The sun., 1900-08-05

| ton or Vaudeville Managers, and that the other
objects promulgated are regarded by them
~ OF smaller importance. Indeed. these latter
are expressed In terms easily construed by
cynics as facetiou-, but which true friends OF
the stage will prefer TO regard sincere. The
White Rats believe their vocation IL a noble
one. say they. and should be recognized as
such by tho world at large. We anticipate
that there will be sacrifices to make which
nothing but loyal hearts can stSnd. We will
be ready for the test. and. though we profit not
ourselves. We will leave behind us for those
who choose to follow mp tho hill of evolution
| IN our wake legacy rich with sincerity and
sweet with brotherly love, and in this. our en-
terprise, We ask the blessing. the help. OF the
Father Almighty, whose heart is love, whose
light We will follow who Is God Of All Per-
haps the circular Is the work OF a writer OF cir
Gus posters, or maybe by a man with expert
enoe as q Salvation Army exhorter. But he
gets down to practical sober sense when he
says: we shall endeavor. land We hope with
out the risk OF being called prudes) 10 infuse
| more wholesome spirit Of refinement and cul-
ture in our stage performances and In our de-
meanor in public than has heretofore charac-
terzed our sphere OF the theatrical profession
That Is the kind Of talk which should mean
t"'hV'ihhS Woi" WIuc. ~ eltot b'ui ih'ic Va
refinement aud culture can be Put into vaude-
vile without hurting its potency with any
grade OF audienoea The raoy humor essential
TO these entertainments should not be
subdued. In most of the vaudeville
theatres It Is now wholesome in the
main Nothing shameful is being done in
the continuous houses of Proctor. Keith and
Pastor. nor at present in the roof gardens OF
Hammerstein. Isderer and the Sires. in all
these places the principles avowed by the White
Rats are pretty we'll adhered 10. But there Is
a deIlorable amount Of iilterature. which len
Others. The first signature on the " hite Rats
circular Is that of George Fuller Golden. and the
last Is that OF Ezra kendall. and those two men
illustrate the point here sought 20 be made.
They are monologue humorists each originating
the Jokes and anecdotes which he Uses. and
both introduce the slang OF the day as spoken
in polite and impolite society. from drawing
rooms TO barrooms. But IL Is pertinent, il is
| ascribed to suitable characters. and IL is not
accompanied by bad grammar and worse taste
| in the language Of the actor when speaking as
himself. These men are on familiar terms with
good English, and their oddities OF idiom are as
merit 10 that respect renders their fun agreeable
to discriminating people and at the same time
does not spoil IL In the least for the rabble. In
deplorable contrast are those equally comic
| fellows who by their offences Of bad grammar
| and uncouth manner deprive themselves OF
about half the favor done 10 their talent. Mr..
ampies Of their kind. But they are outnum-
bered by rank offenders. and these voluntarily
or 10y, managers coinpnlson, should surely
tuition aud rehearsal even though they don't
know a single rule OF grammar. So much Of
artistic and literary worth is being rut into
vaudeville that the crude Ignorance OF the rest
should be put out This is not plea for diet
tanteism In the variety shows, but rather for
suoh broadening OF It's rscy humor as will
please people of culture and not displease any
one Let the White Rata look to that.
Beerbohnr Tree has accepted a new play by
Stephen Phillips called The King Of the Jews
and It may be acted before the same authors
"Paola and Francesca" is produced by George
Alexander. The newer drama is. Of course. In
verse; for Mr. Philips Is first poet and then
dranatist. The hero Is Ilerod and its scenes
arc laid In Jerusalem, while its intrigue deals
with the love Of Herod and Marianne.
Sweet Nell OF Drury Lane" Is the tito se-
looted for Paul Kesters play called here Nell
Gwynne." Evelyn Millard Is not 10 retire
from the stage because OF her recent marriage.
She Is TO rent q theatre next season to produce
The Merchant OF Venice" Much Ado About
Nothing and other Shakespearean plays. Sir
Henry Irving Is said to have abandoned the
production Of the drama dealing with the Mas
sacre Of st. Bartholomew on account Of the dif-
iculty of protecting his rights to IL. One Eng
llsh version Is already in existence and any
body is at liberty to translate and produce the
German piece. Mr., lrvings next character
may bs Gustarus Adoiphus In a historical
tragedy based on the life OF that King Ed
mund Edmunds. who died in Edinburgh the
other day. was an intimate friend of Edmund
kean and Thomas Moore and a particular ia
vorite with George ". After several years
ba draf IN ha hara
singer. Again he became an actor when his
voice deserted him after he had sung u few
seasons In later lie he taught music.
ans In s Ss qsd Sssr day sSdoa ShA
as "the dawn Of history The Ins scene was more
SeW supe Sa o
for which be wrote the hbretto. which viii be
sullivan's INCIDENTAL music to The Tempest
wuik Of the composer, /, played Ytll in Eng
Eussnie Doohe, who. was the first woman
IN Ilersndre Dunas's Il Dame aa.
! in Paris the other day at tie age OF IL years
| She wasborn in Beg gln, but came OF Irish
descent. She studied u m Paris and began to
| act at the Vaudeville Theatre when u child
Her husband. whose name she bore through
| out her career was musician and the couple
| lived together only short time. In 1852 she
| appeared first In Dumass play and delighted
| the dramatists as few actresses do Her Irish
| Punk PlunEett.@ She retired more than twenty
years ago, but was frequently seen at the Paris
| theatres With her sister, who was her constant
| companion She played In most OF the
| Paris theatres after winning fame IN La Dame
aux Camelias, but was never member OF the
| Coincide Fran caise in spite OF the success
she made In Dumas's play. Al the time Of the
first performance she was at the height Of her
| already made hor conspicuous. She Is said to
| hay. reiembled the Dumas heroine IN many
particulars and her life after she left the stage
| was passed in luxurious refinement Size rarely
| missed q performance OF La Dame aux Ca
| melias" Jeanne Bernhard younger sister OF
during recent years died the other day. She
! Il said to have been az actress OF talent, al
though obscured by the greater reputation
Constant Coouelin has arranged a lottery for
the benefit OF the actors OF the French stage and
Il Is expected that they will profit greatly by
it. More than a million chances. at franc
II has boon di, covered by accident In ParlS
that the great 1alrna once wrote tragedy
that has jlist come 20 light. In 1876 q tragedy
called "Gunide." written IN Talma's hand. was
intrIsted 10 a French publishing house by an
army officer who has since dpd. The pub
Usher guaranteed that II should be read to the
committee of the Coincide Francaise and In
the CORRESPONDENCE between the publisher and
the General witch has just come 10 light. II Is
claimed that the work had been accepted for
the French national theatre. Nothing IL
known OF II at the theatre, however, and the
widow OF the army officer has Just brought
suit 20 recover possession OF the manuscrint
4 1Nai,, tuht oh haak N DilhllShnr'l