The morning times., 1896-04-19


that during the last week of April Mr..
Jefferson VIII remain in Springfield, and
each morning the Others Will run in from
the neighboring cities where they are play
ing and hold q rehearsal in the Springfield
rheater. This will complete the prepare
tions, and on the evening o Ma VI. at Spring
field, the first public performance will he
given The company Will travel in its
own special train, appearing but once in
each OF the leading clt!es OF the country,
turning such thriving villages as Chicago,
st. Louis, New York and Boston into one
night stands, and will conclude their sea
son on May 30 in Providence, X. L.
John Philip SouSa. our John, made his
operate debut in Boston Monday evening
when his opera "El Capitau" was pro-
duced by De Wolf Hopper There Is every
evidence of substantial success in the re-
ception given the new work, and it's good
news, for duo or good fellows are re-
Sponsihle for it, Hopper has always made
a practice of reServing the features or ms
production till the time of presentation, SO
Captain was about. However, III is
now revealed that the story has Its iounda-
ton in Peru. 1t tells OF Spanish viceroy
who feared to assume his position ana
puts poor dependent III his place. Then he
joins his enemy and discovers the state Of
affairs, finally storplng ana capturing ms
own paidce. hopper IldSS luC sittlOSi
FL CAPTAIN, and mttie Alfred Klein is the
Duffeted substitute. There were Ii dozen
curtain calls after the Sc cond act and every
body concerned made d speech. Sousa has
introduced considerable march music aud
the Boston press speaks of IL as or the
very highest order. The opera goes into
New York tomorrow night lor a run at the
Broadway. This is Hopper's annual spring
pfi crt al this house and he has always
found lt mascot.
The Dramatic Mirror. prodded by the
conscientious and really able writers of
Western criticism and spirited by its own
conscience of the state of affairs, is on
record in no unmistakahle terms as TO
the sincerity and value OF criticism in
Gotham. On this subject the Louisville
Courier Journal recently said, in the course
, OF u discussion OF the matter: 1t Is far
cry back 10 the days when the verdict
or New York settled the fate Of plays and
players for the remainder or the country,
3tnu each season makes the assumption that
New York is to A merica, in matters the
ajrICal, ds Lonuon u England and Paris
10 France, seem more and more absurd.
| Tney protest too much their metropoh-
JanisnI, these New York critics, ana they
prove IL not at all So many critics, so
many varying verdicts, has been the rule
all this sea son, save when one of the FREAK
loving band has produced play. Then,
united Tor once. the others slaShed and
spared not. The result has been a strength
ening OF the belief thath been growing for
several years, mat neither success nor
failure in New York means that the pro-
cuCtion Is good or bad from The standpoint
oil the sane IN dramatic art. When thought
Idl, fair, ana scholarly men who write Tor
the best papers in Chicago, Boston, and
Philadelphia praise or damn a play their
words carry weight in the provinces. How
can the iiippanL fadism OF New York be
respected"
AS a matter of fact, the Gotham critics
We're comp,Hcd 10 reverse Ihelr verdict on
Duse and julia MaTlowe. They tolerate
! worthy dramatic effort, but falllnlO columns
OF spasms over Guilbert and Chevalier.
They are mution-heads or Crooks sd Us
/ the Plttsburg Dispatch.
/ The Mirror auinits The state of affairs,
! and SAYS apoiogeticaily and explanatory:
| There are several newspapers mere that
/ treat the stage seriously and intelligently.
Earnest and honest critics are employed by
/ the Sun, Times, Tribune, World, Press,
evening Post ana one or Two others. but
1 CdTncstneSS and honesty are not fhe sole
! requisites OF dramatic criticism. There is
! demanded also breath OF mind, trained,
judgment freedom from prejudice and svrn-
/ patny with the higher aims OF the American
stage. Foreigners, as rule, are diSqualt-
fled from expressing opinions OF any great
value concerning native dramatic effort
| their point OF view is strange TO the Anieri-
1 can mind, and their bias is in favor OF art
| manifestations that are wholly exotic. Tn
| fortunately, aliens of this class are engaged
| III reviewing the drama for several of ON
! most widely circulated newspapers. The
/ ItSub - tidl Oui i'idS anu dttDIS art
! judged by them from the irrelevant stand
/ ard. OF London, Paris and Berlin.
/ "A worse evil than un-Americanism, how
ever, is found in the preposterous plan
! adopted by several ne wspaa pers of pa ying
! their critics commissions on tbeater adj
! vertScments in lieu OF salaries. OF course,
| no man of character and culture would con-
. sent to place himself in the anOma lOuS
: position OF JudiCially revie wing dramatic
! productions and At the same time soliciting
/ advertisements from their manaa gers. This
neTarious arrangement has led to gross
scandals the most cOnSpicu Gus of which
Is the frequent recurrence OF incidents
hat smack Enthusiastically of blackmail
Naturally, the readers Of such papers are
! never treated TO honest criticisms the
! talntofthe ecountng-rGom and the box office
! pervadlng The theatrical columns. Their
are two or three men that write about
the stage for daily newspapers OF greater
| or less Importance who are directly in tho
pay OF certain maIAa gers, dra wing salaries
us press agents
| 'lt is impossible" 4" says the New York
/ Home Journal, considering the same topic
ITO comprehend the ethical standards by
which The dramatic critics tof New York
! measure the plays brought TO their atten
ton. Such light as our observation ba'
given Us fncilnes US TO the belief thai
+ in a trivial and really salacious fashion
command the APPROVAL OF the critics
while plays dealing with the same subjects
/ in a sober, serious fashion, without thought
of inuendo or indelicatc insinuation, are
seized upon as deserving OF the SeyereSi
critical condemnation.