The San Francisco call., 1901-10-20
By Guisard.

" VERY time have heard and seen
- Grace Dudley-not seldom. for am
Of the devout-the consciousness of
her likeness TO some forgotten
- charmer has possessed me 10 my
considerable distraction. This week the
subIiuainal nind-that Mrs Piper tells
elsewhere in these columns all she does
not know about-has supplied the deh-
cheney, and the dainty little lady Is placed
where she belongs. There Is a Grimm
fairy story. every one knows, about a
good little girl who was rewarded for her
many virtues by having her vocabulary
coined into gold pieces as ii fell from her
rosy lips while for her sins her wicked
step-sister talked toads whenever she had
a mind 10 open her mouth. Naturally,
Miss Dudley does not remind one OF the
latter small sinner. nor entirely or the
gOId-fIled girl. but her clipped, hard. in
eisive enunciatfon does suggest that II her
words took tangible shape she would soon
be I'D 10 her knees in-say diamonds.
Certainly every word Miss Dudley sings
OF speaks can be heard by every one in
the house Unfortunately. her voice is
bad badly produced that is. and she
gasps for breath IN q painful fashion, but
oy her clear enunciation. quick wit and
lively intelligence Miss Dudley makes her
work amply acceptable 70 her audiences,
so grateful are they for simply hearing
what is said or sung effectively, without
any reference to the beauty OF the voice.
saw a blind man go into the Grand
Opera-house last Monday night to hear
The Little Minister" and wondered
what he would get out OF IT. The week
before there would have been the beauti-
ful dictfon Of Joseph Haworth in his fine
Hamlet and the noble lines of the trag-
edy Itself delivered with more or less
clearness by the rest of the players. 1t
seems to me that The Little Minister,
with it's mixed and muddled first two
acts. homemade Scotch dialect and I'M
careful enunciation generally. must have
been absolutely unintelIigfble as a whole
70 the blind listener. Herschel Mayall.
the little minister. would be heard, and
pleasantly. for his voice is a very good
one and he is. luckily, not expected to
Scottisise his lines Miss Hall, the win
some Lady Babbie, also has pleasing
voice. sympathetic. clear and penetrating,
but she frequently speaks too fast and
then becomes unintelligible. / happened
20 hear her again in the same thing at
the managers benefit from the back OF
the house, and was surprised at the car
rying power OF her voice. Mr.. Bernard.
whose cockneyfsm happens not to offend
in the role OF the English captain, Halli-
well can also always be clearly under
stood, and less clearly Gilbert Gardner
company lacks sadly on this side. am
persuaded that my blind man, without
eyes 10 help out the sense. got very little
from the play, less than the little there is
but he may rest assured OF the sympa-
thy Of the seeing auditors. who did not
get all that was coming 10 them either.
7 heard some more elocution on Friday
night last by Mrs. Louise Humphrey
Smith, who teaches "elocution-revelation
Of personality through vocal and pam
toninaic expression. harmonic gymnastics.
principles OF art. dramatic training. inter
probation Of literature and preparation for
psrlor, platform and stage" Mrs. Smith
gave a reading OF 'Paolo and Francesca -,
Stephen Phillips lovely drama, at Cen
tury Hall. Mrs. Smith is reader Of more
than usual attainment, with sympathy
and understanding Of her subject. but her
readings are not always impeccabIe from
the eiocutionary standpoint. Misplaced
emph3ses were not uncommon, and even
Observation-Disclosures which ] noted
legend" pronounced 'leejend." against
present day good usage; woe" pronounced
almost like wow; 'tumult' with more
f1an a suggestion OF too" on the first
syllable: "Pesaro" with a short "e'' in
stead of a long "a" sound on the first syl-
liable. and others Of like kind. Neither do
like the colloquial reading OF the
maids part I'm the drama. The atmos-
phere is completely lost thereby. Fran
cesca's dresmings sound almost ridiculous
by contrast. Nevertheless, on the whole.
Mrs. Smiths reading Is well above the
average. her voice is well used and the
various parts in the drama are clearly
characterized.
Stuart Robson with a very good com-
pany, in Bronson Howsrd's comedy, "The
Henrietta" is the chief attraction at the
theaters this week. Robson's Berthe the
Lamb is said to be Of the best
America is the land of the free and the
hope Of .fhe brave. Of course, but there