New-York tribune., 1905-11-10

There about forty theatres open IN New-Xork
at this tirne and nothing much moro important tnan
the saving of wood is going on In any OF them Inc
most truly and rightly admirable performances Wis
ible are Miss Julia Marlowes Porda, In The Mer-
chant of Venice and Mr.. David Warheld's Herr
Won Barwig in 1.-The Music Master Tne most
powerful acting, abstractly and technically consio-
ered is that of Mrs. Carter-thoush, unhappiy' DO
slowed lust now on an unworthy subject. More
than of these theatres are given to trash
a mass of laborious nonsense. part ragtime music
and part gabble which Is supposed to be amusing
Several of them are devoted to unclean or morold
plays-such as "Zaza,'' Fedora Monna Wanna
and the unspeakabIe Shaw's Man and Superman
all of which are. in various degrees. OBNOXIOUS ana
mischievous. The respectable commonplace Is rep
resented by Peter Pan." and the goody-goody Is
represented by '@Ths Prince Chap concocton of
Dickens and water Sporadic experiments on
Shakespeare likewise provided-execution being
done. from time to time, not only on Cawdor but
on almost everybody else that ever Shakespeare
drew for persons who have never learned how to act
anything think themselves competent to act Ham
let or Macbeth. IN almost all directions the spec
presented Is that of feverish. catchpenny vu
gar shop-keeping,-intent to get money, either by
quilting the multitude by pandering to It's baser
appetites The lack of fine purpose in theatrical
management-of solidity, sincerity, dignity. repose
lis painfully conspicuous No observer. capable
of thought, can look upon this barren, souiless
prospect without mingled wonder and disgust
The melancholy truth Ia that few intellectual
men engaged In the management OF theatres
The enormous Importance Of the Theatre to society
Is overlooked and with little exception, the stage
is left to spectators In public amusement In tho
last speech that the loved and iamented henry
Irving made, he pleaded for a municipal theatrei
Money is spent like water" he said. on great
variety of phlanthropic and educational objects
Scholarships are founded for the pursuit OF
Learning There handsome endowments Tor
schools of Painting and colleges OK MUSIC. But
who among you ever dreams OK enoo"ihs
TheatreY am sure the time will come
when YOU will regard the Theatre as necessary to
liberal education" It is a question OF policy
whether the Theatre should be a municipal IN
stitution, or should be endowed by private per
sons; but of the public need Of a true theatre. as
distinguished from corner grocery. there is no
question at all.
1t seems strange that any plea should be re-
quired anywhere under any circumstances, for
q pure, intellectual, imaginative. romantic The
tre when once it is considered how much such
Theatre means, and how much 1t would be- to the
welfare and happiness Of the people
Experience, however, has proved that the plea
for such a Theatre continues to be necessary, and
likewise that the intellect of any period cannot
for even a moment safely cease to oppose the evil
of low taste and lax morality, to guard the
stage by insisting that IT shall be kent pure and
shall be administered not a shop. but as an art
The ministry Of the ideal exacts eternal vigilance
The higher your purpose Of excellence the more
determined must be your labor, and the more GER
tain will be period of reverse 1t Is true tnat
this world is not world of permanence for any Of
the works of man, and that person, however
successful, has Of more than about thirty
years. But that is not the essential considera-
ton. The important thing is not permanence OF
Individual prosperity. but fulflment OF individual
duty. The Theatre is under moral intellectual and
spiritual obligation to the public. The fulflment
of that obligation involves sacrifice and is by no
means easy. Administrators Of the acted drama
discover that their monetary prosperity depends
harmonious adjustment of policy to the pleasure
OF the public. Their temptation Is to fool the
many headed beast 20 the top of his bent. Their
consequent catastrophe is.-under which society
suffers equally with the Theatre.that, in the strife
of INSCRIPTIONS competitive endeavor and the ur-
gent need of instantaneous proft.-they end by
surrendering all authority into the hands of the
mob
This has happened in New-YoIk, where but for
the efforts mot always consistent always wise.
but certainly ambitious often fine. and. in general
higI-minded and worthy of Harrison Grey Fiske.
David Belasco, Lee Shubert Daniel FrohInan and
two or three other managers, of less prominence,
and but for such credtable achievements as those
of Miss Julia Marlowe E. H. Sothern. Mr.. War
field Mr.. Frank Worthing and few other per-
formers, the contemporary scene would be wholly
frivolous and bizarre.
No rational person could expect or wish to have
the Theatre administered without regard to practi
cal results. Nobody expects theatrical manager
or an actor labor for nothing. or to confine his
professional efforts to the ancient classics or 10
Shakespeare The point is that the Theatre. IN
order that It may fulfil its duty and be public
benefit ought to be guided by competent men. by
men of brains, education. and refinement and thus
rescued from the control OF speculative hucksters
whether managers or actors. who have entered into
the business for the sole purpose of making
money" There is business" side to the Theatre,
exactly as is the church or the school; nut
the primary object of the Theatre is not and never
should be. pecuniary.