The Washington times., 1903-01-11

aHer" by Miss MaTlowe and her
company at New Haven, Conn, recently.
The novelist violated every accepted rule |
for such occasions by saying something
more than the vapid and empty Thank
you" which has done such yeoman ser
vice fer so many centuries. Indeed, he
talked for ten minutes. and when he I'm
ished he had given his auditors this
question to think upon: DO Americans
enjoy OF appreciate the plays presented
on their stage as they might enjoy and
appreciate them if they had read the
texte'
Possibly the esteemed author of The
Grandissfres' did not realize that he
was Ue2ding on very thin ice. With all
his judgment IN choosing details, eL-
pressing thought, and weaving romances,
he stood that night in the perilous atti-
tude OF the pioneer. He erred sufficient
IL in rot saying merely that he thanked
the audience IN Miss Marlowe's name
ana MS own, He erred gratuitously in
suggesting that such an address might
contain serious thought. But when he
proposed earnestly and calmly that
American theatergoers should read the
PLAYS they chose TO see, reason stood
appalled,. tradition was violated, and
even fancy hesitated. as Dr. Johnson
might say.
The possibilities suggested are limit
less. Conceive the effect on the play
goer alone, were he TO sit calmly in his
library and follow the plot OF The Lit
tie Duchess before choosing what
theater to attend. Contemplate the effect
on the playwright If he anticipated that
reading Think OF the average manager
and some of them are OF notable intelli-
gence-n he we're forced to read the
forty OF forty-fve works presented in his
playhouse during the season. These
things are really worth considering.
In its present condition The American
stage, indeed the EngIish-speak1ng
stage, offers the reader of plays very
little reward, Stephen Phillips, Justin
HuntIey Mccarthy, Arthur Pinero, Law
renee irving, George ". Cable. George
bernard Shaw, Israel ZangwiIL Marion
Crawford. Richard Harding Davis, and
perhaps Augustus Thomas are the mod
ems who now have on the stage plays
worth reading. But who elsee Yet the
dozen works represented in that list are
less than one-half Of L per cent Of the
whole number now being presented
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= tho author most 7,e,aIlv selected his
.I.5n On The qro,,,s NJ T,,ol7,,-+i-e,,oes
alone being sufficient to warrant that
sistf,.,ion Rrt not o,o IF bfs ,a,f5
an5 artificial writings executing per
hans .sT3ea., F3rummeI wound ever find
enough readerz- 10 mar Tar the hook
mates. M sax -ss.z
ard bitine wit t5glsz.r.y ean.r5ef.s5 7..4,
20 eaasaa7es psz -goar las Has natfer
zortuHe. Ts rtseularfv fraea
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81
a e
s st q - fhe8r ether
3israrr 7r crew
ara - sp SO
N-ri4iT,g nj a e8rztr1a fs.r. a
sin in The same position. MIR. Phillips
ana Mr.. Mccarthy fiji both chairs accent
sbIvJ Wr. Pinero Mr.. Irving. and Mr.
Thomas are DIavwrfgbrs only.
All of these men have DIavs in boOsy
form. either as novels CT as dramatic
compositions. How many Of them have
found or obtained a considerable follow
Ing is manifest at glance. It is safe to
say, however, that every person who
has seen Mr. Mansfield in Arms and
the Man" or has seen Mr. Sothern in
IF I Were King" or recalls The Chill
dren OF the Ghetto" would have dis
covered a world Of pleasing English, a
mine OF beautiful figures of speech. and
3 fuII measure OF characterizations per
tinent to the plot which. combined. would
have doubled his delight in the acted
piay
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knows the text win some familiarity
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