The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-25
Englisl, Theatrical Companies SUI
perior to- Those Of United States
Because Of Marry Reasons.
GREAT CHANGES HAVE COME.
The Tragedian Macrcady Would
Find it Difficult to Secure Iii
gagemcnt in Present Day.
BY Percy Linden Howard.

BY Percy Linden Howard.
Passing upon the dimly lighted staircase
& leading from the stage entrance OF Days
Theatre to the office OF Daniel Frohman,
regarded in the world OF art as tho
highest type Of theatrical manager In
the United States, a hundred memories
rush with lightning like rapdity through
tho mInd-Augustin Daly--his trlumphs.
4 his sacrifices for the art he loved, his
keenness, his foresight and withal his
kindness to those less fortunate. all vivid
~ are recalled. The very walls seem
silent only because he has passed away
from the busy throng. One feels as II
3 he Is entering house of mourning A
sharp turn In the stairway. and you
4 are on the threshold Of the Office where
80 many triumphs have been planned.
n so many disappointments suffered, and
In silence. Your knock on the door In
tuitivcly is gen.le-this is no place for
4 busting twentieth century hurried bust
ness; calls. a kindly Invitation to enter.
and you stand inside the room, and In
the presence OF the successor Of the
man who has left the stage-you face
Daniel Frohman. He stands to greet
you. tall. slight OF build, plainly dressed.
His eye Is kindly but with a touch OF
sadness in It that tells you deep down
In his heart /, despite his triumphs. de-
spite the pomp and circumstance With
which the mimic world does welcome
him, there is something vacant-some
great ambition unfnlalcd, or some great
, suffering buried deep In a silence that
q never will be spoken. His deck Is cover.
& ed with letters and various papers. but
4 all neat. and well In order: no confusion
no attempt at business like display.
"A Fitting Successor to Mr.. DAILY.
ii At first you view the man as II he
were inimical-he sits In Days chair;
but COON you know he sits there by his
right, by HIS intellectual force. that he Is
there not by the whim Of tickle fortune.
but because heSis n hitting successor OF
4 the one who has gone before. The power
OF his personality is manifest Mt once.
A minutes conversation and you know
you have before You man who mas
II studied men--a man who delves below
Il the surface. and who finds in every nook
and corner OF human nature something
j good man who has patience with the
= foibles OF humanity. and who finds rca-2
4 sons, and excuses for them. His mental
3 ity5 Is broad--his reason deep. How
strange to trace the history OF this man,
starting ms an Office boy In the business
rooms Of the New York Tribune, as the
lad who watched. perhaps IN awe. the
work OF the man in whose steps he was
destined to follow--Ausustin DAILY y: when
& DAILY was dramatic critic of Horace
E Greely's paper. The lowest rung OF
L the ladder always was his starting point.
for when he rad passed through bust
ness and literary experience on the OLD
STANDARD and later on the Graphic.
his theatrical experience began as nd.
vance agent in the small towns md
villages OF the South and West.
Mr.. F'rohman settled back In his CHAIR
with an air OF resignation and asked what
subject It was desired he should discuss.
LET us begin with the drama In It's
broad sense. and It's relative position IN
this country, and in England and
France"
&, "You open upon q vast field said Mr.
{ Froham. You see. i have no interests
abroad Several persons have attempted
& to urge me to enter the field IN London
but ! have refralned. leave that to
my brother. I have no desire to extend
my own interests beyond this country
There is ample scope here.
Art is Art All the World Over.
The conditions that exist abroad, in
some respects differ materially from
those which obtain in the United States.
We have frst-class actors In the United
States and there are many first class ac-
tors abroad. In this 1t may be said
there is little difference. And yet the
results frequently are unlike to mark
ed degree Art Is art the world over.
But perfect dramatic presentation de-
ponds on the gathering OF art into con-
crete whole. rather than on the exploit
alton of tho Individual artist. In this,
England has a great advantage Of US. The
ensemble performances Of the English
4 In London, as rulo, are admirable. TO
equal them taxes our resources. Given
i certain play for simultaneous produc-
hon In both countries. 1t may be possible
that in some characters we would display
actors OF much superior merit to any OF
the English cast. This has been FREE
luently done. yet the English production
az q whole might be individually su-
perIor one The average standard and
appreciation of merit there are higher.
And this is unavoidable is the out
come Of geographical and other condl-
tIons over which we have no control.
( an speaking of England, we speak only
of London but in speaking of5the United
States we do not necessarily speak only
OF New York. This Is vast country,
and we have more than one METROPOLIS
+ so far as theatrical productions are con-,
cerned. Many most important produce
lions are made out Of town. Stars can
open In Philadelphia, in Boston. In Chi
cago or spend two or three weeks each
in all OF these cities. They come to New
York later. Such n condition as this
would not exist in England, There any
thing produced out Of London is not
regarded rs OF Importance except Tor
weeks trial. The play, and, indeed. the
player must bear the hall mark Of the
great metropolis. Rarely does a purely
provincial production reach London-that
is, In the first-class houses There are
some credltable provincial plays which
reach G certain measure of SUCCESS and
finally appear In .second-class theatres,