The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-16

than four or five OF the big volumes and
he couldn't decide which four or hve 70
a set of Dicks British drama" fire
man burst into the room crying; lhe
walls are likely to fall at any time,
My God" exclaimed Mr.. Mann, shall
/ take Dick or shall l save my rare col
lection Of The Early Spanish Drama
tsts?" At this moment. another
Ing Mr.. Mann by the arm. There Is no
time 10 lose The stairs arc totterlng!
Mr.. Mann reached out at random and
grabbed the thckest of tho ponderous-
looking volumes on the shelves. Then he
allowed himself to be rescued
Afterward he looked at the book which
he had saved 1t was the New lorK city
directory.
A traveller speaking OF some OF the Cd
dltics OF Persian customs when viewed
with Occidental eyes, said;
Depending do upon Illusion and
scenic effects in our theaters. the presen-
tation Of Persian play by native per
formers strikes the Westerner as little
short of ridiculous. the extreme soiemnity
OF all concerned making the appeal to
hilarity all the stronger. In ono of their
lavoIite miracle plays the Prophet Is sup
posed to ascend TO heaven. and this dra-
matte incident Is accomplished by the
very simple expcdient OF drawing him uD
from the stage and out of sight with n
block and tackle. The tackle is attached
10 bis belt by an attendant in plain view
of the audience. So strong however Is the
imaginative power In the oriental, that
many OF the onlookers Will be observed
weeping openly.'-Harper's Weekly,
1t is easy to be impressed with the i'm
portance OF being In earnest. Seriousness
always Is taken for granted represent
Ing purpose in lie, Fun and humori wit
and comedy, arc apt to be regarded as
mere ephemcral plcasantries. Being fun
ny is serious business. There are plenty
OF humorists who Will back me up In my
assertion paradoXical as IL may sound
says Fay Templeton in the Chicago Trib-
une.
The ethics OF being funny" is a much
more important problem than the long
FACED pessimlst or unhappy philosopher
In the first place. quite as much good
can be done an audience by being moved
TO laughter as to tears-far more good.
in fact no matter how subtle a problem
play may be the medium.
l do not pretend to cope with phllo-
sophie problem. but / do know that
whether happiness is the ultimate aim of
HE or not people are certainly better for
being happy.
II an actress or author can bring mental
relief to a depressed spirit, something
good has been accomplished. That humor
appeals solely to @ lower state of intel
ligence Is ridiculous. A certain degree OF
Intellectual development is necessary be-
fore humor can be comprehended. That
Is just what makes the pathway OF tho
funny actor or actress such q serious
business.
tainmcnt would do an audience composed
of brain workers whose time during tho
day has been taken up with business and
tho serious matters Of life. 1t certainly
Is an advantage for them to be genuinely
entertained in theater.
Laughter Is medicine for sick spirits
To make people laugh is mental and
indirectly. physical panacea,
Humor is the highest form of fun and
passes ridlcule by many degrees SYM
pathy makes laughter humorous. and
Of
Is rs much difference between the priml-
tive conception OF humor where n loud
laugh is raised whenever an amiable gen
tleman hits another In the eye with p
rubber hose. and the quiet. unexpected
"retort risible" of genuine humor as
there is between the crude attempt at
war painting OF the savage and the work
OF n Meissonier
The influence of humor cannot be over
estimated As much good toward cor
recting evils can be accomplished through
the medium OF the ridiculous as through
seriousness Just as the drama breaches
a moro effective sermon and reaches more
hearts than dull and weighty treatise.
30 can subtle shaft Of humor directed
at an existing wrong. arouse public SEN
timent more forcibly than a shrlekinr
lamentation bathed in venom
Not only can the actor by few humor-
GUS words accomplish purpose, but
every line OF humor has similar value.
One has only to consider the scope of the
newspaper cartoonist to realize this
Rldiculc veiled In subtle humor is q now
erfu weapon.
The ridiculous depends largely upon the
effect OF contrast and on the unexpected
Even the Subtleties OF quiet humor are
farther reaching when an audience Is
taken off It's guard
To reach the higher intelligence Of an
audience successfully, n funny" actor or
actress must have Its sympathy To Gre
ate laughter is to make the world bet
ter.
Being funny has Its purpose in the
scheme of life. II this world is vale of
tears. 1t is some ones duty to dry them
Ibid you ever see Lady Macbeth go Off
to murder Duncan with her wig askewpH
well-known actress laughingly asked
rs stage dignity as easily upset as any
ether kInd7"
Goodness. yes And with thousand
pairs OF eyes on you 1t is no easy thing |
to get IL on Its feet again. / always Iook |
myself over to see Ii everything is right
and tight before go on. A loose hairpln
may ruin the best part of n scene
II remember years ago | was nIavin,
in mclodramnticky society play In ST
Louis. My big scene came when / an.
peared from behind n thick hedge ava
confronted the villain, whose plans 7 had |
Just discovered When / made that en- |
trance l always used to start from away |
back in the wings in order to sail into
view with Just the right majestic stalk
zone night one of tho braces that held |
the hedge IN place got loosened After
my usual march. as I was Issuing from
the wings In stately scorn. with NV
swinging brace and L Topped almost to |
my knees The hedge tpned over with ~ |
orosh, my hat jerkod nearly OFF nv hcad |
and my open Darasol slumped down in |
front of me. And there In the general |
ruin. with my hat rakishlv over one eyn |
poIp