The herald., 1894-03-11

Lyceum, with new designs and dissp-
pearing orchestra. and opened it in 1885
with his own play, Dakolar. In the
meantime be bad orea nized a school Of
acting and invented a folding chair.
Dakolar was a failure, and the Lyceum
passed from Mackaye's direction to that
of his former lieutenant, Daniel Froh-
man, who has since managed it most
successfully.
Mackaye then planned grand thea
ter and hotel combined, the hotel to pay
all the expenses of the theater, and the
theater to be supplied with medicsted
air, which should exhilarate the audi
ence for comedy and depress them for
tragedy and excite them for melodrama.
While seeking to induce capitalists to
invest in this scheme, he wrote Paul
Kauvsr and Money Mad. Then the
Chicago fair appealed to him by its
vsstness, and be undertook to construct
for it spectatorium, with q gigantic
representation of the life OF Columbus.
The spectatorium was not ready at the
opening OF the fair. and Mackaye then
built the scenitorium for the same spec
tacle on a smaller scale. In this build
ing-sn appropriate emblem OF his in
complete life-his body rested yesterday,
in state, while Professor Swing delivered
an eloquent funeral Grafton and +. A.
Barron, the distinguished critic, paid
tribute for the press and literature.
Similar honors await him here tomor-
row.
Steele Msckaye was magnetic man.
Tall, handso me, educated, accomplished,
ingenious, tsctfu, he lacked only one
little cog in the machinery of the intel
lect to become great in any department
of life. He could build theater; write
the play; paint the scenery and act all
OF the parts; but he could not keep the
property which his genius had pro-
duced. He WAS an orator, a poet, a
teacher and an inventor, in and out Of
the theater; but the money which came
to him turned to dead leaves in his
pockets. He could win friends easily
make them trust him implicitly then
distTust him utterly and finally equally
dislike and fear him. There was no sub
iect upon which he was not well informed
and his conversation was brilliant in
its novel ideas and dazzling in its
audacity. To study the lines of beauty
he filed his house with snakes aud
handled the most deadly of them with
fearless impunity. The models OF his
numerous inventions he made with his
own hands, being as expert with tools
as with words. He had no sonse of
debt; no care for other peoples money
but there was no dishonesty in his com
position, and his carelessness seemed
the simplicity OF a child. In reviewing
his career, one cannot but think that he
who had done 40 much, might have sc-
.v,ts IL, al l.-
Scotch ancestors added prudence to his
genius and had not his death come thus
untimely.
~.
Rev. DR.. Houghton, the venerable
rector of the Little Church Round the
Corner. sends us a copy Of his forty-fiith
anniversary sermon, with kindly note,
says the Spirit of the Times, saying: Il
want to thank you for the many good
words that you have written about the
Church of the Tran siguration and its
rector and for the real pleasure that
have taken in reading, from time to
time, many of the articles in your paper.
God bless youl' Amen to that sweet
prayer, which the sanity clergyman has
uttered go often on behalf of profession
ais Forty-hve years ago the Church of
Ine IrRnsuguratl0n was organized IN
little room on East Twenty fourth street.
Now, besides its handsome edfice and
rectory it has chapel on West Sixty
ninth street, free library, a
class for the instruction OF young
girls; guilds of working women, colored
women and for sick and helpless chit
dren; maternity society; a missionary
aid society. q school for teaching chill
dren to sew and an emergency hospital.
1t would offend good DR.. Houghton to
praise him for this great work; but he
has been the only rector OF the church,
and it has grown under his genial in
huence. He says: "a prominent pub
Usher recently asked me when my rem
iniscences would be printed. No such
book will ever be written. No diary has
been kept; no documents have been
preserved whose contents might unwise-
ly crafty an undisciplined curiosity.
No; if the rector speaks at all from the
grave, let him speak only words of peace
and helpiulness. Long may the hon
ored rector live to speak such words on
this side of the tomb.