The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-10-22

GENEROUS CoMPARISON or THOSE
mo WORLD FAMED ARTISTS.
lame IIadIng and Ellen Terry-mr. Booths
Room at the Players Club-Iom Kari
Has Retired.

liz ig ever futile to scold the pubic III
matters OF taste and culture, says Elwyn
A. Barron. in the Chicago Inter. Ocean /
AS whipping viii not change the spots
NJ tbe leopard. so remonstrance Will not
convert a public from caprice to judg-
rent. from folly to wisdom, from love
OF vanity 20 an appreciation Of worth
Nevertheless one can but mark now uh-
CATERING IN commentary upon the al US
ts and Intellectual quality or the vast
rssemblago OF people I'm Chicago IS the
fIrrerard of NJ Coquelin and Nine. HAD
trg while every other theatrical attrac-
tf5n and amusement enterprise Is over
,.n.Imed with patronage. Useless the ar
a.ment that these people SPEAK
foreign tongue Their art IS not foreign
esy. in the sense that IL finds no KIM
dfed in the work OF the American stage
and no person can pretend TO rehhe-
roeut who knows not enough french 10
got some pleasure from the presehl'1'i l,l
sd standard plays by these actors, whose
,rt is SD exquisite and whose intelligence
d. so fBe that IL is an educational prlvi-
Zero 20 attend their exposition OF tle
sclluce OF actiup-for they have mace
if nothing less than science. All other
fhIrL8 being equal II ls IedsoiiaD',
enough that an American audience shouu
fU.L.T 10 NUNMA ana 'NNAAAiia W+'N-~
thnt Is spoken from the stage may pe
rtr,rbed without conscious effort, and
,ners each test or biz OK humor may
Ia caught in flight ana enjoyed hutter-
irr. But an other things are by TO means
equal and the man or woman VINO desires
t6 he ms informed of the art Of the
ftqrs as Of painting. Of sculpture OF
literature can il afford 10 omit from ms
r.gdy the comedy classicism OF the
Wrench stage. 49,. - .,,o
public comedians are the favorites OF
the peoule. An excellent comedian Is q
ycrltable lord OF the commons, his name
81 u1rsa} on the tongue. the mere mem
ary ~ him q banisher Of blues, the sight
of him in a particular role the harbinger
of f1v Zach nation loves IT'S giad-Iaceu
actors. its mirth-makers, its guardians
~ LAUGHTER: witness how we hold JEFF
fors0n 10 our hearts, and Goodwin ana
yet others who. not comedians bu'
merry fellows we cherish for no bet
tor reason than that they peep roguish-
Is from behind the mask or Menus.
Coqueun IS now undoubtedly the fore
most comedian I'm the world. He has
no peer I'm any land
NJ Coducliu is no less sensitive 10 the
passing touch OF character than IS Mr..
frving VERY probably. though ne PLAYS
az light fancy and laughter more general
iv than down there where pathos rests and
sorrow brOOds and the passions darlde
Yet MI. Cooueiin mas a wider range, can
sound the Camut much more truly than
Sir Irving-for III. Coquelin rs many men
SIR Irving rs one man only. The great
dirtlrction between these two eminent
actors is not that one is a comedian anC
Che other a refined melOdramatic actor
fa- they both assume an sorts OF charac
TORS from tragedy 30 farce; the suprem'
difference lies in the fact that NJ. CoQue
Iiu euvelops himself fla the character
whereas Mr. Irving merges the chafacte
Bro him 10 cannot be said that MI IRWIN
0ssrmlnales characters save as ne ue
fines their intellectual and mora olver
rguces as a reader might do. Science ma
heun t1 ten as that the spiritual, intel
l.eteal forces Of man fashion his physica
trpa.fe and that the substantial FORM J
On inl.x 20 the essential qualities OF IN
bon
It IS the business Of the actor 10 ad
external testimony 20 the evidence o
character he otherwise presents. Mr. lTV
hardly may be said 10 DO TINS 10
whatever the makeup" may be DIS man
hersus give 90 all personages ne imper
s1..,ss tho same dominant characters
u's There need be no denial that Mi
living is the more pictorial the more fas
talrg OF the two actors; but there nee
t1 hesitaucy 20 admit that be IS IN
lhiarior artist The value Of the seriou
tafnA must-llfe being real and purpos
tfaest iu the world-be greater AWAY
man hat on comedy: and accordingly IN
a'tor ~ the drama occupies a more I'm
'rumt place in grave esteem than ma
oe attained by the comedian, whose busi
'ss II is awhile 20 divert US with cap an
lr4hi but exact criticism has nothing {
% WIN moral awards. and an art more
required of the comedian than Of the &C
..f VINO appeals 20 our deeper emotions
~ Co4ueiin. however As more than come
oi'n' ana The thorough skill and proncl
eoey ne acquired SIN the differentiation g
'vhtly creations he makes use Of in al
oshef phases OF DIS work with equal sub
Nely though II need not be claimed tina
pc Goes all things equally well-that ecto
Il yet % be-
~ IN a nice question I'm these peculia
gnys whether the work Of Coquelin or G
irving Is entitled 60 the higher award q
criticism. Popularity, OF course. has notl
il6 Whatever 10 90 with the consideration
an aetor Of hrst-rate understanding u
Gently gave e as his opinion that the q,
iprs art Is best eEomplihed through d
Interpretation " character With the lea
possible obiteratiOn Cf his own persol
hliy. In this view he simply confounds
ne arr 81 The actor with the emotions
we audience. a mistake ACTORS frequent
mako
IL Coaneiin cancot sue.oaA "a .nts-s