Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-01-27

son was last in the United States, an article
signed by her appeared in one of the more
important reviews A paragraph in it re-
ferred with something of slight or con-
tempt to Mrs James Brown Potter. then
just about beginning her professional Ca
reer Mrs. Potter and Mary Anderson had
been warm personal friends, so that Mrs.
Potter was deeply hurt by this formal
Slight When she next met Mary Ander-
son, her manner was excessively cool toward
the famous actress. and Miss Anderson in
turn became offended, knowing of no reason
why she should have been treated thus
Asking an explanation later, Miss Anderson
discovered that the Offense which had been
given to Mrs. Potter was caused by the
paragraph in the magazine article.
With that impetuosity and frankness
which characterize Mary Anderson, she
Immediately sought her old friend and
said why, l never wrote the article. |
have never even read it. A certain critic
told me that he had been asked to procure
an article from me. that he knew l was
busy, and that he had written something
which he thought expressed my opinions,
and that it would be a great personal favor
as well as II pecuniary one if l would sign
it. He had written kind things about me,
and so l thoughtlessly signed the article
without even having looked at it."
And with this explanation the friendship
was restored. e... .- u0
But publishers who now are seeking from
famous actors literary contributions will
no longer accept anything which does not
bear the stamp of the actors own literary
composition. .--s,.- '---
There have been two or three private eX-
hibitions given by the schools of dramatic
culture which in recent years have been
established in New York city, and these en-
tertainments have afforded the most con-
spicuous illustration of the intimate asso-
citation which has been developed between
those who have to do with the drama and
those whose vocation is literature.
At the latest exhibition of this kind it
was announced that the actors and actresses
who were to appear had in no case received
more dramatic training than had been pos
sible to give in a course of some three
months. Not one of them had ever APP
peared in public upon the stage. All Of
them were young men and women OF re-
spectacle life some of them coming even
from wealthy families. 1t was also an
nounced that two new plays written by lit
terateurs-one IA woman and one man
would be produced.
Before the curtain rose the auditorium OF
the Empire theater was well filled with
notables Mr. Howells was there chatting
with Mr.. Daniel FrOhman. and with the
manner of eager expectancy in his glance
and speech, and he was an object of inter-
est because there is no actor of ability and
scarcely any writer of reputation who does
not know that it is Mr.. Howells' ambition
to write great acting play.
Professor Brandcr Matthews of Columbia
college, who is Il writer of romances, essays,
professor of literature and magazine ed
itor, chatted merrily with little Charles
Frohman, who is 50 dimiputive in size that
he presents a strange contrast with his tall
End scholastic looking brother Daniel
Both of these managers and Mr.. A. NJ
Palmer are intensely Interested in the de-
velopment of these dramatic schools, be-
lieving that they will ultimately furnish
the American stage with u splendid COM
pany of American actors and actresses.
Mr.. Franklin Fyles, dramatic critic,
successful playwright and charming writer;
Miss Martha Morton, a young woman who
in day leaped from obscurity to high re-
pute as dramatist; Mr.. Franklin Sar-
geani, Mr.. Nelson Wheatcroft, Mr. Robert
p. Porter, who of late has taken as much
interest in literature and the drama as he
did in dry figures when superintendent of
the census; Mark Twain, who is growing
very gray and very leonine because his
head is crowned with splendid mass of
hair tuinbled about with careless care, and,
in fact, u majority of those who have
gained fame as authors, dramatists and
critics, were in that theater, seated side by
side with actors and actresses of high char
acter and great ability.
These institutions are patr nized, sup
ported and most enthusiastically encour-
aged by the ablest litterateurs of New York
and vicinity. Mr.. Howells, Mr. Frank
Stockton. Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Richard
Henry Stoddard, Edmund Clarence Sted-
man, Franklin Sergeant, are among those
of distinction who give encouragement to
these experiments and who believe that the
outcome Of them will be noble develop
mcnt not only of the American stage, but
of the American art of acting, and that the
men and women who graduate will ,,e able
to do much to lift the profession of acting
out OF the disrepute into which, by reason
of the follieso f some of those who have been
associated with the stage. it has fallen.
Z. j. EDWARDS.
She Liked DarCnlua.