Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-08-11


ELOPEMENT."
cessity IN human nature. II was as
Inevitable That man should evolve the
theatre as IL was that he should evolve
the church, the judiciary tribunal, the
parliament, or any other essential COM
ponent Of the State. Almost all human
beings possess the dramatic perception:
a few possess the dramatic faculty. TIL sc
few are born for the stage. and each and
every generation contributes its number
70 the service OF this art. The problem
Is one OF selection and embarkatiOn.
OF the true actor Il may be said, as
Ben johnson said Of the true poet-that
he ss made. as well as born. The fin It
natural faculties have never yet been
known to avail without training and cul-
ture But this Is ii problem which, in a
great measure. takss care Of itself. and
~ time works ont ana submits its own
solution. The anomaly. every day present
ed. of the young person who, knowing
nothing. feeling nothing. and having no
thing 10 communicate exc n the desire
~ communication. nevertheless PUSHES
upon the stage Is felt 70 be absurd.
Where the faculty. as well "a the In
stinct exists, however. impulse soon re-
cOgnizes the curb Of common sense. ana
the aspirant finds MS level In this way
the dramatic profession is recruited In
this way the several types Of thu dra-
matte artlst-each type being distinct, and
each being expressive OF d sequence from
m ntal and spiritual ancestry-2re nam
tanned. II Is not too much 20 say that
a natural law operates silently and surely
behind each seemingly caprcious chance,
in this field Of the conduct Of lie.
The author Is Jealous OF the actor.
Not only the author. Celebrities outside
Of authorship squirm at his popularity.
He certainly does LAY over" every
other kind Of celebrity In public estina-
ton. He IS subiimated Pascarel.
Everybody knows him. Everybody de-
lights I'm paying him attention. The
newspapers chronicle his comings and
goings with admrng PARTICULARLY. AT
great feast he occupies the highest
seats lie shares in public recognition
the honors Of great statesmen. and on
the stage Overshad0ws the name Of the
most famous writer. whose character he
may be impersonatiug. why. the small
est actor on the programme has his
name printed IN larger letters than
mine" ! once heard a famous dramatist
remark. by way Of illustration, touching
the ascendency Of the actor; and hardly
a single author will admit acting into
the privilege Of recognition. except among
the humblest OF the arts ". Daudet
was "saddenei" at Westminster Abbey
10 see memorials Of actors there. In
Guiding "Kemble. Gsrrlck, and Sidd0ns,
because they are interiors 70 the great
creators Ike Dickens. Tennyson, and
others" He admired Irving. but he
wouldn't put him I'm Westminster Abb
hey. If Irving had written that trifle
called "a Story Of Waterloo" instead
OF cutting II into shape and giving flesh
and blood and life 10 Conan Doyle's clever
sketch. I suppose he would be con-
sidered entitled TO place in the Abbey
We are I'm no hurry 20 see that question
settled. and ! don't suppose II f. a mat
ter that troubles Mr.. Irving. In the
mean time, II IS an interesting c'rcum-
stance that Just at the momen. when the
question OF exclusion Of actors from royal
levees was being discussed IN England
the stage should have obtained national
recognition in the knghtng of Sir Henry
Irving. TIE State honored itself In such
An addition 20 IT'S list OF knights; but
the official 'ban" sim rests upon the
actor. It was considerably modified.
nevertheless. in the honor conferred upon
Irving, not perhaps. so much in his ca
pacity as an actor, as in spite OF IT.
II has been agreed between US who sit
together after dinner. that We are not
pessirnists, but we cannot put hack the
clock At the same time We can note the
glimpses OF light that strike al the dark
ness. Long aga we have ohatted to-
eether about the influence that art might
have upon the poster. and literature on
the ordinary advertisement. The new
poster has come In with a vengeance, and
for the time being Il must set of In 4
small way the defacement OF American
landscape by the aggressively ugly sign
board America has followed England ard
France as a worthy rival OF boarding
decoration. II II Is KEEP, in check by 'rea-
sonable good taste the new mode viii
prove one OF the most welcome Of street
reforms A recent number OF Scribner's
magazine had a collection OF dainty ex-
amples Of the French poster. Apart from
their topical interest they are remark
able instances OF how distinctly American
magazines keep the lead OF all others In
the matter OF engraving and process"
work one day the iron tablet poster
will 20 out. II has played havoc with
mural advertising. OF course the most
effcacious kind of advertising Is through
tho nsusnapera but N wa are 10 have 4.