New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-23
NOTES FROM LONDON.

MISS cALHoUN's RETURN TO THE LON
DON STAGE - PROGRESSIVE POLITE
NESS IN EDUCATIONAL CONTRo-
vERsY-A Brief PSYCHOLOGY
CAL ACCOUNT OF AN emil
NENT PLAYWRIGHT.
London December s.
Miss Calhoun. who has been too long absent
from the English stage. is presently TO appear at
the Garrick Theatre in a new play by Mr.. Sydney
Grundy. II Is quite time she set herself to regain
that hold on the English public which years ago
she flung away The interval has been spent in
series OF efforts TO foothold on the
French stage which were foredoomed to failure.
The French will tolerate ntruders. They
consider and with much reason. that their stage
Is their own and that their duty is not to accept
recruits. but to send forth missionaries to all the
world When Miss Calhoun made her first APP
pearance in Paris she was received with storm
Of protests One or two critics. notably NJ. Henry
Fouquer. did her Justice The majority with NJ.
Sarcey at their head. cried out against the for
egner NJ. Sarcey lie often enough brutal to
actresses Of his own nationality. and IL as COM
pletely devoid as anybody in the world of any
sentimental notion Of chivary to women. His
brutality to this young American lady went be-
yond all limits. "Enlevez, moi cette affreuse
Americane," cried he. merely because she was
American. Later. he repented little
Miss Calhoun's different experiments in Paris
remarkable. She showed. as the critics finally
admitted. a very high order of dramatic capacity.
But IL she had been Ristori and Duse in one. she
would have remained American. and the French
would none of her. The value of this long essay
in ifs mi worked
in the best school In the world She became and
she is to-day one OF the most accomplished of
actresses To her natural gifts for the drama.
which are admirable she has added all that the
French stage has to teach In company with NJ.
Sardou NJ. Coauelin. and others ! saw her play
some scenes of Fedora" at private rehearsal one
afternoon at the Vaudeville Theatre in Paris. In
the lighter scenes Of pure comedy her accent.
though slight. was so marked that the great men
shook their heads. When she came to the scenes
of passion and Of real drama. the accent disap-
peared,-swept away. as 1t were. In torrent OF
feeling. All her uncertainty Of method disap-
peared also: she acted with vigor, an intensity,
a breadth. which captivated that very difficult
and critical little group of hardened play-goers
and playwriters and play-actors.
All was Of no avail. Between her and the
French public her nationality was a barrier. and
It has remained barrier. To some extent the
same thing is true In England. where what the
English call the American accent attracts atten-
ton, and detracts from the merit of any per-
formance on the stage. Between the dozen or
more widely different American accents, the
British ear is not sufficiently delicate. or not
sufficiently trained. to discriminate 1t is Anneri-
can and that is enough But In Miss Calhouns
case the accent is not marked, and the dearth OF
good actresses on the English stage is such that
she will be welcomed back for her own sake. She
returns before it is too late, with her youthful
ness still fresh and her personal attractions what
they were and II is idle to deny that these are
potent in winning or in reganng the goodwill OF
any public.
1t is worth remarking in these days of revived
Sabbatarianism that Mr.. Yates Thompson. who
has offered Liverpool $4,000 for conservatory
IN Seton Park. made 1t a condition that the
place should be opened on Sunday. The condi-
ton as we'll as the gif: are creditable TO him,
and 1t Is cred.table also to the municipal authori-
ties of Liverpool that the acceded to the condi-
ton without. so far as appears opposition iro"
any source The Sabbatarians who prosecute
people for giving literary lectures on Sunday
may take note Would they drive them from
the iecture-hall TO the publlc-house?
II may be taken as a specimen of the ameni-
ties attending the London School Board contro-
yersy that the Progressive organ calls Lord
George Hamilton the new Moderate Chairman
an Imperial pauper. The ground for this sneet
is In his acceptance Of a pension as an ex-Caoi-
net Minister The amount. i believe. is $loooo
a year. 1t is quite true that such pensions are
not given except to those who make declara-
ton that they stand In need OF them 1t would
not even then be accurate to call the receiver a
pauper II 1t were accurate II would still be UNI
mannerly.
Moreover a weapon OF that sort is boone
rang II Lord George Hamilton is to be called
an Imperial pauper. why not Mr. Shaw-Lefevre!
True, at the moment, Mr. Shaw-Lefevre IL not In
receipt Of pension. because he is in receipt OF
salary. and so long as the salary is paid the
pension Is in allegiance. When the salary ceases
the pension revives 1t Is no disgrace TO Mr..
Shaw-Lefevre to accept 1t; nor TO Lord George
Hamilton; any more than It to Lord Bea-
consfed. The absence Of riches adequate to pub
lie life Is no disgrace In these days. 1t may even
be a recommendation The disgrace lies In the
partisan use Of such phrase as Imperial pauper
TO bring contempt upon political opponent.
When 1t is seen TO be equally applicable to a
political friend 1t is not only disgraceful but
absurd
Four new plays VIII be produced during the
next six weeks. Beside Mr.. Henry James's
"Paul Dauville'' and Mr.. Sydney Grundy's
"Slaves Of the Ring" the irrepressble Mr.. Oscar
Wilde is to bring out a piece at the Haymarket
of which know nothing except that 1t is by Mr..
Oscar Wilde. He doubt. would think that
information amply sufficient, and perhaps it is.
On the other hand the public must be supposed
to be pning for ,ne fullest possible particulars Of
any work whatever from the hand OF this gifted
writer There can be no doubt that Mr. Wilde
Is gifted The doubt begins when you inquire. if
you care to inquire. into the nature OF the gifts
with which Nature and Art have endowed him.
He has already, II is true, produced two pieces