New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-23
NOTES FROM LONDON
BENEVOLENCE AND m.
MATIC ART-"GENERAL" BOOTH AMI
his NEW SPONSORSHIP CARONs
FUNERAL-MR. GLADSTONEs
HEALTH
London. Anril IL

long was merely an excellent writer on ar, A..
other high matters, he would probably b,r.
escaped the opportunity OF presiding over -.
annual dinner Of the Dramatic and Mu.,.',
Benevolent Fund. When he became a ma.
ager. this and many other splendid rew,,s.
awaited him. The stage is now a pinnacle r.
which he who controls 1t surveys mankind :,
he does not look down on the world the wo.,
looks I'D TO him. Mr.. Comyns Carr deserves q
ANYBODY deserves, all that comes to him. Hs.
almost the ideal manager. Not, indeed, an ac,o,
but every body cannot be an actor, though ma
OF us would lil~ to be. on condition-ths Is ~
really important point-of becoming an Irv,,,
or an Alexander or a Tree. But Mr. Ca,
though not an actor OF plays. is a writer Of pIar
and has had q long experience In the practIc,
MANAGEMENT OF II theatre, adviser TO N.
| titllar manager. This, tempered and lumna,.a
| nv a fine literary sense and genuine critical e,n
&c q good eouipment for the business Of "a,
Quoting theatrical speculation; for that IS wha,
manas cement means, unless you prefer to call n
lottery.
The chief business at one Of these pus1,
dinners is Of course the making Of speeches
II is NORWOOD to the Radical who sees that III.
old toast to the Houses OF Parliament" is stm
given in the old plural form, and that Peer
hated Peer. was called upon t. respond for the
House Of Lords. The hated Peer was Lord Cork
II Is Of course only In his character Of herei.
tary legislator that h. Is mated. Personally hs
is liked But to be a hereditary Legislator |,
| now in Radical eyes TO be everything that "a
odous and unfit FOR any public function what.
ever Yet Lord Cork, who is Master Of the
| Horye in tire present government might almos,
| be pardored for being a Peer. for he is, first
Liberal Peer. and. secondly. he discoursed good
| Liberalism. The Lords. he said. were actua,ei
| bv one desire-fo do the best they could for n.
welfare Of the country. Il l. not bad platform
TO stand on. ror is /. the worse when he adds
that II would be the endeavor Of the Lords now
as in the past. to keep touch with the people
To that extent politics are tolerated In con.
nection With the drama And how ire YOU going
20 draw a broad Ire of SOY rance between the
two Houses Of Parliament when You find tina,
the response for the House Of Commons is made
by the Aiaiquis OF CRANKY. NJ. r.? Lord CRANKY
H. Of co lrse. a Commoner. but he will have 70
relinGuish that proud title some day and 90 70
another place as Duke OF Rutland lie is one q
those heirs 10 a peerage for whom, as well as for
themselves three Of his friends and colleagues
in the House Il Commons have lately been
pleading in the Nineteenth Century" But
fate is memorable. and they must all presently
rellnquish their seats elected representatives
Of the People and take those seats in the
hereditary chamber to which the constitution q
this country calls them
II was Mr. Sydney Grundy. the dramatist. who
responded for the Drama. II not a dramatt
in the sense IN which that word is applied 10
great writer's. he is. at Least. writer Of plays
some OF which have been successful Mr. Comyns
Carr himself has produced one OF them; which Is
more than he has yet done for one Of his own.
Mr.. Grundys speech has curious points. AZ
moments h. is almost as much a Democrat a.
Lord Cork himself He declared that the only resi-
progress the progress made by the public
Perhaps he meant with the public. There are
some superfne persons who affect to desrz
successful any rate. the success OF other ~
ple' an epigram whereof the barb is left
rankle IN the breast OF Mr. Oscar Wilde. II
rankles the less now. l suppose. since that &C.
centric parsonage has Of late years schooled
himself to endure with an appearance OF phlo
sophica composure the "ignomny Of success
Curious also is the statement about the ats
Mr.. Henry Pettitt. who wrote forty or fifty
plays. only about one Of the entire number being
capable Of being pronounced a failure" Can any
human being name the name of single one az
these forty fifty plays. all successful but one!
Could anybody read one Of them in print? Was
any one ever printed? Yet. II 10 believe
Mr.. Grurdy. fifteen OF them often being
played simultaneously. II we are to believe the
records Of Somerset House, Mr. Petit died
worth a quarter OF a million. Such is the reward
Of successful appeal to the public and. per-
haps. of a belief that all real progress is made
by the public. The apoph thegm is the more COM
Portable since it seems TO relieve the dramatic
writer from the obligation Of making any prog.
ress himself.
On the more pressing and. perhaps. burning
question OF the theatrical hour Mr.. Grundys
remark is also worth considering. He sums I.
up as the young lady OF fifteen" He had much
better have said TIE young lady OF seventeen to
twenty Is the serious drama to be sacrificed to
her? Are certain topics or the treatment OF
certain topics in particular way. TO be banished
from the stage in Difference to the young lady OK
all ages and Of both sexes? To say that, is to
say. in Mr. Grundy's opinion. a monstrous thing.
But" adds he not without emphasis, 1T is an
equally monstrous thing that nearly every new
play to which that young lady cannot possibly
be taken" That is the problem; an effete drama
or an impossible drama for the young lady
do not think that the dilemma need 10
stated quite so sharply. Mr. Grundy omlts an
element which he ought TO include. Take the
Second Mrs. Tanqueray." for example that
latest Success with the public which MI
Pinero wrote and Mr. Alexander produced. ana
Mrs. Patrick Campbell and Mr. Alexander acted
The theme and the handling of 1t are immoral
and morbid. but there is on the stage something
worse than immortality or absurdity or moro'a
views. and that is the squad vulgarty when
pervades the play; a squalid vulgarity and gross
hess of thought Of action of incident, and OF
dialogue Against immortality the public VIII
EASILY protect itself against the ignoble not 70
EASILY. and this play Is ignoble But the CRITICS
,r Of them. acclaim 1t as a MASTERPIECES
rhe public throngs to the theatre. The manager
ills his treasury. The actors win fame by ~