Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-12-13

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49,. --Lc.I t.OBSON.
caprioious iucessant. and continually
passes from fancy 10 fancy II scarcely
knows what II wants. except That il
wants excitement and change Those peg
sons i'm the dramatic world who make
a point to address II ara experimental
spectators. whose one and only object IS
personal gain and who are willing and
ready 10 furnish any sort Of entertain
ment that they think will please "a pass
Ing caprice. and thereby VIII turn pon-
ny for themselves. TO judge the public
entirely by this surface liking is TO find
the public what TennysOn once called it
q many-hesded beast. With that animal
every paitry and noxiOus thing can be
made. for time. TO flourish; and that
fact leads observers who do not caref ly
look beneath the surface 10 conclude
that the public IS always wrong. But the
Geep preference of the public comes iuto
tho question. and observers who are able
20 see and to consider that fact presently
perceive that the artist. whether actor
or otherwise. who gives 20 the public,
not what IL says IL wants, but what IL
ought 20 have les in the long run 'ne VIC
tor. Tho deep preference Is for the good
thing the resi- thing the riIlt. n g. not
intelligent. II does not go with think
ing and reasoning. IL does not pretend
to have grounds Of belief IL simply re-
spends But upon the stage the actor who
IL able 20 reach 10 is Omnip0tent. Jciter-
son conspicuously IS an actor who APP
peals 10 the deep instructive, natural
preference OF humanity. and who reaches
IT, aTouses Il. and satshes 1t. Through
out the whole Of his mature career he
has addressed tho no5ler soul OF human
ity and given TO the people what they
ought to have; and the actor who IS
really able TO DO that naturally oonQuers
everything. II is not q matter Of arti-
fee and stimulation; It IS a matter OF
being genuine and not sham.
The stage OF the present is always
degenerate" Persons VINO seek "the
Golden Age" invariably find that ~ re-
tires as they advance Meres I'm "Wit's
Treasury" compllusntlng the poet Dray-
ton, speaks OF these declining and cor
rupt times, wher there Is nothing but
rogGery in villainous man" The story
was comprohcnded in that censure yet
II was the time OF Shakespeare. Ben
johnson, and Bur5age. C.bber. in his
last years. could see little or no merit
IN contemporary PLAYERS; yet that was
the time OF Garrick Mrs.. Clbher, MOssop.
Henderson. and soranger Barry. Smollet's
5quirs BTamhie, speaking no doubt. the
belief OF that fire dellueator Of character
that Of ITO. as these times Of dulness
and 6egereracy." Maclin. when an old
man. used 10 nsk disdainfully, where
are your actors?" Yet Maclin. who had
lived in the period Of Doggett. Mrs.
Barry. Barton Booth, Mrs. Oidheld, and
Mrs Bellsmy, might even as he spoke
have seen John Philip Eembie. Edward
shuler. Thomas King. Mrs. Dancer, and
Mrs. Sddons. In 1873, James Rees q
lachryrnose analyst, Of the Americon
theatre. described the genius of the
drama as IAN owl" sitting 'in gloom an0
eternal night" upon the wreck Of tho
stage; yet that was the time Of Junius
Brutus Booth. Edwin Forrest, Thomas
Hamblin Charles Burke, and the most
ilustrious I'm the house Of Wallack. So,
IN the present period. the theatre IS fire.
ouently disparaged In comparison with
not-weu comprehended past notwi'h
standing that, In our day, the American
stage has been adorned and dlsnihed by
Edwin Booth, Joseph Jefferson, Lester
Wallack, John Mccullough, Lawrence
Barrett william Warren, John Gilbert
Charlotte Cushman, Mary Anderson, Aoa
Rehan. Clara Morris. and Helena Mod
jeska; while across the Atlantic the
brilliant traditions Of Garrick kemole.
and Macready have been sustained and
AUGMENTED by the genius and devotion
OF Henry Irving the scholarship a.
Samuel Phelps. William Creswick. and
yoAn Ryder; the fine talent and splendid
energy OF Geneviove Ward, the oDulent
womanhood ana exquisite art OF Mrs
Kendal the intellectual character ana
fiery force Of A6a Cavendish, and the
original mino. the magnetic temperament.
and the strange, bcwildering beauty %
EDon Terry. The truth IS that IN theatri-
oal history every barren present become
q golden past the moment Il has drifted
tufacsntly far away upon the ocean OF
time 10 DO hallowed with the lovely
mist OF antiquity.
R.oe's famous 'Evangs'ine," tho charm
ing maiden OF poetry and music. with
the Lone Fisherman, his FISH line. and.
Incidentally, his fish, are coming TO ms
town tomorrow. and VIII be seen at lne
Academy for ono performance only. Tho
advance agent Of tho attraction cooed
morinuously into my ear that experts
have been NJ work on the piece. ana
have injected new humor and up-to-da'e
foxes into IT, "'rhe cast" said he.
(which made euch a hit In New York
VIII come attlred IN new fg-ioavc. frer'
from tho ceft hands % Partisan costum-
ers. and win be "a fellows: Evangeline,
viela Fortesquo; Catherine, g. X. sor-
tesgue; Gabriel. Mae Eakeri EtlaDe. Ma
ME Ferries FtltiGr Florence often
lie Blanc. w. II. Kohnlc; Dietrich. Ben
Hendricks; King, Charles Seagrave; Po-
nccnan. 3Nermsn wade Wagner Nal
colin Russell: Marie. @sdge Edwards;
Roce Primer; Fritz Blanche Clayton; Ru-
dolph. Bertha Ward. Heifer. Wade ana
Lee; Bash. William Cillcw; Lono Fisher
man. Jo0eph ". Hgrris
Twenty years ago two young men OF
Boston In their spare moments wrote
musical extrayayln which fGirly rcyo-
lruonizod tho burlcsque stage. The work
still lives, after all thtss years. with
10 Inherent can-ss pa iTCgh nrl as pO-
tent as two decades aso Surely. j.
Chcener Goodwin ana Edward h Rice
when they builded "Eyangeline." buillsd