The morning times., 1897-02-14

tripping step. Rehan as the wltchl Un-
thinkabIe thought! But she will do her
to the life. What sacrifice to art!
Nat Goodwin s writing a book. i shall
anX; ously await the reading OF it. 1t is to
be a volume of advice TO young players,
"Reminiscences, opinions On his art and his
profession and doubtless a good deal Of
GOODWIN. He can't get in too much Of
the last ingredient. L will he the best
element in the book
Mr.. Goodwin has had experience inval-
liable to a writer. He knows life through
and through Human nature is ali open
look. Personally he displays poignant
wit, q peTccptive intellectually, sentient
Judgment and sunny temperament, that
radiates through all ne says or does,
Tie comedian has Shakesperian ambi-
tions. He hasn't said much about them
in Washington, but he confided their ex-
istance to Hepburn Johns in Chicago.
why n0t?'' exclaimed Nat, when the
question direct was put TO him. Il
played Hamlet once, as an amateur.
There are some characters in Shakes
peran tragedy which ought to he play ed,
to my way of thinking, by a comedian.
Richard III is omedy Iole in the main,
and L ST. ould like to play it. ! may
some day. Iago is full of the subtiest com
edy, and see 70 reason why should not at
tempt Othelio' sbetraye Another
character in tragedy which takes my fancy
is Julien St Pierre, in an old play called
The Wife; or, a tale of Mantua,' from
which Belasco got his title. One of these
days l shall take some or all OF these
characters.
Il know that one set OF critics, in the
fnendliest fashion. frowns upon such
projects OF mine. They say / belong to
farce comedy, and ought to stick to my
meter. Then there is another set of gentle
men, perhaps it is the same set, with the
heslinteutIonS. whoshedtears and callupon
the world to mourn because my aspirations
are SO low ana so easily contented. Well.
/ don't know what / ought TO do to please
them, but I mean to please myself, and l
hope 70 please the public. A man never
gets Iurch credit for being funny on the
stage but If u Comedian is pathetic, lau-
rels by the bushcl are his portion. Yet
there is just as much 1rt In getting laugh
as in squeezing "a tear out of an audience.
The great artist is the man who can do
both. Ingersoll is the only orator know
today who can make his audience laugh
or Cry in the same speech with indifferent.
ease. Bcecher had either to be funny or
pathetic. The actor is rare, indeed, who can
turn from grave to gay or gay To grave in
aninstant, aud take his audience with him.
NV ambition is to be that sort of an ac-
tor"
lie confided to the same gentleman that
his natural endowments are not entirely
unassisted by art. 1t has always seemed
a singular thing TO me- said Mr.. Good
win. referring to what / have Just written
above, that so many OF my critical
friends have insisted that such success
rs | have attained was directly the work
OF my Creator-that IL was no particular
credit to ne that | made them or less in
tellEent beings laugh or cry, but that my
personality. or some other IL mysterious
thing about me. for which no effort or
labor Of mine was responsible, did the
trick for me BY the eternal, | wish it
had been so. l would gladly plead guilty
Ia he charge If it meant no more TehearSals;
no getting back tired out from the thcater
TO take up a new part and study II till
Qa ylig ghJ came; Ho uneasy slumbers after
that: no cruel awakening 10 rush over TO
an early rehearsal at the theater; no alb
sorbine, exhausting combat with an OF
stlnate character to which ones own
nature was naturally foreign; no bother
about the other actors in the play; no
managerial cares and troubles and no per
fofmanc- again at night, with perhaps the
SAME shan sigAted observers In front to
inform me that might thank heaven for
having gwen me the ability to act