New-York tribune., 1901-09-24
THE DRAMA.
Mr.. sToDDART AT THE REPUBLIC
.THE RoNNIE BRIEF BUSH"

| Mr.. Stoddart. long pre-eu,inent in public favor
and never more deeriy or more aectionately priced
than now, in the funess of his years OF honorable
! achievement. appeared last night at the Theatre
! Republic which then opened for the regular
season and before a crowded and delighted
! sernbIage. acted IachIan Campbell, in play upon
incidents gathered in part from DR. Watson's beau
tiful story Of THE Bonnie Brier Bush and partly
from other writings by the accomplished
! author. Those sketches of Scottish lfe,-unques-
| tionably the frution Of a genius,-are parts
Of the general memory and they do not require de-
scription. It is the felicity OF DR.. Watson that,
using the materials of common life in Scotland. and
treating them IN a vein OF exquisite simplicity he
calls. at the moment. smiles to the lips and
tears 10 the eyes. The play that has been made
out Of selected characters and incidents OF his sto
ries IS absolutely simple and purely domestic max
ing no pretence OF peculiar environment and aim
ing at complication OF conduct or incident and
nnarvels OF dramatic effect. 1t is not much
a play. indeed It is episode in family
perience-the experience Of representative Scotch
farmer-a stern. unbending almost ascetic Chris
tian, a loving father a proud. reticent obdurate
old man, outwardly cold and severe. inwardly pas
sionate and tender In construction the piece is
diffuse and tangled. many extraneous themes being
into its warp and woof for the sake OF
augmenting its substance diversifying its complex
ion and extending it's length. This method has it's
advantage doubt. for certainly II provides
entertainment, even though II sacrifices the SYM
netry and the direct precision OF constructive art
that should characterize a play
The main result that sought. however. has
in Mr.. stoddarts OF the subject. been fully
and brilliantly attained The foreground is "a
Scotch marriage" between LachIan Campbelrs
daughter and young nobleman. Then the father
believing that his child has been rrsied and dis
graced. expels her from his home and blots out
her name from the record in his family Bible
Later he mourns, in secret, over his desolation,
and like poor old Peggotty, in "Copperheld" places
the lighted candle In his window, night after night
hoping guide the wanderer home. Still later his
daughter back, and her marriage is
, nounced and ratified. and the heartbroken father
takes her again TO his breast and humbly begs to
be forgiven. The details of all this would
trivial in a succinct and ample rehearsal OF them
The main thing is natural situation. AS an ex-
ample of pathos in the matter of invention, Lach-
Ian's erasure of Floras name from the Bible falls
far short of the agonzing act, as done by old
Osborn in Vanity Fair'-a supreme gem of art.
In Mr. Stoddarts acting, the other hand, the ef
feet is so affecting and lamentable that it seems
above all art and scarcely can be borne. Nothing
so simply touching, reverend. awful in its
, tremendous purpose OF justice, and deplorable
in its weakness OF human grief has been seen on
stage. In the element of simplicity-in the
something that comes straight from the heart and
goes straight to the hearts of others.-ths imper-
sonation transcends anything of its class that the
present day has known. For any parallel to IT, IN
stage history, the observer must recall such
embodiments those of Blake and Burton and
Gilbert at the crowning moments or Jesse Rural
and Cutie, the Last Man and Old Dornton. The
DIR. Primrose of Henry Irving has art, but
not more nature-perhaps not so much.
In the passionate struggle between religious rage
and human feeling Mr.. Stoddart produced, indeed,
altogether unexampled effect. did not seem
to be acting.-it had all the truth of reality. The
audience greatly moved The performance is
that verybody should see. 1t adorns the thea
tire. It vndicates the of the drama. 1t is
honor human nature, and II will prove a great
public beneft,-coning, as il does. in time when
such blessings pure play and a great actor
grievously needed. The interludes of humor
animated with admirable spirit and delight
full comic eccentricity by Mr.. Reuben Fax, as the
tipplng Postman. He had remarkable success Mr..
John Jennings gave sympathetic vitality the
fine character OF DR.. MacLure. The Scotch music
and the Scotch pictures intensified the charm of
representation altogether exceptional for genuine
ability and intrinsic oveliness w. W.