The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-29

Y AT THE PLAY.
sry and costumes. So with Sir Henry
Irving as King Arthur we had quite a
noble array of talent, and 1 felt that
sgain was moving among my own set.
| There is good prologue goes with
the play, but many wealthy people came
in after this was over, each carrying a
quill toothpick to indicate that they had
been dining. They came in with a we'll
bred air, and the low, passionate cries
Of those whose feet had been walked
upon, together with the sharp rattle of
opening opera seats, showed that those
who were already seated were the vulgar
people, who are too poor to lose the first
part Of play, and that the leisure
classes, who keep posted, time their
dinner so as to drop in after the pro-
logue and introduce their good clothes
and massive stomachs at such time as
to share the public attention with Mr..
| Irving.
| In the prologue we see the magic
mere, and from its somber depths comes
forth the very wonderful sword Excali-
bur. Mr.. Irving accepts it with a few
! well chosen remarks, and Merlin, the
magician, tells King Arthur what is
expected of him. He also warns him
about Guinevere:
/ Love and hate are born in May
| Love, the bird upon the wing;
Hate, the worm devouring.
All loves flowers Of yesterday
| Wait for thee in Guinevere.
In q vision be sees her with her golden
hair all hanging down her back, and he
seems TO think that with her and Excal-
ibur he could go to keeping house inside
of 4 week
Mr.. Irving is not a beautiful man,
and it is just as we'll to be frank about
that at once. His face is very thin, and
his legs give an oval effect TO the picture
one sees beyond him. He walks as one
might who feels a little uncertainty
about the distance between our Ameri-
can railway ties, yet who feels deter
mined to venture it. His voice is not
melodious and dies away at times in
the vast architecture of his nose and
pharynx, aud yet what a great man
he isl
Plain almost TO the limit Of the law.
and with features which make a clock
involuntarily cover its face with its
hands, and yet how marvellous, espe-
cially as the architect and builder of q
playl He is fortunately far out of the
reach of my humble criticism, and yet
he need not fear Ii III any event, for /
am with him most heartily in his work.
Should he come 10 our place this season
he needn't pay for thing while there
The cold parlor bedroom is his while he
is in town and my own beautiful ster-
ling napkin ring shall be at his plate
each day.
In act first King Arthur's knights are
seen preparing TO go IN search Of the
Holy Grail They are clothed in full
panoply, though some Of them-in rath-
er poor taste, l thought-wore shirts Of
mail that were a little too long and
showed few inches below their steel
topcoats Ii is to be hcped that Mr..
Irving will do nothing TO offend the
American people upon the theory that
we are coarSe or vulgar in our tastes. II
might be as well. therefore, before going
TO Boston, for Mr.. Irving 10 ask Sir
Bedivere, Sir Lancelot, Sir Agravaine
and others 10 cut of two or three inches
of these garments. or az least 20 tuck
them in, for our best people Will not
submit to anything at al which would
indicate that our tastes and sensibilities
are not fully as alert As are those Of the
people of London who visit the Lycelm
, theater. Il is in the first act that the sad
truth begins 10 dawn upon the spectator
that the queen is too much interested in
Sir Lapcelot. She did not discover il
herself until the Holy Grail TIP Is con-
templated- Then she suddenly notices
that when Sir Lancelot goes away.
with little chance Of his return. times
viii be extremely dull around the castle.
and even church work viii not alone be
able 10 distract her sorrowing heart
Sir Lancelot, too, feels greatly sgitsted
between his cath 10 the king and his
deep but unfortunate and. as may say,
IL Chosen love for the queen