The times., 1898-09-25

which promises great deal This will
make eight premiers given localities for
the two months of September and Octo-
Der, record hardly beaten by New York
and equaled by no other three cities in
the country. The suggested tribute to the
intelligence of our theater-goers is not
less manifest than is deserved No me-
tropolis has a higher intellectual average
than the capital of these United States
nor more varied and cosmopolitan popu-
lation. And Manager Frohman may de-
pend upon the verdict of this population
implicitly.
The Dramatic Mirror of last week con-
tains skillfully written editorial upon
The Press and the Stage" that bears
very closely upon what has been printed
on the subject in these columns. In the
article j. NJ Waldron, the author, who is
also noted Shakespearean scholar, cites
the case of Edmund Tearle, an English
actor, who has just entered suit against
a newspaper which had condemned his
work. AS a result of the affair Mr. Tearle
has been pretty generally boycotted by
the British press, and Sir Edward Rus
sell, president of the Institute of Jour-
nalists, handled the subject vigorously in
recent essay read before it's members.
The paper began by telling of the mat
ter in point and included the following re-
marks:
II in future every critic has to write in fear
and trembling, and il every criticism has TO be
scanned late at night by the editor or sub-edi-
tor, and every word excised or toned down upon
which 4 captiouS actor manager might bring
an action, there will be an end not merely TO
The usefulness but 10 the readableness of dra-
matte notices. ! do not hesitate to put the mat
ter personally to Edmund Tearle. Suppose he
were to come to Liverpool, and suppose he were
To produce an important play; what would be
alaVkoyp ttRt
ing notice written by a trusted critic of my
staffY Does he think he will profit in the long
run, either artistically otherwise, by the fact
that instead OF regarding him. formerly, as
an artist with whom, a critic, any competent
journalist may freely cope, must regard
him as a possible litigant, about whom had
better either be silent OF as vague and tame
as may be, lest by any expression we should
give an average British jury opportunity of
exhibiting the folly which is the average form
OF JurieS In press cases? Nor is il apparent why
criticism should not be similarly hampered in
other forms of art and in literature, and even
in politics. The righteous and obvious and final
claim in the matter is that anybody responsibly
acting for the press, whose duty ii is not pass
things of public interest, should be at liberty
to express honest opinion honestly, as Justice
Bruce lays down. II will be i'll day for the
country when stupid British juries make editors
of newspapers believe that silence is go'dsn- OF
course journalists may be called upon 10 be mar
tyrs, but it is not for the public interest that
ordinary incident of the honest performance OF
their duty.
And Mr. waldron adds to the above
the following:
Intelligent actors and managers worthy OF their
work viii subscribe to all OF the foregoing, as
will honest and capable critics Unfortunately
there newspapers which do not employ critics.
although they publish that which stands for crit
icism from inexpert pens; and also unfortunately
there are managers who, with idea that the
business OF the theater is purely a commercial
business. contend that the ''favors they grant
TO newspapers in connection with advertising,
ought invariably 10 insure their enterprises ia
yorable mention There are actors, too, who
assume that fulsome pufery with which unauthori-
tative writers sometimes favor them, is the sort
of notice that all writers ought TO take and make
Of Them but out OF all this stands the fact that
there must be and will be honest criticism, whose
purpose is the development OF art with which
those who complain OF honest expression are gen
orally insignifcantly and ephemerally connected.
Nothing more need be said. The justice
and sense of the question is simply be-
yond all dispute, and the hope CT an ar
tistic American drama demands lhas crit
ical remark be as free here as in any
other country on the globe.