The record-union., 1899-07-23

posed Dreyfus affair in the British
army, and ends with the triumphant
yindication and glorification of the al
legged traitor.
London is getting two American plays
without knowing their source.
skipped by the Light Of the Moon"
which Louis Harrison wrote and acted
in many years ago, is being used there
under the title of "A Good Time,
while 1.-The Seven Ages! remembered
here is a vehicle for Henry E. Dixeys
mimicries, is known there is 1.-THE
Merry -Go-Round
The National Alliance of State En-
ployes which recently held a meeting
at Cincinnati, amended the bylaws and
voted to assist the Boston strikers. The
meeting then adjourned until June,
1900, when the Alliance will convene at
Brooklyn.
There is a comedy running in Paris,
compared with which 1.-THE Turtle" is
a fit subject for Sunday-scnool enter
tainments. 1t is called THE Girl From
Maxim's." and the plot and action of
the farce no publisher in this country
could print and keep out of jail.
= y
Hope Ross, the bright little actress
who was a great favOrite with the
original Frawley Company at the Col
umbia, San Francisco, and last season
made tremendous hit in Secret Ser
vice. is now with the Frawley COM
pany supporting Blanche Bates.
A recent decision of the Supreme
| Court of Tennessee holds that where
an actor is given contract for a
certain number of weeks at a stated
| salary it holds for the full term and
no consideration of the custom of Civ
ing two weeks notice can prevail. Also
that where an actor is wrongfully dis
charged before the season ends his
right of action for recovery of salary
for the remainder of the season begins
| Immediately and he may sue and re-
cover full salary less the amount he
has earned or that he might have
earned since his discharge. Also that
an implied obligation of the contract
| is one that the actor shall not be i'll
treated or abused by the manager, and
that where an actor reasonably re-
quests that heat be turned on in his
dressing-room and the manager abuses
the actor for making the request, such
treatment by the manager justifies the
actor in leaving and also entities him
to recover as for a wrongful discharge.
This decision was rendered in the suit
Of Mr.. and Mrs. Fred Book against
John D. Hopkins and the New Lyceum
Theater Company. The. judgment
against defendants was $3.50.
u
| Sara Bernhardt is in the ecstatic con-
dition which is usual with her when
| she accepts new play for presenta-
ton, the subject ecstacy being Ros-
tands new play, ''L'Aiglon" (The
EagleD. Nine. Bernhardt declares this
play better than "Cyrano," and has
chosen to cast herself for the character
of Napoleon's son, the King of Rome
She says the play is patriotic, but
whether the present republic or the
| Napoleonic dynasty is the object OF
! the patriotism, is not disclosed. The
| theme is tragic.
| Under the caption, "Criticising the
Critics. the Dramatic News makes
| the following pertinent comment:
"Criticis;ng the critic is favorite
pastime. 1t always was, and doubt
| less always will be. Some critics in
vite the retaliation, others deserve it.
and none consistently prevent it. II
must be conceded, however, that the
fI,n lnci N.
variably takes into consideration the
difficulties wherewith the artists must
contend. And that is precisely what
the critics critics do not do. Reflect
for a moment AS a rule, the curtain
does not finally fall upon the first pro-
duction of a play until 11:15. Some
times later. Occasionally it is earlier
! but that is the average time. In most
| newspaper offices-and the exceptions
only prove the rule-reviews of dra-
matte works are printed upon an in
ner page. In other words, the type Is
placed in an early form-Which goes
| to the stereotyper in advance OF those
containing the latest news. That means
that the limit for receiving critical copy
ranges from midnight to ! o'clock upon
| a morning paper Half-past II can
| be considered the usual hour. Hence
under ordinary circumstances a COM
prehensive criticism must be in the
composing-room just seventy five min
utes after the performance in the the
ater has concluded. More than one
third of the time is taken by the mes
senger in answering the call and de-
livering the copy. That leaves from a
10
wherein to write a thoughtful, fe-
licitously phrased verdict upon work
representing the diverse endeavor Nc
one need be told that the mere me-
chanical work Of writing a half col
umn in half an hour Is no mean task
| A few will deny that, as a rule, the
| critics upon our daily papers clothe
their ideas in language quite as cor
rect as that employed by the leisurely
magazine writer who can devote ar
hour, if he wishes, to the coming OF
one phrase or the counterfeiting of 8
single epigram. How often is the
| chief editorial writer called upon tc
think out and writes a leader in hall
AN hour? Not more than once in 2
year Yet the critic accomplishes a
task quite as exacting to a conscien-
tious man, about twice a week through
out the season, and perhaps as fire
quently as four or five times, when oc-
casion demands. The wonder is thai
more errors of judgment do not occur
in the race against time. That tbs
critics are much more frequently right
than wrong, is an indication of menta
and manual alertnees and clearness o1
artistic vision appareY1tly noSSessed by
no other class. The apparently is