The San Francisco call., 1896-04-19
A PROPHET is not without honor,

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America. In France, for in
stance, the whole nation hugs itself when
Gallo composer or actor wins recognition
abroad-not because foreign honors are
considered capable of conferring distinction
on French artist. but because it affords
the nation satisfaction to see that other
countries are not dead to the superiority
of French art. This feeling of proprietor
ship and pride in homemade artists is
also TO be found in Italy, Germany and a
number of other countries, which have
encouraged and fostered musical and
dramatic art. In some cases there is a
feeling of positive indignation when the
public is temporarily bereft of its idols by
foreign impresarios.
In America, strange to say, the public
seems to prefer art that is far-fetched and
dear-bought. Actors and singers "made
in Europe" are considered as superior to
the home product as Paris bonnets are
considered to millinery made in San
Francisco. 1t is easy to prove this
by recalling facts. Eight years ago
Emma Nevada could and did double her
prices in Madrid and Milan, and turned
people away from the door every night; in
San Francisco she suffered for lack of ap-
probation. Mary Anderson was never
fully appreciated at home. and the iron
entered Booths soul too, though as he is
dead, the evil that men did him, in the
way of neglect, is being forgotten, and
Booth is now referred to as an idol in the
temple of art.
1t is painful to recall these facts when
one remern hers tho a6rIafiop which for
eign artists so constantly receive in
America. The facts are recalled only to
point a moral, which is this: Richard
Mansfield deserves a vast deal more ap-
probation than he is receiving. If he had
never done anything but Beau BrummeIl
he would be an ornament TO art of which
America should be proud. 1t is not only
what he does but what he leaves undone
that makes his Characterization of the
beau the very mirror held up TO nature.
Most players try to show by puppet-like
externals and tricky effects of voice and
gesture the feelings that are supposed to
agitate their hearts, but one feels instinct
lively that in spite of all their bombast
they are hollow within; few, very few,
players possess the power of suggesting a
vast depth of feeling, which they seem to
be rather struggling to hide than exhibit,
and they are the artists; the others are
only mummers.
You need not use the fingers of both
hands to count the actors and actresses
now prominently before tie public whose
art is as perfect in its truth to nature as
Mansfeld's in beau Brummell." Duse
is the head of the school which takes as its
cnoaial nho
modesty of nature" Novelli, another
Italian, has an art scarcely inferior to
Duses, and Constant Coquelin in his own
line is near perfection. Henry Irving is
cursed with an impossible voice and q
hating gait, which give him a fictitious
appearance of staginess, but his power,
like Manstield's, comes from within. Other
artists, like Ellen Terry, there are who
portray nature truthfully, but outside
those above named there are not anv
prominently before the public who
can give Characterization of such abso-
Lutte truthfulness as does Richard Mans.
field in "Beau Brummell."
No doubt when Mansfield is dead-may
the day be far distant-people will put
busts of him in public places and his
Will NC puuilohCus dll
his struggles, his shortcomings and his
triunphs-in fact, the whole Nation will
probably rise up and call him blessed, be-
cause he reflected credit on it. But just at
present Mansfield is alive, and it would be
more practical to show now that he is ap-
preciated as much as he certainly would be
if he had been "made in Europe
Baldwin Theater.
The second week of Richard Mansfield's s
engagement at the Baldwin Theater will
open tomorrow night with the new play,
''The Story Of Rodion the Student" The
plot is based on Dostoyevskis novel,
Crime and Punishment" the dramatized
version having been made by Charles
Henry MeltZer and Mansfield himself
The plot runs something IN this wise:
Rodion is young Russian law student,
who becomes socialist and theorist He
harbors the hallucination that in Kidding
the world of any incumbrance on society
he commits justifabie act, and in pur-
suance of his theory murders an old miser
and pawnbroker, who had for long period
been stigma to the lower class of st.
Petersburg society. After the murder is
committed Rodion escapes, and while the
officials feel that he is responsible for the