The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-09
AMONG THE PLAYER.fOL
What Has Been and Will Be in Our
Local Theaters.
GOSSIP or STAGE FaVORlTES
Paragraphs OF News and Comment Con-
ceruiug the lnhabitants of the Mimic
World d-Annouueements Of Coming
Attractions Theatrical Tttinca

by Santanellt, the hypnOttSt, VINO mas
just astonished the medical faculty by
placing a man In hypnotic sleep for
seven days and seven nights. During
that time the man took neither food nor
drink. After the performance Mr..
Boucicault was taken on the stage and
introduced to Sautanelli. The doctors
had just relieved each other of the
watch at the bedside of the sleeping
men, Santanelli asked Anthony Bouci-
cault whether he believed In hypnotism.
Perfectly; certainly" was the reply.
"It Is a power that We all have to more
or less extent. 1t only needs develop
Ing. What people call magnetism in
actors Is only form of hypnotism.
Hypnotism Is nothing more nor less
than suggestion. Nothing would hap
pen in life We're 1t not for suggestion.
The art of acting is founded on sug-
gestion. To prove what ! say l Will
take one of your subjects and hypnotize
him." -..
He did so. and while in the hypnotic
state the subject performed many OF
the same things that Santanelli had
made him do earlier In the evening Mr.
Boucicault added several Of his own.
which kept the doctors in a roar OF
laughter. Bringing the subject to,
young Boucicault walked down. and,
looking at the subject that had been
sleeping for seven days ana seven
nights, he said, What a benefit this
would be to some actors during the
summer. If they han't to pay board,
and with quiet laugh he strolled out.
st. Clair McKelway, at the DAILY din
ner the other night, responded aptly to
the toast, 1.-The Theater and the Press"
Among other things he said:
Both appeal to the public every day
The stage. however, can have runs,
and in this case the longer the better.
The newspapers must be new every
morning, and renewed every evening.
The stage pictures either past or con-
temporary life; the press must apply
life just as it is and just as it finds it.
The stage Is primarily devoted to simu-
latioh; the press has been accused of
habitual discrimination. The stage Is
essentially personal. The actors as
sumo the parts of characters. The sue
cess of the representation depends
upon their abilities or representation
for advancement. The press Is dis
tinctly impersonal, so far as its work.
ers are concerned. The stage can have
it's writings done for 1t. clothed up. alb
breviated or elongated. The press
must do it's own writing for itself as II
goes along, as the exigencies Of space
and time require. The stage selects its
own tragedies. its own dramas. its COM
edies The press must take life as 1t
finds it, deal with 1t as 1t Is. always
with truth. 1 hope, which Is the inten-
ton to be accurate-nOt possibly al
ways accurate. because of the creative
function of subsequent evidence, or the
discovery not known at the time Of an
tecedent circumstances. The stage
can frame its pictures. garnish them
with scenery, with costumes, with
properties, and can illumine and en-
liven its productions with what on the
boards is technically called business or
appointments. The newspapers can do
very little pointing up OF that kind.
Illustration does play potent part in
journalism, but only on the simplest
scale, only in response to the quickest
demands, only in pursuance of very ele-
mentary forms of art. The stage can
select its writers as well as its sub
jects The press must assign its work.
| ers at random to tasks. They may or
| may not be fitted for those tasks; the
| discovery of that question can only be
left to experiment or experience Those
workers themselves cannot tell what
the subjects. If they are simply sketch
writers. to which they are assigned will
turn out to be. They cannot tell when
thSy pAihS lhCii uOWu " TIE VI =
| flee whether they can have much or lit
| tie room in which to offer 1t.
Il II
However. actors and newspaper
writers are alike in several respects.
A company ofadramatic artists and a
company Of newspaper workers are sew
eral parts of one stupendous whole. In
both professions they are artists i'm pro-
portion to their fidelity to the general
design, to their loyalty to the common
purpose. TO their attachment to the es-
tablishment with which they are con-
nected to their capability. to their ca
| pacity, whether in the creation and In
| furtherance of character or in the ad-
vocacy OF n cause. to let the truth of
| their function burn at fever heat in
their minds, while self sinks below zero
in their conscientiOusness. The stage
can represent plays as they ought to
be. The comedy and the tragedy Of hu-
man life In the press must be pre-
sented as 1t Is. However, In both the
| spirit in which we work Is the chief
matter. The dramatic worker must
strive towards the accomplishment by
the contribution of his talents, Of the
moral motives Of the production. The
press worker must strive in telling his
story Of crime to make crime not at
tractive, but reDulsive; in telling his
story of suffering to make 1t appeal to
the heart Of humanity. The medium
in which we work subdues the hand OF
the worker, but it is the spiritual med
ium in which we work and not the ma
terial or sordid consideration as the in
complete reward at the end of the toll
Newspapers and the stage are alike In
this. The best are the best, the worst
are the worst. The worst may have
the largest immediate revenue, but be-
lieve me, shat the duration of the best
Is the longest, and that not only the
moral, and social, and spiritual, but
the temporal reward of the best Is cer-
tainly the surest in the long run. All
hail to the coming of the legitimate
drama. All hail to the going of the
illegitimate press! The police, with pro-
priety and public appreciation, suppress
the illegitimate traffic. When it trans
cends the bounds of decency it should
have it's exchange in that moral police
force of public opinion which would
eXpel unclean journalism from the
home, which would withdraw from un.
clean journalism the support Of the
mercantile and financial institutions
and which would put upon press work
as upon dramatic work, as upon pulpit
work, as upon art work the crown
the crown only when the crown de.
served"
/ \
GOSSIP OF THE STARS:
The Hubert Wilke Opera company ila!
disbanded.
10 Louis Harrison Is at work on the libret
to of a new comic opera.
John and Priscilla" new comic opera
will be produced in Chicago next week.
Next season Harry Macdonough will b
seen in De Koven and Smiths new opera
Mr. and Mrs. Ross Whytal close the
first season as stars in "For Fair Virginia
today.
Henry Irving's next Shakespearean pro
duction In London will, II is said, be Gym
beline.
James 4. Powers Is said to have a play
with the intention of Joining the stella
ranks next season.
captain Kidd, Coin Collector" a com