The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-29

One OF the oarfnarkb OF u Roou MOI ShaiiV
Is that he ia constantly endeavoring to
enlarge his market. The German manu-
facturer--so diligent and astute in turning
out cheap limitations for the humber con-
sumer-spends millions in applying the
latest discoveries OF science TO perfectlng
his best wares The often voiced ambition
OF the syndicate is the most undiscriminat-
ing-to please that commonest of common
divisors of humanity, the man in the street
Now, the one patent fact about the Amer-
can public is that, whatever its level OF
cultivation and education, it Ia intellectually
tho most ambitious public In the world
II may not always know what is good and
what is bad. but once let it be convinced
Of the value of anything. and nothing else
will satisfy IT, An enterprisng Spectator
some years ago surprised the publishing
world by. selling thousands and tens OF
thousands of a learned work OF reference
that had long been regarded rs CONNER
cially dead. Some one expressed amaze
ment that there were so many who wanted
so aLstruse work. They didn e. he
laconically answered. The implication was
that they had only thought they did, by
means OF ably and eloquently written adj
vertisements he had convinced the public
that any intelligent man must have 1t,
and they shelled out actual millions of
hard cash The great public may not
yet have the inner hunger for high dramatic
art but they think they have, which to
the astute merchant is the same thing.
And in the long run they can be made to
have It,
The GROWING idiocy Of the managers,
from their own commercial point of vi ew.
is that they make no concealment of the
mediocrity OF their aim. Tho result was
apparent last year. and is still with Us.
falling on in the quality Of the dramatic
output, which at the worst was not serious,
was astutely exaggerated by the enemies
OF the trust into a report Of general failure
in quality. As it happened, this conceded
with a spell of financial depression.
public accustomed to seek only amuse-
ment in the theatre refused to pay its lesson
ing dollars for--as it was made to believe
ths privilege Of being bored. Meantime
however, it literally supported such vent
ures as profess,d intellectual and artistic
ambition David Belasco knows the COM
meronl value OF posing as an artistic
dramatist--a large part OF his suocess,
take il, is based upon 1t.
The real thing was only less prosperous.
Ben Greet made a handsome profit out
of that work of antique tragic beauty
"Everyman.' and also out of his POLITICALLY
exquisite. il somewhat gray. productions
OF Shakespeare. The Shaw boom has
budded and bossomed In spite Of the general
frost. While one applauds the syndicate's
superiority 10 cant, it is impossible to deny
that if il had any real artistic intelligence
and ambition it would, in the mere matter
OF dollars, be better Off than it is.
One Of the syndicate managers. 1t is true,
is man OF notable intelligence, refinement
and artistic ambition. Daniel Frohman
once made for himself a reputation in
modern comedy only second-if second 1t
waste that of Augustin DAILY in the
classic comedy. His theatre was the resort
OF public far above the average OF refine
ment and Intelligence. But even before
the tearing down Of the old Lyceum Theatre
the glories OF the Lyoeum company and
OF Lyceum audiences had departed. The
fact seems 70 be that, for all his ambition,
refinement and intelligence, he lacked the
power of interpreting-to say nothing Of
antiopating-the tastes OF his public
Things move swiftly in the world Of the
theatre. The school of English comedy
on which the fame of the Lyceum was
founded was all but exhausted at the end
OF the last decade Nowadays, as was
lately borne in on us, the era of Sweet
Lavender" is deader than the era of the
medieval morality-at least as regards the
public Mr.. Frohman addressed.
That Mr.. Frohman had at hand the means
OF neutrality-suspicious. increaslng-the
fortunes of his house il scarcely open to a
doubt. Nothing delights the irreverent play
wright more than TO recite the list Of the plays
that have been refused by Mr.. Frohman-
among which is for example, The Climbers
unless il Is to recite the list of American
plays he has produced. In 1897 Il think ii
was), when Miss Annie Russell was APP
pearing at the old Lyceum in Miss Hobbs
was struck with the inadequacy OF her part
to her genuinely poetic talents, and hap
pened at the same time to be in the first
enthusiasm of Candida. 4 made Mr.
Frohman's acquaintance for the purpose
Of suggesting that Miss Russell do can
dida. He was familiar with the play and
seemed TO appreciate its artistic value
ana NildIIn. Dul ne ODJtNLtu Nllil NV
part was written for an actress Of larger
physique Miss Janet Achurch, was it not?)
This seemed very much like reducing the
drama to a matter of avoirdupois CANDIDA
was, of course. TITAN madonna. Miss
Russell might perhaps have resemi'ed
more nearly Botticeii. But was IL not
something that she was a madonna at
ALL TO say nothing of being an actress OF
genius to boot? Certainly abe would have
come nearer to the part than the young
woman who finally created it-and with
no uncomfortable success. A year later
Arnold Daily vainly urged Mr. Frohman
to let him play Mdrchbdnks One may bt
pardoned perhaps for believing that il
Mr. Frohman had known his public "a the
good merchant knows his market, the
good editor his readers and had grown
with it, it would have been better both foi
his theatre and for the American drama.
The passing Of the Lyoeum marked a
general decline in the quality Of the play
going public, The large and growing
class TO which at its best it had appealed
has all but abandoned the commercial
theatre Our first nights, which usec
TO have something Of the character anC
distinction Of first nights in Europe have
become the haunt Of wine merchants anC