The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-23
MARK TWAIN breaches.
Gives His Ideas on Play-Acting and
Says We Need Shakespeare.

From the Forum.
1t is right and wholesome to have light
comedies and entertaining shows; and /
shouldn't wish to see them diminished.
But none of US is always N the comedy
spirit; We have our graver moods; they
come 10 US all; the highest of US cannot
escape them. These moods have their APP
perities-healthy and legitimate appetites
and there ought TO be some way of sat
isfying them. It seems to me that New
York ought TO have one theater devoted
10 tragedy. With her 100000 of popuia-
ton and seventy outside millions to draw
upon she can afford It, she can support It,
America devotes more time, labor, money
and attention 10 distributing literary and
musical culture among the general public
than does any other nation, perhaps; yet
here you find her neglecting what is pos
sibly the most effective of all the breed
ers and nurses and disseminators of high
literary taste and lofty emotion-the tragic
stage, To leave thai powerful agency out
is to. haul the culture wagon with Grip
pied team. Nowadays, when mood comes
which only Shakespeare can set to music,
what must we do? Read Shakespeare our
selves! Isn't 1t pitiful? It is playing an
organ solo on a jewsharp. We can'taread
II. None but the Booths can do 1t.
Thirty years ago Edwin Booth played
Hamlet 100 nights in New York. With
three times the population, how often is
Hamlet played now in year? If Booth
were back now in his prime, how often
could he play It in New York? Some will
say twenty-five nights. I viii say 800, and
say II with confidence. The tragedans are
dead, but 1 think that the taste and intel
ligence which made their market are not.
What has come over us English speaking
people? During the first half of this cell
.lgr...
as common with us as farce and comedy,
and it was the same in England Now
we have not a tragedian, I believe; and
London, with her fifty shows and thea
ters, has but three, think. 1t is an as
tonishing thing. when you come to con-
slider 1t. Vienna remains upon the an
cient bass-there has been no change. She
sticks to the former proportions--a num-
Der of rollicSing comedies, admirably play
ed every night; and also every night at
the Burg Theater-that wonder of the
| world for grace and beauty and richness
and splendor and costliness-a majestic
drama OF depth and seriousness, or a
standard old tragedy. It is only within the
| last dozen years that men have learned
to do miracles on the stage In the way
of grand and enchanting scenic effects,
and 1t is at such a time as this that We
! have reduced our scenery mainly to diff
! ferent breeds Of parlors and varying as
poets Of furniture and rugs. I think we
must have a Burg in New York and Burg
scenery and a great company like the
| Burg company. Then, with a tragedy
tonic once or twice a month, we shall en-
| joy the comedies all the better. Comedy
keeps the heart sweet, but we all know
| there is wholesome refreshment for both
| mind and heart in an occasional climb
among the solemn pomps of the intellect
uaI snOw-summits built by Shakespeare
| and those others. Do seem to be preach
! ing? 1t is out of my line. l only do II
because the rest of the clergy seem to be
| on vacation.