New-York tribune., 1900-11-13

another and q far better way of viewing the duty
Of an author 10 his vocation and his time. 'One of
the greatest objects l have always had IN my
career so wrote the fine old novelist G. P. p.
James,. has been show that fiction, without
being dry and tedious, may be rendered serviceabe
/ TO every noble principle. may be taught TO convey
every generous lesson, and. by interesting
good feelings instead Of bad feelings gain
over imagination TO the side of virtue and with
out crushing passions, direct them Alright"
It IS the common cry of fools, and of course. il
may be expected again become audible now that
persons wEo object to tainted subjects the stage
Purtans, and necessarily persons of pruri-
ent miAds-which is TO say that, when protest is
made against q stencil, the fault is not in the
sterCn, hut in the nostrils of those to whom the
stencil IS offensive. Mr.. Hare himself has not yet
taken this position. but he has specifically declared
that he perceives nothing Of evil tendency IL
The Gay Lord Quex" and that it is a thoroughly
good play. In a period of acute and reckless
petition. when actor has obtained successful
dran1a,-by which is meant a drama that shows
him professionally, 10 advantage and at the same
time attracts the multitude-it Is natural that he
should pronounce 1T TO be excellent, and that he
should hold il with determined grasp. Opinions
will differ. Mr.. Hare cordially welcomed and
often and vociferously appauded. This may mean
little much Popular plaudits sometimes
impulsve clamor, and sometimes presage
of commercial success. 1t is certain that he Will
have a following. and II is certain that as he
told his English fE'ends he will meet with op-
position from the PurItanS In point OF IGCt LntFe
IS no Puritan patty here, with reference TO the
stage The Pu-:tans dwell in ew-England and
the Middle West, and they do attend the the
atre. II is extremely probable that very few of
them have ever heard Of either Lord Quex Mr..
Hare II is by Purtan9 that the protest is
made against rotten plays: It is by of the
world IL is by observers who know that all this
stage talk about reformed rakes. old FOUNDERS and
repentaut hussies Is hddle-faddle; that all this
analysis Of sexual problems is a crying nuisance;
hat G1y has o<ed Mr. \nthe
sole, Mrs. Langtry. Sarah Bernhardt, any
other foreign actor. 10 come here and illuminate
the public mind to the several varieties and the
frequently dismal consequences of incont!uence and
infdelity in the married state; that people in gen
eral sick 70 death Of the whole disgusting
theme and the whole wearisome tribe of its pitful
expostors; and that. unless there IS change
before long. the theatre will deserted totally.
il already is to very considerable extent by the
better classes of sociey-its intelligence. its refine
ment its character, It's dignity and solid worth.
One patitude in particular seems greatly 10 have
impressed the of technical writer's of which
Nj Pinero is q conspicuous representative, the
platitude, namely, that an unchaste man or woman
may sometimes turn be a good fellow. This
is the whole burden Of The Gay Lord Quex,' and
II is the phosophc of nearly all the offcolor
plays Of the time. It not quite so astonishing,
however. TO cause paralysis. Personal charm,
whether IN man woman can. and occasionally it
does exist independent of chastity; for personal
charm is refer8 bic back to the original fibre Of the
character DE Quincy records that the most
chanting women he ever beheld were Lady HamiI-
ton and Catalina-two names that long have
stood for valor than discretion. The rose is
always the rose; IL never. under any circum-
stances, turns into the thistle There needs no
ghost come from the grave to tell this and
tainiy do require Theatrical Literature
or n Encyclopedia Of Filth give Il illustration
The bedroom -bouIoir scene was acted with quite
deviish felicity by Mr. Hare. MISUNDERSTANDING
her almost comic eCcentrCity and her frequently
nd
ing emotion and felicitous piquancy and telling
force by Miss Vanbrugh: but when all is over
when you have seen and thoroughly considered
The Gay Lord Quex.'-if you are a person capa-
bic Of thought and feeling you will leave the
theatre. sadcened IN mind and depressed in spirit.
You VIII have learned you will have been re-
minded. that the world Is full Of evil; that most
men are actuated, in all their conduct by one o
two motives greed lust: that women with but
little exception, will make any and every sacrifice
for social position; that the human heart Is deceit
full above all things else and desperately wicked:
that as the poet Emerson terseIy remarked.
things are Of the snake. that evil II clever and
rfch-as it usually is-can accomplish all its pur-
poses: that the great practical age Of to-day has
no time for poetic visions and romantic dreaus
and no room for noble ideals: that II is vain TO
struggle against the colossal Inaterialism now
sweeping the human race: and that the OBJ
yious and OILY part OF wisdom worship Sue
cess and ask questions And. incidentally, you
win reflect that Mr.. Hare IS a remarkably keen,
neat trenchant and brilliant actor who has con-
v;ncfngly SHOWN you how clever he can be, and
hos made you distinctly unhappy 1t only
remains for Ellen Terry appear as Camille with
Tosenh jefferson Armand Duval Henry Irving
az the Count de NarviIie and Nine. Ristori ;
Prudence and the status OF stage would be
ascertatned and settled for least one generation
ard the present writer could lay aside his pen
which he would be more than glad to do
". w.