New-York tribune., 1905-04-03
LON DON NOTES.
Lord Hugh CeciTs Tndiscretiou.
Mr.. Trees Hamlet.

public man to be brilliant. Lord Uuah C..r
when he was at Oxford was considered the No.,
promising in the Union. where he r,ssa :
/ reputation as a debateF with a wonderful 80
for speaking with fervor and an air OF conv,o.
tion; but those who were on the same side neve-
knew what dangerous concessions he would allow
to opponents and were often convinced that IL
was safer to have him as an enemy than al An
ally. lie was fluent. resOurcefuI and brilliant
but impracticabIe This is a description riven
to me by one OF his former colleagues in tba
Oxford Union; and Il answers the requirements
Of his career in the Commons. No other nem-
Der could have made 50 aggressive and scornf1l
a speech as his in the academic debate this
week on the anti-DFOtecti0n notion II was de-
lvered IN a deep tone Of moral conviction ne
culiarly his own and in form II was a perfect
example Of Parliamentary oratoTy. trenchant in
Dhrasing. almost passionate in earnestness
vivid in illustration and distinctive in It's ronica
contempt Of the tariff refOrmers. who had begun
by debating terms 70 the government and revo-
IUtionary policies 20 the party. and we're ending
by funking the fight. running away from their
issue and retreating from their Moscow The
Liberals from the opposite benches enjoyed his
triumph and looked with admiring eyes az
though he were another Achilles with the helpless
Birmingham leader at the end OF his spear Yet
when the shouting was over and the suIIen re-
sentfuI faces Of the tariff reformers were
watched. the truth was disclosed that Lord
Hugh Cecil had committed an indiscretiOn and
completed the Generalization OF his own party.
Lord Hugh Cecil Is a convinced Free Trader.
but in every other respect he is a reactiouary
Tory incapable Of abandoning his principles and
acting with the Liberals on the education ques-
tion other issues Of politics. STEPPED IN
the traditions Of conservatism. he cannot desert
his party, and boasts. indeed that he will remain
in it and cleanse 1t from the evil reputation ana
scandals which the ProtectiOnists have brought
uron IT, II look forward he exclaimed at the
close OF his speech. Ito the building up Of that
edihce which in a reckless moment has besn
cast to the ground and TO the gathering OF that
treasure which with a mad expenditure has
been cast into the sea" Yet even when he was
speaking tariff reformers behind him we're COM
pairing him to Samson pulling down the Temple
over his head. He was defying the majority
Of his own party and encouraging the Prime
Minister to shake of Mr.. Chamberlain and %
rally the Free Trade forces. Instead Of maxi
ing peace offering and supporting a truce on
the fiscal question. he was drawing the sword
and attempting to drive the tariff men out Of
the party. The tariff refOrmers at once hardened
their hearts and determined To defeat him at
Greenwich. Mr.. Chamberlain published an un-
eQuivocal defence Of the action OF the majority
Hugh Cecil and choosing a representative tariff
reformer as their candidate The Central once
has declared that the fiscal question is not
test Of party loyalty. but now the orders from
Birmingham are explicit IN enforcing ths win
Of the majority. Lord Hugh Cecil BY his brill
liant speech has rendered the position Oe the
government more unstable than Il was. The
tariff reformers have become Indifferent 90 its
fate. and are anxious to have general election
as soon as possible. After two years work they
know that they are in position 70 defeat nearly
all the Free Trade candidates In their own party
and to unite the Opposition IN the next PaFlia-
ment on the issue Of tarin reform.
Mr.. Trees is the first Of the new Hamlsts
Of this productive spring. Mr.. H. B. Irving and
Mr.. Martin Harvey being stin in reserve. In
comparison with Mr. Forbes-RObertsOns mpsr-
sOnation 1t is defective In elOcutiOn. and more
uneven In execution; but It Is enriched with
ingenious byplay. and Is a consistent work The
play has been enacted at His Matesty's Thea
tire without scenery and. apart from the Ordi-
nary stage costumes. there has been nothing
to divert attention from the acting This IS a
severe test Of the quality Of the performances
and Mr.. Tree emerges from It with an increased
reputation for stagecraft. Without having
either the face. the figure or the voice for an
ideal Hamlet he plays the part with lne va
riety and illustrates every passage with ex-
pressivs gestures and highly effective stage
business. Byplay is his chief gift as an actor
and it renders his Hamlet notably interesting. II
1t cannot be critically regarded as great inl-
personatiOn. lighted up by poetic imagination.
The byplay Is uneeasing, yet never forced and
artificial The gestures and little touches Of
stagecraft do not seem to have been thought
out In advance and labOriously rehearsed but
have the effect Of spontaneity; and the byplay
helps greatly IN the exposition Of various phases
OF a complex character. The handling Of the
sword in the ghost scene is particularly
ticeable. since il denotes the irresOlute and
vacilIating spirit which IS easily turned aside
from the mission OF vengeance by transitOry i'm
pulses. There is so much action. especially in
the play scene. where he creeps stealthily from
his place at OpheIia's feet to the edge of the
throne. that It cannot be called cold. contem-
plative Hamlet. II Mr.. Tree does not rise To a
great height either in the brOOding solilOQuy on
death or in the scene with the Queen Mother,
he shows himself versatile craftsman. who
has mastered the art OF dramatic expression BY
face. pose and gesture. if not by voice.
So interested has Mr.. Tree been in the In
ventiOn OF illustrative byplay that he has neg
lected to drag in any theory OF his own respect
Ing Hamlet's sanity during the awful period of
storm and stress when he received supernat-
ural revelation and a spectral mission OF ven
geance. This Hamlet is not an amiaDle gentle
man. who receives quietly the news that his
fathers ghost Is astir and subjects the unusual
phenomenon to personal observation on the
platform and 10 practical test In the players
scene. There is no deliberate attempt either 20
minimize the eject OF the disclosure from spec
tral lips. or to render feigned madness intellEi-