The age-herald., 1901-12-22
Stage Mobs and Their. Work

tian." In these two pieces it was abso- lutely necessary in order to carry out the idea of the author and the purpose of the dramatist to assemble a big staRefuI of character types and drill them into the proper amount of under standing necessary. In both cases there were stirring scenes in the plays, which demanded especially intelligent mob work and likewise In both scenes it was required that the people should repre- sent the under side of humanity.
 In the case of "The Christian" the mob scene took place in what was sup posed to be one of the lowest neighbor- hoods of London, near Soho square, and the men and women of the scene-out- side of the principal actors involved, were of the lowest type of London hu- manity In "The Children of the Ghetto" the genuine type of the old or thodox Jew was sought and in both cases the fidelity of the stage present. ment to the originals was largely the cause of artistic success.
 When "The Christian" was in prepar- ation the East side of New York was secured for just such type as Hall Cainc introduced and described in his famous book. The agents of the mob maker spent udyb III tHc bluuylnH Out their characters and then gathered them upon the stage of the theatre in which the play was to be produced. Then they were taken In hand, sifted out and sorted like so many good and bad pota- toes. Afterward they were drilled and drilled until they imbibed something of the idea of their training, and at last followed the instructions like a dog fol- lows his master. or monkey initiates a man.
 It is dreadfully trying work, and when something like order comes out of the mental chaos the producer begins to breathe naturally. Finally, when they were taught every part of the lesson they were fearing their scene was fitted into the play and the result Is known. The mob scene in ''The Christian" where John Storm and Brother Paul prevent the 1eath of Lord Robert Ire in Soho, is one of the most interesting examples of the work of this branch of stage work.
 In "The Children of the Ghetto an even more unique work was accom- plished in this regard. As 1t Is said above. the peculiar character type of the orthodox Jew was required, and to en- deavor to train any class of "supers" into conveying the idea intended by zangwill would not only have been im- possible, but would have seriously de- moralized the atmosphere of the play. Consequently the East side of New York was again secured in another quarter-the district where Hebrew life is as separate and distinct as if it four ished in Jerusalem itself There the or thodox type so necessary to the play was found in its simon-pure condition.
 The persuasive ways of the producers agents induced them to the theatre in ample numbers, but when they were told to act just as they did in everyday life and would be expected to under the de- mands of similar occasion in their own neighborhood, they were taken with stage fright and 1t looked for a time as if a reproduction of the exciting scene in the Ghetto was not possibility.
 Here fas case where the proper ma terial was not able to be itself. But day after day the stage manager worked, and finally brought his Hebrew coadju- tors to a state where they could be re- lied upon to interpret themselves. Noth- ing more natural has ever been seen upon the stage than this scene in ''The Children of the Ghetto" and if the finan- cial success of that play had depended alone upon the fidelity of the mob pie ture there would have been no doubt of the result
 Among the most ambitious of all stage mob pictures was the famous reproduce ton of the uprising in "Robespierre," Sir Henry Irving has done many things in his long career that will reflect credit upon his name and live even after he has ceased to act, but his conception and execution of this picture of horror was a masterpiece of its kind It took weeks of the most exhaustive work to gather the material and shape 1t to the proper ends. Much of this, though. was composed of the young men and wom- en ambitious to-. use the avenue thus afforded as a guiding path for a better opportunity.
 The mob in 'Robespierre'' had to be one of vivid action, and in order to avoid the possibility of doing anything but the right thing at the right time, their course of training had to be ex- ceptionally carried out No one who has ever seen "Robespierre' can ever for get the effect produced In this act when the scum of Parisian humanity at last overwhelms the tyrant and illustrates better than any pen description possibly could the fury of the masses when they are beyond control.
 Another fine example of stage mobs was presented in that dramatic revision of Dickens "Tale of Two Cities" which