New-York tribune., 1905-11-10

Ihe Iheatre must be made self-supoort,,
every manager and every actor na.uraIIv "a "a
rightly, expects to earn decent living hv - @Sf
tfon, and to provide for his age rbt - soea-
feasible without degradation OF ths ar.-o,.ssah
moro feasible. In fact, by upholding that -. w -
by degrading II. The Theatre concar,s .t u'sa
the heart. the imagination. the affections ,s. Ing
sions. the whole wide experience OF humans.
ideal realm OF poetry and the diversIeas cs -. ~
OF literature and art: and neither manager no.
has any right to treat 1t as prirnari1v 80 se.'f
sively. a money-making expedient tn. IT,
can be degraded into a mere shop and II "a
graded by many OF the persons who eont-o, :. 70
America and Europe to-day. But. intrinsicauv -
Theatre is intellectual institution as rnro, s
the pulpit or the university. and.-as thing, ~
stand.-it Is more potential than eithsr =.
whether for good or evil - nsa,
Many methods Of theatrical asp,f,,s.,
been pursued. varfously accordant To th. -" asSs
of different races and the caprices Of acssss
ers, and many theories OF management, -. SAD
devised from accumulated experience: hut q. Ds'a
trine now generally accepted and apnlsaa
Ia the chlef peril OF our time). is the doctrn. :.
managerial huckster.-"Give 'ern what ,b u sas
No principle of action could be mora ,r,.,.-1 sas
itself disastrous In its rssp1, s1
vuit decipi; deoipiatorP' That was tn. ,sl
oontemptuous doctrine Of ancient cynical $40,
ply (as also It OF the greatest OF an rs s'~'-
Barnum. and the greatest Of all pill-maksrs p.-.
rethD;-"the common people like to bs ssoas-A.
deceived let them be!"-and under its rnaI,o, ~
snoe. the few taking heed only OF than,saS.. .aa-
leaving the many to folly and riot the zre,, p 10
Empire slowly crumbled into pieces Ike -,
eaten garment The stage has generally -,
popular support. but 1t has never been ,,
under popular dominion The best periods - -
history of the drama have been thoss IN ,,sI., %
has been affiliated with the cuIt,,rea c,e.- 80 u
tellectual society,-for those classes eontsT,s ~
influence that could guide, stimulate and -
its powers. and. by the force OF exampls oo,Is 80,
the multitude in their train. This Is tba H..
the intellect 1t Is not right that tha peon,. So
be deceived 1t is not right that the manv sbora.
be left to folly and shame. There are noh,. -
bilities in human nature. 's
The people can be lifted to the higher lsv.I r-s-
welfare is q sacred trust. Give them wha. o..
ought to have! The button-maklng policy q, 49,
not checked and modified. while 1t will not aaz,..
the Theatre.-for the art OF acting is !mp,o-+,,
will bring upon it a blight Of decrepitude. d,so-
lstion Of decay. to which dramatic history aro,s,
no precedent or parallel. The Handwriting 4, II
ready on the wall. Give them what they ought ),
have, It Is within the province of the Theatre IN
dealing with the public either to follow to Lad
The intellect should lead: and surely it is within ,h
power of the intellect to make the public wan,
beauty and not deformity, good and not evil II,
JOY of things that lovely, and not the dsbashr
gloom OF antic and filth. There could not 5.
greater sin against intellect honor, and duty a.
these concern the stage, than the presentation cf
such monstrous feculence as Mr.. Arnold Day
would like to force on the community. in "lir,
Warren's Profession" or as Miss Olga Ne,hsrsl.
Is obtrudng. in the nasty play OF THE Labyrinth
Mournful indeed. Is it to reflect that persons who
call themselves actors will resort to expsdi.nt, o.:
this disgusting character. the direct and inevitabl
result OF which must be to ruin the profession b.
which they live
To the ideal Of duty here indicated both actor
and manager should devote themselves, with
strenuous fidelity. The art Of acting is the soul Of
the Theatre. It should never be degraded All
trihing with serious things has a direct tendency
to lower them in the esteem Of the desultory multi
tude Conduct is character. expressed under ths
pressure of circumstances. Levity of manner goes
with emptiness OF mind Dignity is repose It Is
the dignity of the dramatic character that Be
trusted to sustain the power OF the Theatre and
inspire the mind Of the public The need Of our
time is gentleness, refinement, and grace. As
much Of heaven IS visible we have eyes to see
Tho forces Of spiritual culture are within US In
the development Of those forces the actor can ac-
complish great work: and surely there Is some
thing involved in his noble vocation than
that one man should display talent and another
man should praise it. The capacity to reveal
human nature, helping man to understand HIM
SELF is the justification Of the actor His faculties
are not more important nor brilliant than
those of other intellectual men: but the medium
that nature has provided for their expression L. to
the majority OF persons. moro sympathetic, ailur-
Ing and delightful than any other form OF Utter
anca in the world. More than ever, In the move
ment of human affairs. accordingly thu attention
OF the people is fixed upon the actor; and mors
than ever it is essential that he snOuld know, and
feel. and remember, that he is the representative
and guardian Of a beautiful art. and not merely
the itnerant pedler for department store, Inc
manager should respect the actors IDEAS The
actor should restrain the manager. in commercial
ventures Our Theatre is not the property Of sDscu-
lators Our Theatre, like our Literature, should
be priced and cherished. as d part OF our naucnA
opulence and power-at once the exponent OF OUT
civilization and the protector OF it
WILLIAM WINTER