The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-25
!|IR. TlRBE An 0PTINld.
innAr ACTOR SAYS OUTLOOK FOR
| DlS AVA WAS xEvnA sRiaarna.

Nkeral Tone Of stage IL Improving
Ne @6sa OF Brains ana Honest In!
i1ftry 'trnterins PEofssafon-Ad-
dresses The HikA school Pspils.
There are few actors on the American
iiaxe OF the present day Of more pleasing
ASaxvonallty and with more hard. common
Itnse than Erederick Varde, whose COM
X any last night closed an engagement OF
aAree nights ct. tho Seattle theater. Mr..
Karde has won fame In the legitimate
lrama, but this fact does not prejudice
Nm against less aristccratic branches OF
RNs profession. He is a pronounced OPP
yfmist regarding the stage and takes Q
hep and sympathetic interest In all
aIhings theatrical - rs.
lEsxhe outlook for the drama In the
IUnita1 States was never brighter in Its
IS aa nS n sGu sSs at
\ Sotel yesterday. 81 mean in making this
\ itatement that there never was time
tnsrs Msrs on
\ hctors. In times past there have been,
\ md there are now, bright particular stars
\ IIaturai genius Tor tho dramatic art. hut
IEhs honest students who have risen BY
4 Eude. It IL BY the efforts OF such inen
That the standard OF the profession has
7 hen gradually raised to ITS present
afSssOue thing ! have to regret concerning
line stage Of today is the passing of the
\ pld-time stock company system. The
( Schools for actors. There they learned to
hct by acting; and that IL. the only way
10 learn ASyoung man can no more be-
6oy can learn to swim on the hearth
arhs only school for the stage IS actual
ncws eo only Il the theories Of the procession
6as learned practically nothing. He can
mot graduate from college onto the
q s any Saesf RptS SS con
ka6t With its actual workings.
Al Trend Not Downward.
4 II am hot ono Of those who believe that
the trend OF the drama IS downward. On
The contrary, believe that the moral tone
n, due In great part to the fact that the
brsinier men than ever before. il cam
20 q as me s ms ara Il q sm sn
value, but the mission of the drama is to
IAmuse and there are many classes to be
4 sThe field has greatly widened Of late
years. Originally the drama was divided
Into three distinct branches. the tragedy,
nave an appalling number Of subdivisions
md combinations. Some OF the modern
~ mi9ht we'll be called 'trasi-comedy.'
N "a great deal Of the change has re-
&ulted from the arnalgamation OF the
tnrne Of the old-time variety theater. OF.
the comedy in the form Of various spe-
ecialties: The result may not be 2 high
class of entertainment. but It has its, adj
M II have no hesitancy in saying that
enjoy good farce-comedy myself In
TACT. even negro minstrelsy appeals to me
man who enjoyed only Hamlet 'othel-
To-, King Lear and similar plays. and
who went to see no others would soon
become very disagreeabie person to
'HaSkbone Of the structure.
backbone of the whole theatrical struc-
ture, was never more popular than at
the present moment. In times of pros
ness Institution and as the country is now
prosperous, the legitimate drama is also
prosperous. During my whole stage ca
successful and profitable than the pres
ent one"
Yesterday morning Mr.. warde address,
ed the students of the high school on
'.Elosuence as Illustrated by Shake
spears" The distinguished actor is noted
as q lecturer and proved himself a living
example Of the soundness of his argu-
Shent in favor of the more general cu1tf-
walton Of the art Of public speaking in
the schools and colleges of the country.
No accomplishment he said, so easy of
requirement was so desirable in view of
the constantly widening demands made
Upon the average man IN both social and
business life for public expression OF his
views upon q multitude of everyday
topics.
Mr.. Warde pointed out that 1t lay with
In the power Of every student to acquire
during his school days the Facility OF ex-
preston necessary to impart to others his
thoughts through the medium of spoken
words. He advocated tho devotion of
part of each school day to the practice
81 public speaking, commencing with the
simplest. topics and gradually progressing
upward.
A brief training of this sort he said.
would prove a blessing iii after life, both
to the student and to his associates. He
pointed out the habit even educated men
Of the present day have of remaining 81
lent on constantly recurring occasions
when called tpoh to speak and making the
fime-honored apology. II am not pub
lilo speaker" 1t was mans duty, Mr..
Warde said, to be a public speaker when
called upon.
A Master Of Eloauence.
Shakespeare, Mr. Warde referred to as
the great master of eloquence. and illus
trated his lecture by examples from the
works Of the great poet. notably the
speeches of Brutus and Anthony in the
play of is"Julfus Caesar sAnthony's
speech, he said. was a model of oratory
on account of its simple language its
short sentences and freedom from all APP
parent straining after effect.
1t was such oratory, he said, that he
would advise his hearers to cultivate. He
advised them against the use of poly
sylrables. rare words, obscure references
and involved sentences.
Mr.. Warde iriterspersed his lecture with
bits of humor, aiming, as he said, to
make dry subject entertaining. 1t was
noticeable that he was careful that any
poiAt ne was DESTROYS of particularly i'm
pressing was usually sharpened by some
witticism "A jest" he remarked, "al-
ways sticks longer than q precept"