The record-union., 1894-03-03

who lie in wait for such opportunities;
who feel no sorrow when necessity and
duty demand condemnation, or who
prostitute the opportunity to the cor
ruption of bribery. Fortunately for the
office of criticism these are mostly found
upon metropolitan journals of a sub
order, the judgment of which very little
affects the public mind. Unfortunately,
however, there is another pernicious
class rattling around in the Office who
praise indiscriminately. and consider as
OF first importance the personality of the
actor and his feeling, and of no concern
the public reliance upon what the
Eastern dwelling, if we are to judge from
the fulsome praise bestowed upon most
unworthy objects sent out to us. The
provincial press" as these scavengers
term it, and the honorable metropolitan
press least employ or tolerate this class.
The minute. the detail. the individ-
ualism of the play have least concern for
those who are judging ii critically; unless
primarily there is error in its conception,
unless the error in development out
weighs the merit. the honest critic will
permit his judgment to be favorable, be-
cause its true purpose should be to be
helpful, but this does not imply conceal
ment of weakness or error or the cloak
ing of serious defects.
The critic ought to be not only solicit
Gus to elevate the stage, but be we'll ''in
formed upon the limitations and diff1-
cultIes of the art he is passing upon,"
says Professor Stoker-a statement none
will be found to controvert. For, with
out this acquired knowledge-a knowl
edge that can be The result of study and
seeking onIy-the critic is wholly incapa-
BILE of measuring effort or divining pur-
pose.
Professor Stoker believes that even
those best equipped for their work and
perfectly unprejudiced in their desires,
should not make first performance of
new play. or the first night of revival of
an old one, the basis for criticism. He
thinks it is only fair to wait until the
nervousness and friction of first effort
have ceased, since nervousness is a neces-
sary part of the artistic temperament He
would have the critic devote first per-
formance notes to the descriptive only,
leaving to later observation the applica-
ton of judgment.
But this is largely impracticable for the
great mass of busy, hard-worked news
paper critics. The reading public is un-
yielding in its demand for the opinion of
It's newspaper the day following the first
performance, because it is with it mat
ter of investment for entertainment, and
if it cannot find III its journal some guild
ance it will seek it elsewhere, to the dis
credit of the former. This fact ought TO
stimulate artists, therefore, to such thor
oughness OF study, Interpretation and
business" that first nights would be
little distinguishable from others. The
full-dress rehearsal exacted in some
French and English theaters, before a
chosen few, is intended for this express
purpose.
Professor Stoker holds that there is III
the world no more honorable or response
BILE position for any man than to sit in
judgment, and such an one should always
feel the gravity and weight of such an
earnest task. We believe that IN the.vast
majority of cases they do; that more of
conscience enters into dramatic criticism
among newspaper men than any other,
because the artist, the witness and the
critics in these cases are brought so much
more closely together-they look into
each others eyes, as it were; one is max
ing a record, the other is coldly or SYM
pathetically observing the process with
very little concern as to the results to the
first, the latter is seeking to serve the one
and help the other. That help may be by
way OF correction to the degree Of Sc
verify, or by the discovery of gems and
their extraction from the clay.