The times., 1899-08-06

Less fortunate than his brother In art
| is DeWolf Hopper, who, to sacrifice ele-
gance to force, has opened his mouth so
much in London that he has got his foot
in it. Mr.. Hopper had not been abroad
week when he began saying things. The
things were nearly all harmless, but they
were not calculated TO make much of an
impression, and so they were amended
Recently the comedian has been being ex-
tensively interviewed and has taken adj
| vantage OF each opportunity to remark
something unpleasant about the United
States. First he censured the American
press. But the American newspaper is of
| strong constitution, and Mr. Hopper's con-
demnation caused the closing down of nc
| journalistic enterprise. Some super-sensi-
| tive dramatic editors merely took note OF
| the entertainers complaint that he had
| been given too much publicity at home
and resolved to greet his agent so coIdly
| in the future that the star should have
no further cause for worry.
| But the altitudinous laugh-provoker was
not satisfied with this. On last Wednes-
day the Evening News published an in
| teryiew, in which he had many uncompli-
mentary things TO say about American
audiences. He is reported as hav-
| ing called them. nervous and hys-
terical. Quoth he: I'VE are young
people and more than enthusiastic While
we are III the CTduiS StllI DGlHR rocked you
| here are in a bedstead firmly fixed :
Which, if not exactly abusive, is hardly
| more courteous than the other when it Is
| understood that from American audiences
and American newspapers Mr.. Hopper has
been making his daily bread for some
| years past.
| or course. an actor has as good a right
! to his opinion as has anyone else. If Mr.
| Hopper thinks his country inferior TO
4 t.
| He may even be right to a certain ex-
tent. But it does not seem that If Mr..
| Hopper had anything of the sort to say
| he would have exhibited more courage
| and better taste by reserving it until his
return In going abroad to give his ideas
OF our faults Mr.. Hopper brands himself
as being something OF toady Just how
he is going to explain when he does come
back is uncertain. A child in we'll
| known story took TO three ministers OF
widely different denominations some kit
| tens she wanted to sell, telling the Metho-
| dist that they were Methodists, the Bap-
] tist that they were Baptists, and the Con-
| gregationalist that they were Congregation
alists. The last clergyman visited had
heard of the offers made to his friends
and, upon being informed of the animals
] creed, reproached the child with having
| told an untruth. Why he remarked, IA
| fortnight ago you claimed that those
beasts were Methodists." "Ah, yes re-
turned the youngster. promptly, but they
| hadn't their eyes open then"
| The question that arises is this: Is Mr.
| Hopper leaving himself an optical loop
hole through which to crawl when his Lon
| don season has ended?
| Close upon the statement that Charles
| Frohman VIII be likely to give The Girl
| from Maxim's" its initial performance in
| this city comes word that Washington Is
also to have the premiere of William Gill
| lette's new play. sherlock Holmes, which,
as is generally known, is dramatization
of A. Conan Doyle's famous detective stor-
! les. The piece will probably be done at
| the National Theatre on October 3, being
taken TO New York and the Garrick fort
night later.
| The Dramatic Mirror" last week. sup
| piled the information that the title of the
offering would be explained by an under
| line, said underline to relate that the
/ drama concerns "a hitherto unpublished
| episode in the career of the great detec-
| tive, and shows his connection with the
strange case of Miss Faulkner" This Is