The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-05-20
There Is Nothing New.

Mr.. Stuart Robson sat in his dTessing-room in
the theater. He had donned a suit of sporless
white 10 make his entry during the third act Of
the Henrietta" Thus arrayed he sal gazing
at a newspaper clipping pasted on the mirror
before Him. a look OF unwonted melancholy
re sled on Mr.. RobsOn's face.
'.3here is nothing new under the sum-" he re-
marked at length
But is there any truth, Mr.. Robson, in the
paragraph you are reading?"
True, sip" cried the comedian. every
word of it is true"
The paragraph stated that Augustin Daily.
pl wright and manager. having been recently
called 10 testify about the originality of a GER
attn play, had boldly stated that there was no
such hing as an original play. This asIound-
ing and revolutionary theory was now pro-
pounded to Mr.. Robson, who, after mature de-
liDerati0R, upheld 1t.
81. do you consider the Henrietta an original
play?' be demanded.
"Ets said TO be-
= Have you ever heard that Bronson Howard,
who wrote it, was accused Of plagiarism"
''NeveT7'
Ms he generally considered an honest
writer2''
Honest as the day"
"Well, sir" said Mr.. Robson, az have no
doubt That MI. Howard believes that every line
every situation, every character 10 the Henri
eta IS original. But what Is the most novel
effect that il cOntalns-mechanlcally mean"
1.-The ticker"
- WHEN DID THE TICKER FIRST APPEAR?
Precisely; the ticker. You VIII perhaps be
surprised TO hear that Mr.. Crane and long ago
consulted that ticker in The successful comedy,
'Sharps aud Flats "
Not in the least. 1 da say Mr.. Howard
never witBessed performance of 'Sharps and
Flats" Nevertheless, the ticker existed In that
work years before the production Of the Hen
rietta'
Where did the authors OF 'Sharps and Flats
obtain it2"
How should l know? Doubtless they
thought IL was original with them. But I'll wa
ger hat that somebody has done 1t before
Them"
But 1t must have originated somehow"
"Aot necessarily. II may have been adapted
. from some mechanical effect OF a similar char
acter. DO you remember the telegraph scene
Ia The Long Strike? Jane Leatoyd comes
running into the telegraph office with ola
Moneypenny, the lawyer. To save her lovers
lie she Is bound 10 recall young seaman who
Is Just setting sail Tor America. She must tele-
graph TO Liverpool before the vessel weighs
anenOr. The operator tells her the Liverpool
ofilcs-1s closed, She filings herself on her kn 90
ga Moneypenny offers a large sum OF money If
the-messdge can be sent The operator replies
that II Is impossible. Suddenly three ticks
were heard. quick succession OF ticks fol
lows: BY some accident says tile operator
'lbe ounce is eopened. l can send your mes
sage James lover is saved. And where do
you suppose Nj. BOuclcaut found that effect?'
WAS not The Long Strike adapted from
Mrs. .GaskelPs Mary Baritone"
1T was, but Ill defy You TO find trace Of
the telegraph scene In Mary Barton No, Mr..
Boueieault took 1t from French farce called, L
think, La Telegraphe Eiectrlque.'"
could 1t be traced beyond Inat?"
- 1--WE do doubt 1t has Travelled from play TO
e play since the invention of the telegraph"
Then, when the telegraph was Invented the
situation was new"
IAN expert like MIR. BOucicault would proba-
bly, show that even then 1t was merely new
application OF SOM effect that had been run
ming down the ages"
HAS SCIENCE ASSISTED THE STAGE?
'But has not every discovery of science in
trOduced new dramatic situations?
IL has only enlarged The field OF adaptation.
MI. CHARLES Barnard, author OF The Country
Fair and. a mechanical inventor of conSiueT;i-
bic skill, wrote an article the other day 10 show
that all The scientific effects or the stage were
absuTditieS. He quoted the camera scene In
the 'OctOroon.' A camera is left IN position M
that nom MT when murder is being commit
led. The face of the murderer is found 10 have
been photographed. The plate conYicts him.
This, Mr. Barnard, says, Is sheer lunacy; Yet
Inc public mas for wears accept d IL as dra-
has done little for the stage. People laugh or
cry to-day over the things which made Them
laugh or cry in Shakespeare's time"
Then, why did you buy the Henrietta p"
Because we wanted new play"
"But you have just said there is no such thing
as anew play"
Il said there was no such thing as an origi-
nal play. We have paid Mr.. Howard many
thousand dollars. For what do you suppose
we paid that sum?'
"FOr a fesetting of old materials?"
For such setting the press and public
would hold 10 be subs antially novel. Taken
piece by piece, you may have seen the Whole OF
The Henrietta before. Ain elderly widower
flirting with a gay widow is not a novelty.
Yet, in what other piece is the couriship or
Nicholas Vanalstyne ST set down? Fathers
have often been ruined by their Children on the