The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1899-12-02

travagant or impossible. No scene hae
ever been made more wierdly poetic
than that on the moonlit Catskills, with
its long, trying monologue so gracefully
and naturally delivered. What a feel
ing Of the hills and the forest do you
bring into the hot, dusty atmosphere Of
the play house. what q spirit Of running
water and dew .drenched woods. We
forget that We are in theater at all.
We seem to sniff the clean air OF the
mountains and feel again that citation
which sometimes seizes US upon the top
OF the Catskills or the Alleghenes when
the pines are white with frost. and yet
there are but the painted trees and wat
erfall. the pasteboard rocks which we
see in the theater every night and which
move us not at all. All that is marvel
QUE, eery, poetic. you Yourself bring TO
US, and you clotha those poor mimlcs
with all the freshness and wonder OF
life; you carry the verdure OF the woods
in your heart. At some time during
thoee wanderings on the lower Missis.
sippi. through the forests along the
lakes or on the western prairies. you
must have lain very near to nature.
watched lovingly her face and listened
for her secret whisperiogs, and all your
life you hare carried them with you, as
the shell carries the whispers Of the sea.
/ maintain. sir, that, 10 all your i'm
presentations, the pre- eminent charm is
not your art. but your humanity--a rare
quality which life sometimes gives to
art. You and Mr.. Richard Mansfield
represent two extremes OF dramatic art.
There can be no question that Mr..
Mansfield's is the more fertile and cre-
alive genius. that his reach is wider, his
art more brilliant, more complex. richer
in startling surprises. But he lacks the
human touch. His characters come to
US white hot from the brain, rather than
blood warm from the heart. 1t is not
you art lone, sir. not your easy and me
lodious elocution, your grace and ele-
gancs OF gesture, DOR your wonderful
bits OF stage business, nor the sugges
tiveness and wit Of your by play which
have made us all your friends and lovers.
10 your dramatic impersonations. in the
pages OF your autobiography, in some
OF the pictures from your brush. we feel
that genial glow Of personality, the re.
Election Of a noble and generous soul.
Only the soul. cir. can wholly satisfy
the soul, and We Saxons love to prove
the heart OF q man aud know that It is
beating sound and true under all the
creations Of his genius. We continually
demand this personal understanding,
even with authors. So it is that the
personal ssides which completely spoil
Thsckaray for Frenchman, are what
most endesr him to bis countrymen.
Yet though you have furnished us with
this certificate OF your integrity upon
which We lay such stress. you have been
very little Of preacher and have kept a.
part from all the cpl emeral vexations OF
the drama. You have never conceived it
to be your duty to make the stage pull.
pit or to set about denouncing the sins
OF the world. You have been content
to produce the beautiful, knowing we'll
that men must desire virtue, because it
is fair and goodly to possess. or not at
all.
Would that We could adequately thank
you, sir, for the pleasure which you and
your fellows have given us in our over.
wrought, over practical world, where
we have over elaborated everything.
We have made whist 80 difficult that