The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-14
g., ID amdtIc

place in the estimation and favor Of
American theater- goers. 1t seems to
me 1t is peculiarly the kind of dram
matte entertainment the American
therater-goer should prefer above all
others. The people of this country go
to the theater for entertainment and
diversion; they want TO be removed
from the rush and whirl of daily af-
fairs They seek sort of forgetful-
ness from business cares, purposes and
worries. Besides all this the Ameri-
can is innately gallant and achivalrouS.
He enjoys the reputation of being more
tender, more devoted, toward women
than the men of any other nationality,
and he is proud of it. He finds this
feeling more pronounced in the roman
tic drama than in any other kind of
play. He is moved by such sentiments,
and the charm of heroism and bravery
appeal successfully to his best emo
tions. The period of the action of such
plays interests him particularly, how
ever materialiStfc he may be in his
own ideas and social environment. He
endeaVors to escape from this modern
spirit in his quest for theatrical
amusement, and in this we can find
reason for the persiStency with which
Americans remain away from the pro-
auctions of social problem plays and
IilOoC VI lIlC IilOic ISctllSlIC SCiOOl.
However practical he is in everyday
life, he dislikes to carry this feeling
into his enjoyments. He likes the
reStfulnesS of sentiment, heroiSm and
courage. so long as it is presented to
him with some degree of natUralneSs
and probability, and free from the
heroics and bombast of the old
fashioned dramas. He retains always
the youthful enthusiasm for the brave
man, the tender. clinging, young
heroine, and the discontinue Of the
villain. These elements retained in the
drama viii always attract him to the
theater, and while the present extern
sive popularity of romantic plays may
abate somewhat through changes Of
fashion and popular taste, still, as l
said before, I feel confident it will al
ways enjoy a high place of favor in
the estimation of American theater-
goers."
Peg Wellington" a comic opera in
two acts, by Victor Herbert and Harry
B. Smith, was given it's first produc-
ton in Philadelphia last Monday night,
by Camille d'Arville. The story deals
with incidents in the career of the cele-
brated actress and was enthusiastically
received by a large audience. Miss
d'Arvllle was given an ovation.
Probably no announcement that has
recently been made regarding affairs
theatrical has created so much COM
ment as the one proclaiming the fact
that Henry e. DiXey is to adopt magic
as his profession. Robert Houdin, the
fountain head of magic, in his work
published in 1859, says: "A prestidigi-
tateur is not juggler, he is an actor
playing the part of a magician, an
artist whose fingers should be more
clever than nimble. To succeed as q
! conjurer, three things are essential:
First, dexterity; second, dexterity;
third, dexterity." All this is not a mere
trick of language, for triple dexterity
is required, not only to train the hand
to the needful adroitness, but to ac-
quire the requisite command OF eye
and tongue. Straightforward is some
thing that is not apt to wear out that
is, the audience can never consistently
get tired of seeing it, because they
don't see it. 1t is generally a pleasure
to be deceived when you know that you
are not losing anything. 1t is no easy
thing to be a modern magician. 1t re-
quires a steady nerve, a clever head,
a ready wit, an inventive mind, a sem
sitive touch and enthusiasm. Those
close to Dixey are firm in the convic-
ton that he possesses all these quail
fications. He is handsome. agile and
graceful, and as an entertainer is in
imitable. Mr.. DiXey will make his de-
but as a magician at the Garden
theater,a New York city, tomorrow
night.