Mission.
Says William Davidge, tho favorite
actor: Every man has, or should
have, mission. The actors mission
Is to create interest-interest in his
work, whether it be leading or the
most humble part In play presented
by q large company. Whether hes
performs leading roles IN Shaksperian
plays or servant in a farce, his mis-
sion is to please. The actor, above
all men, must make his work attrac-
tive. II he does not and is careless
he will soon find managers do not
care to engage him, and that he may
have to drive car for q living. In
acting, as in many other lines, merit
Is appreciated, and those who work
the hardest and most conscientiously
receive the most fame and dollars.
or all professions acting Is the most
exacting. OF the several lines OF dra.
matte art I think that OF eccentric
comedy Is the most difficult. l have
heard experienced artists versatile to
their finger tips, say that they would
prefer the heaviest kind Of tragedy to
Q short eccentric part in farce. The
lines are so opposite in character as
to be difficult Of comparison. yet there
are men on the stage to-day who can
one night play Hamlet the next
Mctamora. and the third u character
OF most ridiculous makeup and ex.
preston. To be successful in eccen.
tric comedy, one must be adapted
to nature. Above all things he
must have a comedy nose. Built up
noses are too easily recognized from
the front Mr.. Roland Reed, al.
though he can hardly be called
an eccentric comedian in the
full acceptance of the term, has a
natural comedy nose Much of his
success is due to this and to his facial
expression. Makeup bears an i'm
portant relation to the eccentric
work. A touch too
much OF grease paint, or a too gener.
ouse use OF the pencil about the eyes
will spoil the effect Of the whole.
Keep It Clean.
The one striking characteristic of
the modern English-speaking stage,
and of the American stage IN par
ticular, is its cleanliness. 1t is well
to remember this while we are CRYING
to Jehovah and to Eaal to send fire
from Heaven to purify the drama !.
Eriyolity is the evil of the hour the
world around, but licen tiousness flour.
Ishes only in its native European and
oriental hauntA License opens the