The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-21

terry plays"-works founded on biblical
| subjects. A little later 'history plays
were introduced. In themselves these
later productions were valueless, but
achieved, subsequently, some literary con-
sideration as being the germs of the mag.
| ni6cent historical productions of Shake
| speare and his contemporaries.
The evolution of the drama presents the
dithyramb as the parent of the Greek
| drama; the pageant mask or mummery as
the father of the romantic school Tin
crudity), and the classical-romantic as the
progenitor of the Shakespearean school
Shakespeare took as basis foundation
the classic form, modified it's severity by
adding the best elements in the romantic,
and by virtue of his universal genius
created a new dramatic art which will out
live all other conceptions.
In brief article it is impossible to fol-
low the fortunes of the drama throughout
Europe. Indeed, the subject is SO large
that to review the English drama alone
would be the work of volumes rather than
pages. 1T must suffice to say that the
story of the drama has been practically
the same in all countries, only distin-
guished by local coloring.
From the period of the observance of the
Druid rites in England to the time of Rich
ard III the "Mystery Plays" kept the
boards. It is a curious coincidence that
the stage, has suffered more at the hands
of playwrights and players than any other
character in history. He was the first
English prince who carried in his train a
troop of players-and he gave the first po-
tent impulse to the drama in England.
Dunstable had the honor of possessing the
first permanent theater, which, strange to
say, had Geofrey, a monk, for its manager.
But from the advent of the Norman to the
Tudor era England was content with the
Mystery Plays" In Bluff King Halls
reign the colleges took possession of the
drama, clergymen writing and acting in
their own plays. The first regularly con-
structed English comedy, 'Raiph Roster
Doister," was written by the Master of
Eton (1540). This was followed at Cam
bridge by a tragedy called "Pammachus. !"
During this and subsequent reigns the
statesmen of the day used the stage to
support their policies.
Not until the time of Elizabeth, however,
was the drama really recognized. In her
reign there was plethora of dramas and
galaxy of intellectual dramatic stars
whose glory fades not.
When Shakespeare was born, the English
world was accepting, with some show of
indifference, the thunder of the church
directed against the stage-but with his
manhood and his advent in London, there
came pronounced revival in favor of
dramatic performances.
There is curious description of an
English theater audience of the period-a
description characteristic OF the English
people of the time of Elizabeth.
Old Gosson says: 'In our assemblies at
plays in London you shall see such heav-
ing and shouting, such pitching and
shouldering, to sit by women; such care
for their garments that they be not trod-
den upon, such eyes to their laps that no
chips light on them. such pillows for their
backs that they take no hurt, such mask
ings to their ears-I know not what
such giving them pippins to pass the time,
such playing at footsaunt without cards,
such ticking, such toying, such smiling,
such winking and such manning, then
home when the sports are ended, that it