New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-15
PART III.
PAGES IS TO is.
MRS. EBBSMITH.
MR. PINERO's NEWEST PLAY AT THE
CARRICK THEATRE-Hls POSITION Ao
DRAMATIST-HIS DEBT TO THE
FRENCH STAGE-MRS. PATRICK
CAMPBELL AS MRS. EBBSMITH.

London. April ~
The dramatic fashion OF the moment IL for long
,,,,es and Mr. P:nero followed 1t IN naming his
latest piece THE Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith II Is
M. q good title and not apt descriptive Mrs
t-hhsn,ith has been notorious IN the past bu;
q, the per,od Of the play has sunk into obscurity.
Nor Is she in the slang Of the day, woman with
mast When make her acquaintance on the
stage Of the Carried: we are concerned only with
be- present. which, as 1t happens. is Of the KIND
indicated by the phrase with past when ap-
nliei 70 woman. Her former notoriety had
nothing to DO with that. She was notorious as a
Radical lecturer not Tor her relations with the
other sex or any unusual looseness of life The
,its is therefore m.sleading-a kind OF stage
trick and for that reason mistake. NO audi-
sncs likes being taken in. If sIr. Pinero wanted
sensational headline he might just as well have
called his piece Mad Agnes" That was the
name by which Mrs Ebbsmith was known TO her
nuhj.c in the days when she more or less
notorious.
When this play was produced IL vas hailed by
most Of the gentlemen who supply the pubic
with opinions dramatic novelties. as master
niece. remember reading two or three accounts
OF IT, have forgotten all about them except that
they were eulogisic. The word is rot strong
enough They were expressed in terms which
gave the reader TO understand that Mr.. Pinero
is very great dramatst and had written very
great play He is the fashion He has acquired
a certain prestige. dating IN its extreme form
from THE Second Mrs Tanoueray." That work
also was hailed masterpiece. Mr.. Pnero is,
IN fact. a clever play-writer with a knowledge
Of the stage not usual in English writers Of pays,
and he has been very lucky in his Interpreters.
Here at last cried his euogists. IS an English
man Of the present day who can write and does
write an original and powerful play. Well there
Is no use ~ going deep when one talks or
originality or seeking for ihe sources OF the
spring. But l suppose 1t may be said that we
should have heard little OF Mr.. Pineros genius
il there had been NJ. Alexandra Dumas MS
He has gone to French sources studied French
methods emancipat:d himself from the mack
neyed ettods OF the modern English Stage
and perceived that what had long since been
familiar TO the French paygoer might be
novelty to English audiences
He had, moreover degree OF courage he
set himself TO discuss social problems OF
kind not often talked about in public. How 10
restore the woman with past to domestic
life was the problem Of The Second Mrs Tan
oueray" The conundrum 10 which an answer i
attempted In The Notorious Mrs. Eoosmth is
less simple. but the final answer is the rescue ol
a woman from equivocal position, or I'M
eouivocal when the wife and friends Of her lover
conspire together &c keep her his mistress mat
is sufficiently delicate. or indicate. theme
for consideration in the glare OF the foo'heh's'
The question Of marriage is debated. BADLY
enough. and also the question OF concuo'hase'
more BADLY still. The old phrase. long since
dlscred.ed and abandoned. Free Love. Is heard
once more
II Is hard 10 see what is gained. The argu-
mentative dissertations in which MT Fhero
delights lead nowhere and they are not ORA
matte Nor have they that neNness Of view or
that literary force which might serve as an ex-
c,se for them NJ Dun really had ideas which
he wished to present 70 the public. ana ne hao
the art-a very and difficult art-'o pre-
sent them in dramatic form. He had htera-
ture also. In perfection OF style In quah'y' III
his grasp Of the cameless graces ana eii's py
which work taxes te place as literature anu
ui,hor, which it is naught NJ. Dumas is among
the first writers OF his day That Is why MS
n,avs live IN print as well as IN speech; why he
has a place and probably permanent place IN
the French drama of the higher kind. The want
of these qualities excludes for example NJ
Sardou from that category. Yet If Mr.. PlnerO
can b.. Ukened to either Of these two French
men the two most successful dramatists OF the
day IL is 70 NJ SardOu and not TO VI. Dumas
that he must be compared. Can IL % salu una
Nj. P:nero is readable? He has published some
Of his plays DO they find readers lie mas d
certain precision OF statement. sometimes Vgof'
and there is occasionally sentenc" which
sparkles bat OF literature in the proper sense
he has none. Yet he has been as much praisea
far his literature as tor his constructive skill.
II is this want Of critical discrimination whch
renders 60 much Of the dramatic criticism Of the
day futile. misleading, and even mischieVous IN
its influence. No worse service can be done 10
han q low Standard IL
vas I think Mr. PInero who IN a speech on
ANNE convvial occasion last year. clamored Tor
mere ,auration as the kind or criticism alone c'l-
cu,ated 70 bring forth good work We'll. ne mas
the laudaiicn. but the good work Is $40" III
corning Authors actors. all Of US, suppose
WIS are In position to attract any notice what
ever prefer applause to Misses. IL uoes NOT ioio"
that Kisses may not be best If man mas 'huch
in him Kisses will not silence him. H. on the
other hand. Mr.. Pinero is assured by 'ie au'"eh-
nc oreans of public 1p.nion that he is the sheri-
dan OF his time. he will probably peHe'o !" am
remain content with his present degree OF ener'
getic mediocrity He stands at the hea" Vi '"'
little band of Engl.shmen who nave sd'"'u
hearing ON IN. English stage. IT is not a grea
uos,t.on The modern English drdna-Whal
Il? The Sydney Grundys and Arthur Joneses ah'
Cartons and the rest are all clever IN way .'"'
have mechanical ingenuity. degree Vi VI"
matte inyentiveness a huency Of commonplace
dicti0n and A knowledge OF sage effect ""'c'
y,,0ice 70 secure a degree OF popularity Tor 'hei
v,ays: and generally the most popularity Tor u"
worst plays. Not until some writer appeaiS y
a class altogether different from these VIII. u"
time have arrived for the rhapsodics when ma
bcen roured out or Mr.. Pinero Can 1t be sal
OF him that he has created one character "''~
Will live? Mrs Ebbsmth is alive enough d
nr.sent bi,t now much 0. her vitality Is Que 1
Mr.. Plnero?
saw last night for the fi-st time The No'or'
GU, Mrs. Ebbsmith' produced at the 'a''io
Theatre some two months ago or more. Anu
am almost tempted to say that also I'd" -
the first time Mrs. Patrick Campbell. For '"ei