New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-28
ARG TSTTN D.fL Y.

Ono day last week brought the tventy-ilfh
anniversary If Mr. Auglistin Days beginning
AZ = theatrical manager. and thercwithal II
brought 10 him the cordial greetings ana good
wishes II many friends. and II may wen III
s,jrc pleasant thoughts, both upon th'ir part
and upon his The reflections OF "A manager who'
for So long a time has sustained hlihSeh upon
the nvod-tldc Of public favor in this c'pi'ai can
not be otherwise than Agreeable" 10 HIS SUI
respect and his sense of graiiNd ambition MI
p,Iv frn,n the outset aimed AZ the establish
man, ~ a theatre OF the first Ordcr-a theatre
.,uinn.d with the best stock company that
,,dcmon, could organize and beraty obtain,
and devoted TO plays OF the best Kihd. froih
that purpose, while Judlciously cons'dera'e Oh
the caprccs OF popular taste. he mas never
swcrvcd: and IA he gazes backward along Tue
cyerlcngthcning track Of his cndeavor ne cah-
,o, fail ia perceive-and To rejoice In the per
c.ption- that while may fashions hav" DOOMED
and ,od.L and many evancsccnt favor!teS risen
and declined the intellectual principle OF con
lao, has hccn victorious: and that devotion 10
an ideal Of art and of public duty mas p'eh "
war,lcd Much Is said 10y moralists, about me
.h,.o hn,vc.n good and bad In human life. but
truly rs n matter Of fact. the man VINO hoi"S
,,s, hv IN. intellect does so without choice ana
h.o,.. ., ,lo So T. an instinct OF his nature. IL
,, y.rv fortunate for the stage and for the
community that In the general disihteErauoh
and hcadlong drift of theatrical aualrs WHICH
followed the Civil War. 50 much equally oi
ouportun!ty and power passed into the hi"u'
~ a man whose impulse was right ana whose
sense of duty TO the dramatic arr ana 10 ''c
ru,Iic wore one with his desire The period OF
,,,en,v.6v. wears lust ended has endured much
theatrical l.ylty and yugarity. but the pleasures
,r,vIded by this manager have often been eN-
allied and have always been refined.
Tho record Of Mr. Days achievements as
theatrical manager. indeed, when uinutely eA-
amineL. would amply subsantiat' his tue 10 ~
ranked rs the practical leader or the Ah'ri'a"
Stage Almost every important movement thl' n'S
ho., made in our theatre within the last quarter
-, . century. owes It's impulse TO him. II was
Mr.. DAILY who introduced, In succeSsloi' 'he SEX
timcntal drama Of France ana the larcicai co'"-
cdv Of Germany. He IL was who, as the 'luc'
r,,o az n,ov-gocrs began To die out and rs Wal
locks Theatre began 10 decline. set the eAaih-
ple OF organizing great company, inclusive VI
en-. host Of the old actors and the most a'i-
sn,c,ous NJ the new To him was due the
production of Herr Moscnthars Deborah III
America, and the brilliant success or MISS Niue
po,.mon In the aforementioned character OK
.I oob the Observation-Disclosures years ago.
while vet n youth he adapted plays for Mrs.
John Wood. Nine. Mcthua Schcllcr Rose Ey-
tipre. and Avonia Jones He was the earliest
od,ntcr OF Charles Rcadc's Griffith Gaunt,
and he had principal hand in converting Henry
Ward Rccchcr's novel Of Norwood into play,
I'm days when the name Of Bcecher was watch
word for the public enthusiasm. AS writer OF
ORIGINAL dramas he WAS very early in the field,
and he startled and vivi1ed a period OF routine
and imitation, by his celebrity in the choice ana
the use OF living topics. and by the ardor or his
inventive faculty and the courage OF his b'isi-
ness enterprise. His mclodrama OF Under the
GnslIght" produced In 1861. containing the res
cue from death upon the railway track, proved
the precursor Of long line OF sensation plays
upon American subjects His "Flash OF Light
ming" I'm 1865 was another success In the same
field and his play Of "Plque' still continues 10
be the best OF American domestic dramas. Dur
Ing his first season rs manager That OF loO-
10 when he had to contend against the rivalry
OF Booths Theatre and Of Wallnck's. he pro-
duccd twenty-three plays, OF which three were
by Shakespeare and every one OF his REVEALS
was conscientiousy planned and sumptuously
accomplished. He presented that fine tragedian.
T.. J.. Davenport. when ut his best; ana those
who saw Davenport's impcrsonation OF Sir Giles
Oycrreach. when given at Days Theatre In
Twenty -fourth-st., saw n veritable wonder OF
acting. which will not be forgotten. He brought
out Mrs Scott-SIddons In Shakcspcarian trag-
edy and comedy. at Il time when that lovely
woman was In the prime Of her beauty. He
managed engagements OF John Brougham,
George L. Fox, Edwin Booth, Joseph Jefferson,
T.. A. Sohcrn Mile Aimee Adelaide Nelson,
Charles Mathews and Fechtcr. He was the
first to present the noble Spanish play Of "YO-
rick in 1S74,-and he introduced the first Of
the comedies Of Mr.. Bronson Howard. He dis