New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-13
THE DRAMA.
MRS. FIsKr AS BECKY SHARP.

ect the sweet bcnignant tolerant patience. tho
tender gravity the unerrng insight, tho compre-
hensive knowledge the delicious. lambert humor.
the deep feeling. the inventive and constructive
skill. and tho beautiful style Of that benencent
writer more fully and authortatively mani
tested In his novel OF "Esmond" than In any other
single OF his works, and "Esmond' accord
ingly. may be regarded AZ his supreme achieve
ment. II is the first Of English novels, and. All
things considered. and setting aside the realm o.
absolute romance II has equil In the vide
range Of prose fiction. Next among Thackerays
writings comes Vanity Fair" III that book tho
predominant qualities are broad and clear vision
merclless satire Of evil and wrong, sardonlc
humor mingled with sadness just censurc sof'orof
with occasional limitations OF pity wonderfully
graphic portraiturc OF character and manners. and
a puissart yigor Of spontaneous style that keeps
the reader tumultuously Interested TIL the end
Vanity Fair is the most brilliant and the most
sadly bitter Of all tho writings OF this great author
or its truth there cannot be doubt. and. halofuI
though that truth may be. IT Is Invariably tod
TO beneficial purpose.
All votaries Of the great satirist who have sol.
lowed his shining track from The Great Hog.
garty Diamond 10 Denis Duval" are aware o.
the tenor Of his philosophy Human nature. while
possessed Of virtues and capable of herosm Is
marrcd 10y miserable and shocking infi mites ana
rs capacity for solfshness. meanness. and every
! form Of basoncss - without Limit. Thacksray Jaw
! this and knew r. 10 bo true AMI. observing IN
every direction the busy schemes Of covetous DE-
sire. the hardness Of insensate yulgarty. and f0e
! prosperity Of hypocrisy and fraud be- could not
restrain his satire Of mankind He has often been
miscalled cynic. Women in particular. seldom
! Ike him,-for the reason that he them ~
! they are. and laughs their petfiucss the.-
malice. their cruelty. and their spite. while rover
encing their goodness and deeply and tondery COM
! miserating their many trials and sorrows But NJ
! IN has sho ,.iai
more consderate charity. or more tender heart
| No painter OF human nature and human life since
| Shakespeare. Is 30 grest-unlcss r. be SIR Walter
! Scott No writer In any has .ail words oil,
more solemn import 70 the human race and 10
writer IS worthy ot universal study Every
| influence therefore. ought 70 be heartily welcomes
which tends. in any degree whatever 10 promote
the reading Of Thackeray There never Was
| time when his satire was more needed than i d,
now; and although the cutting and carving x ne
| great novels Of language. FOR the purpose OF
! utilizing them upon the stage. g. not altogether
| commendable. seeing that great novel !s in
! evitably dwarfod when trausr.ut'd into play
| Mrs Fske is doing u public service ~ presenting
! the drama Of Becky sharp "a partial abstract
and brief eptome Of portions Of VANITY Fairp
with which. last night. she began her season at
the Fifth Avenue Theatre. and in which she was
| welcomed. old fayorte ought 10 bo. Win
! the cordial plaudts OF an eager. interested and
! sympathetic multitude
In the light Of experience. to say nothing %
abstract reason it ought not to Doe expected that
; play will ever do entire Justice 10 Il tine novel The
dramatst. Ike the novelist works with colloquy:
! but whore the novelist employs narrative which IS
| his principal means the dramatist must employ
! action. and narrative and action are seldom u
ever, Interchangeable The reader % the narrative
! Of David Dodds sea fight I'm Resde's Hard Cash.
or ~ John Ridd's rescue OF Lorna from her terribly
perilous captivity. in Blackmore's Lorna Dome
is swept along In fever Of excitement because 70
tho Imagination. the scene is actual. and nothing "a
present to dssipate the atmosphere OF romant;
| reality. The same thing. presented n the vision
would be judged as a fact, and judged it would
! be found inadequate because iieless and tame IL
Vanity Fair" u which Becky Sharp Is the central
character the most affecting things. with little
cepton. such could not De shown. thesf1-
cally. with any effect. Some Of these things ara
| readily acknowledgement. for example. as TIE
scene in Jos sedley's inebriety at Vauxhall Dob
/ bins purchase OF Amelias plano At the auction;
! old Sedley's impairment 10 his wife. Of the news
! Of their financial ruin: Dobbn's interview with that
/ broken merchant, At the Tapoca Cotee-house the
! quarrel between George Osborne and mis- father.
bout the "Hottentot Venus, Miss Swartz the pict-
ure of Dobbin standing on the church steps IN thu
| rain, after George and Amelia, Just married. have
driven away, the lonely. pathetic. awful night IN
old Osborne's study when that grim. titie afflicted
wording grasses hts sons name from tie family
Bible and prepares 70 disinherit him by destroying
his will; the incident ~ Amelas pretence d being
/ asleep when her husband In noment8ry reinoFse
for his vicious neglect bends her pillow: the
| heart breakng pathos Of Amela's remonstrance
! with Becky Sharp, after the march or the troops
! from Brussels; Osborne's reception ~ the letter
from George-dead and gone. and unforeNen; the
picture OF Osborne in his pew. ~ the Pounding
Church. looking up the mural tablet re" paced
10 commemorate his son. who has been killed n
battle the visit Of the but suffering parent
70 the field OF Waterloo Amea's discovery that sfe
| owes her piano Chat foriorn waf rescued from the
| bankrupt sae). 70 the unselhsh affection or Dob
| bin and not she had believed. 10 the tender
| thoughtfuness OF her husband, Becky Sharp DE-
mure behavior when singing Mozarts religious
songs TO Lady Gaunt, the patient grief Of the
widowed Amelia. who must part with her boy am
who listens while he reads 70 her the Bldie story
Of the infant Samuel. given to the hish priest "
serve before the Lord; Dobbins parting t'"
Amelia when after fifteen years Of selt-sacrincins
! devotion, he breaks her chain and declares MN
self 10 be free; and. finally. the meeting between
| Dobbin and Amelia, on the rain-beaten PIER "
Ostend when at last this noble gentleman WINS 'nS
poor little prize OF his lifelong desire These hc
| dents OF the novel may dramatic 70 the mino
| but they would not be dramatic 10 the eye No
felicity Of dramatic treatment could make 'ueh
things effective the stage. The dihcuy j,
radical. A picture does not move and the story o.
! Vanity Fair" however expeditions IL may seem
to the mental gaze OF a reader Is essenuaN
picture. The only current OF practical cunH'a"''
! action that II suggests is the intrigue between
| Becky Sharp Mrs Rawdon Crawley) and bV'.
Steyne. Illuminating in Steyne's punishment Hns
Becky's exposure, downfall. and exile. Inc Fes' -
! narrative interspersed with commentary anu
| narrative and commentary do not become drAHn@"
cally propusive from heing,-though even N 'N
! highest degrees atrically humorous oriIlah" ~
wise.
Lord Steyne's intrigue with Becky shaTp-as ~
| deed. was inevitabe.-has been chosen os
| Iangdon Mitchell as the central theme TOT ."
play; and In four artfuly planned. neatly 0VS
structed and tersely written acts this dramas,