The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-09-26

Hers FOrserIes-DetaiIs of It's Cost
 and Construction.
 Next to the interest in Shakespeare is the interest in the theatres of his time. Instead of lessening, these inter- ests grow more and more intense with the increase of years. So popular have they become that within the last few years certain theatres have been spec ially fitted out in Germany, America and England-notably in Munich, Har- yard University, Chicago and London for the purpose of exactly reproducing the ESlizabethan stage and drama. Certain features of these attempts shall discuss later.
 little less than year ago-October IS last-I was enabled to contribute to the interest in Shakespeare by the pub lication of three newly discovered doc uments in a chancery suit in which the poet was involved as one of the plain tiffs in the last year of his life, 1915. These documents have been widely re- printed and reviewed in England, America and Germany, being regarded by many as the most interesting, if not the most valuable, Shakespearian discovery since the days of Malone, more than one hundred years ago-as enthusiastic opinion in which, however, l cannot fully agree. This discovery has also been chief in arousing large hopes and widespread interest in eX- tensive Shakespearian investigations for the future among the national re- cords, where these documents had for three hundred years lain buried. While these three records because of the name of Shakespeare have a curious in- terest and some value, they are far from being either the most interesting or the most important that I have as senlbled from English, French and German archives contributary to knowledge of the Elizabethan-Jaco- bean drama and stage. The chief of these 1 cannot report upon in a news paper article, and must ask that their publication and an adequate discussion of their relations be awaited with more or less patience until the issue of a work I am now preparing which deals in particular with the children compa- rlies and their dramas at Blackfriars and Whitefriars theatres, and in gen. eral with the entire theatrical status during the last ten years of SShakes- pefe's life.
 At present I desire to present only certain matters of general interest touching the famous old Blackfriars Theatre which in the above period stood on part of the present site f the Times buildings.
 The occasion of the present article is the recent discovery of four additional ancient suits at law in the Public Rec ord office, Chancery Lane, aggregat- ing about ten thousand words, and fur nishing fresh and valuable information on the size and structure of Blackfri- ,ars Theatre, and the conduct of plays there from late Elizabeth to King James suppression of the Children's $ companies in 1908. The nature and value of these suits as literary -histori- cal material can be only very generally indicated here, and seems best reached Icy 9. brief survey of the history of the theatre.
 The longest prevalent erroneous be- lief that Shakspere was connected with the Blackfriars from it's foundation to his death reused century of antiqua- rian interest in the ancient monastery to which it once belonged as a priory building. Its monastic history has consequently been stated again and again, while the erroneous notions con cerning it as a theatre permeate the thousands of critical and commentarlal writings of the past hundred years, touching the Elzabetrans and Jaco- bean drama Chief among the propa- gators of these errors was the late Mir J. Payne Collier, who devoted the ma jor part of his ninety years to the Shakeperean drama and stage. Not content with the theories of his prede- cessors, nor with his own, he deliber- ately destroyed numerous public rec ords that apparently contradicted his theories, and also forged, more or less skillfully, numerous others to support his position. Most of these forgeres have to do with Shakspere and his com. pany, as being at Blackfriars. while one connects him with the Children &C., tors at Whitefriars. For thirty years these brazen forgeries passed unchal- lenged. Not only that They were &C., cepted by the entire uorld of literary scholars and were written into literary histories as important contributions where they still continue to work pestl- lentially. Finally, on July and 16 1.59, MT. N E. s. A. Hamilton, of the British Museum in articles to the Times, showed the ungenuineness of certain of the Collier documents. This article led to, others, and then to scien- tific Investigations and a long contro- versy extending over many years ulti- dnately establishing the charge of for geries in a large number of documents published by Collier. The discovery o1 the Blackfriars Share-papers of 1885 by J. 0. Hallwell, in 1870, clinched the proof of forgery in certain documents Collier had so long fooled the world with. All but one of the forged Black friars documents have long been ex- posed. To .this particular remaining one I shall later have to be the under taker
 Alter the above exposures, interest in the Blackfriars died down, and the Globe,a Shakspere's theatre, drew al- most exclusive attention upon itself. Blackfriars came into partial possess sion of it's historical rights through the discovery of important documents in 1S85-1SS9 by the late MT. James Green street. Its true history, however has never yet been published. The docu- lnanfS that I shall 1ater present and