Omaha daily bee., 1901-03-10

tsins her health vigor remarkably well
and is as capable OF entertaining US as
ever. she IL the last OF the great TRACE
diennes OF this country and her place will
be hard TO fil. although. perhaps Blanch
Walsh could probably come nearer doing
II than any other actress we have IN
America today.
with regard TO the ability Of an actor or
actress TO retire from the stage after
life spent upon It until forced TO. Stuart
Robson who is one Of the veterans in the
business, said in the course Of recent
Interview in Chicago. When a man or
won an becomes a player and has won sue
cess there is an indehnable something az
most like virus which enters the system
and makes a dropping OF the old life an
inlr disability The feeling ! think. is
stronger In a woman than in a man. When
last met Ellen Terry We discussed the
subject ! cannot even think Of such
possibility as leaving the stage she said.
! must face it before many years 60 by,
but what life will hold for me then
cannot imagine. understand eN-
actly the feelings Of the man who in
vented the phrase that he wished he might
die 10 the harness. Miss Terry speaks.
think, for the whole profession
In recent article in the Times Herald
l.Nman B Glover. the well known Chicago
dramatic critic. gives us a piece Of theat-
rical history Of sufficient interest to make
IL worth reprinting THE first dramatic
performance on this continent by regular
company was given" says Mr.. Glover, at
Williamsburg then the capital OF Nir-
ginla. on September ;. 1852. Just l49 years
aEo this fall Shakespeare said the first
officia word in a dramatic sense, on this
continent as The Merchant OF Venice was
the play on this occasion. followed by
David Garricks afterpiece entitled 'Lethe,
at that time very popular in London
The company engaged had just arrived
from England. after a tempestuous voyage
OF several weeks. during which rehearsals
were constantly in progress on shpboard
We can we'll imagine the fair Portia-Mrs.
Hallam-struggling with the quality OF
mercy speech during the more realistic in
tervals Of seasickness while Shylock's un-
happy issue from the dukes court must
have been tinged with additional agony
through those qualms induced by a heavy
sea An. original prologue was written for
this first performance, which has a swing
OF its own that may warrant the quotation
OF few lines:
ITO this new world from fam'd Britannia's
shore
Through boistrous seas where foaming
The muse, who Britons charmed for many
Now sends her servants forth to tread your
Too oft we own, the stage with dangerous
In wanton scenes has played the sirens
Yet il the muse, unfalthful to her
Has sometimes strayed from what is pure
Has she not oft with awful virtuous
Struck home at vice and nobly trod the
Made tyrants weep, the conscious murderer
And drop the dagger from his trembling
Then as you treat a favorte fairs
Pray spare her foibles for her virtues
sake
And while her chastest scenes are made
(For none but such will find admittance
The muses. friends we hope will Join our
cause
And crown our best endeavors with ap-
plause.
From this time there was a slow and
hesitating growth OF the American stage.
retarded by the Puritan spirit OF the pilgrim
fathers examples OF which We occasionally
see to this day in cases where intelligence
is not a handmaiden OF piety, and hindered
also by the Uniformed condition OF the coun-
try and the poverty of the masses. II re-
meined for the nineteenth century and not
the first part Of the period TO develop an
institution which has now built a Gordon Of
playhouses around and about this country
and has become next TO the church and the
school house. the most universal and in
fuential establishment OF our modern civili-
zation."