The times., 1898-01-02

it is his accom- plishnlent and right, TO stand
before the public as an actor in the depth
and breadth OF the significant but too
often abused term. Not as man who
can play one Tart OF two well, but as a
student of human character, with a sell
developed versatility, founded on gift
for iistrionics, which fits him TO portray
as large a CELERY OF characters, and as
broad a range OF sentiment and EMOTION,
as possible AS much as possible he has
avoided the impedimcnts OF ruts.
Neither the success of a Parisian Ro-
nance or DR.. Jekyll and Mr.. II yde,
or Of Beau Brummel, or Prince Karl
or or The Devils Disciple has weaned
him from his theoretic ambition to The
commercial Inducements and mercenary
emoluments of exploiting small company
with a single set of costumes and scenery
and the ease Of having tg keep up In only
one part. His love for art is more catholic
inits expression, and webeiieve that an a It
loving y, blit appreciate 1t. He has induced
them &c depend upon him for original and
forcefui interpretations of wide range or
characters, for an adequate company IN a.
varied and adequately present ed repertoire
i do not believe man is inducing tha
growth of the best that is in him when lie
continues in one part hy the year
From this. Mr.. Palmer was easily led
into a discussion of Mr.. Mansfield's new
play, Which lac presents toHorrow at the
Lafa vette. ''The Devils Dis cpie,' he
remarked, Is from the pen of Bernard
Shaw, the brilliant Irish member lf the
staff OF the London Saturday Review, and
il there evel were two people fitted to
adorn oach ctler's productions, those two
people are Richard Mansfield and Bernard
Shaw. In Dick Dudgeon, Mr.. Shaw has
created a role so thoroughly consonaut
with Mr. Mansfield style that il is more
like seeing man living his life upon tiae
stage than like seeing an HupeTsonation
of a character In a drama.
The public las been SO fond OF the
subtle variations and artistic touches Of
Mansfiela's cynical huInor that il has
encured year after year the more or less
immoral character in which those quail
ties were dispIa yed, and has refused to see
him i'm the character OF a hero because he
was 5, fascinating villain This state "f
things naturally grew tiresome to Mr..
Mansfield. and in the character of The
Devils Disciple he has contrived to com
binc cyn!cism ami brilliant persiflage with
heruics of Startlingiy effective and self
sacrificing kind. e'"'17'i
'Dick>is ole of those BLACK, sheep w'o
somehow or ether win our hearts more
surely than the white ones He is an i'm
petuous. Let-blocded and keen witted
boy, who has grown up under that Puritan
training which nearly Killed the soIl
with too much medicine. The natural
reaction from this regime causes him TO
proclaim himself "a disciple of the desil,
and his devil, like that OF Para disc
Lost is quite an honorable person fr.sm
an unbiased point OF view In the open
ing scene hr sets forth his views he
fore some neighboTs, who have gathered
To hear tie reading of his fathers will
! and are duly horrified when they find
| that that sather has left his property to
| his scapegrace son. They are more hor-
rified wheE the son let's loose his opinions.
Especially Fortified are the sstaid old
minister Of the village and his pretty
young wife Judith.
The latter, in spite OF herself, some
what attracted toward the young sinner
and when, in the second act, Dick calls n
the ministers house and the minister is
called to dying parishioner, leaving ms
wife with the ieyiTs disciple" this at
traction becomes stronger, although its Ie-
yeIupment is only suItly and delicately in
dicated. In the midst-sof the conversation
sergeant and two soldiers arrive, and
IL king Dick for he minister, for whom they
have a warrant, carry him off to pris Jn,
TO be executed as a rebel. Dick refuses
to How the wife to explain the mistake.
and III an interview which is a Ilowed them
before his trial. he tells her that she must
not try t. save him.
'In the following scene, which tax es pld &c
in the prison, she pleads tearfuliy with him
to save hiInself. if not for his own sake
for hers, ard betrays the deep interest she
has come TO feel in him. He however, re-
fuses to take advantage of this affection,
and in the trial scene which follows n1S rs
some remarks TO the Judge which wo1ld
probably seal his fate ifit were not already Y
decided. He is condemned to die at ao3n
on the following day, should the minister
not arrive to take his place. The minister
arrives, but in the company of a troop of
militia, and thus saves both his own life
and that of the hero.
NO play In which Mr.. Mansfield Las
appeared has given him greater oppor-
tunities for the fine and artistic develop
nlent OF TOIe lnan InlS. Ills emotional
work is strong, quiet, always contr lied,
ami in this case it is controlled with a
grim, mochng humor, peculiarly A .neri-
can and peculiarly Mansfield. There is
also certain fine sentiment in the situa-
tion Between the minister's wife and This
black sheep cf the fold, appreciated when
seen and heard. Many playwrights would
have made perfectly Impossible French
situation out OF this perfectly possible
New En"'and one, but Mr.. Sha has ! OF
committed such biunder. 1 believe
You will find that his dialogue is spir-
tied, his plot simple without being hack
ncycd, and his situations strong"
Eugene w. Presbrey, the author of DR.
Cranes rev play, "a Virginia Courtshfp y
was a well-lnown water color artist ae.
fore he became identified with the ,lra-
matte profession, his entree into which
was brought about in a peculia rway. A. M.
Palmer was then in the heyday of his sue
cess at the Madison Square Theater in
New York, and he took great deal of
pride in the manner in which the plays
| that he presented were staged. He WIS
about to get ready oew play for pre-
| sentation, and he desired to have some
| beautiful settings for it. Som ebody sug.
Uocted thaf hn n in ha artict praS,,r,,-