The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-13

is q sturdy sympathy for the young horse
owner. in spite OF his diamond stud and his
In the household Of his betrothed, and who
would say that he was not a man Of sound sonsei
For the fellow. who has become a gardener, has
tho drawing room at will, and, II the direction
from which the music OF his guitar comes Is TO
would "a Southern Romance" be regarded in
LcNingtonl Its, personages OF the Biue.Grass
region with the hampers Of mountaincers
norance OF stage Kentucky"
Two foreign dramatic critics have lately ex-
pressed opinions significant OF a change from
the views that began to be popular n few years
ago. In his ummary of tho Victorian stage
William Archer said that the plays OF Shake
speare would never recover their theatrical
vogue until an actor with something Of the
qualities OF tho older school made his appear.
ance. Ho spoke Of Edwin Booth as the best
type Of this school. and said that with him tho
last had died. Mr.. Archer, who is an enthu.
siastic admirer and translator of Ibscn and a
radical realist, but ut the Same time a liberal
expert, Is known to like naturallsm rs much In
actors as in dramutists. SO an opinion Of this
kind Is significant. Neither Irving, Tree, Alex.
ander. nor Robertson possesses any OF the quail.
tics to which Mr.. Archer referred, and as
Shakespeare, so far as England is concerned, is
entirely in their hands, he can have little hope
Of any Immediate rcnasccnce in lis works. Al
most simultaneously Fr,ncisquo Sarccy ex-
pressed an opinion OF tho same nature In refer
ence to the romantic plays OF the French stage.
An actor previously little known appeared in
Paris last winter and the critics praised his
diction. They dwelt on that mistakenly. and the
man got fame within a short time. What Sar.
cey Is lighting fer is a return to tho old manner
OF delivering the verse OF Racine, Corneille,
Hugo. and other poetic dralnatists. He never had
much federation for the realistic elocution which
began to be heard in Paris three seasons ago.
and now he Is lighting its influence as applied
10 the actors OF romantic roles. 1t has spoiled
them. he saws, for the speech Of verse. and no
has gathered with him a small contin&cnt
which Is demanding that. the French players
return to the d!ction which has always been
recognized as proper, In giving expression to
the beauties OF French verse.
The puint OF view l. not the same in both
cases. although the English critic, rs well as
The fault with the Fnslishmen seems TO DO
that they are physically unequal TO the de-
mands OF the Shakcspearcan roles. They have
not the voices, the grace, the fire, or the spirit
OF the actors who used to be the recognized in.
terpretors of the old plays, and Mr.. Archer re.
fuses 10 he satisfied because they are scholarly
and thoughtful. He will not be comfurtcd
with, the natnralncSs OF their methods or tho
inteiliSSense OF their views; ar Archer did not
seemed TO mean It. As to VI. Sarcey, II the
actors have ceased to declaim French verse
as well as they did. and II the tragedies suffer
in consequence, lie blames them alone; They
have been led away. he think. into the false
roads toward which VI. Antoine in Paris first
pointed the way. To an American there would
seem to he little danger OF a loss OF conyen-
tional methods in acting the old plays. Tho
company of the Coincide FRANCHISE plays them
to-day with u Difference to thr old standards
that Is proof against change. The later pieces.
such as Hugo'S Hermann AID "lluy Bias,
are chantCd with infections aud tones that
never vary. The older tragedies are played
with more simplicity. but with as much, adj
does not appear any liability nf an injury to
these plays from the innovations OF the actors.
VI. SarCey has found. however, that the new
school has hal its influence, and a bad one. So
he consistently raises u protest. But Mr..
Archer, who refuses to lind that the new school
il any substitute for the old. or that the acquire
men;s OF the new actors atone for their ply ST.
cal Deficiencies, seems u litt.e less plausible.