Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-25
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gingerbread Man" but II would take a lot
OF eorroborating testimony to convince any
one at all familiar with the methods OF
Henry W. Savage that IL is not his com
pany. The only weak link In the chain OF
suspicion Is the motive. Both Messrs. Con
verse and Peters have been members OF the
savage stan for some years; Mr.. Braden.
who Is back with the show" is a brother
Of Eddie Braden who is one OF the Savage
mainstays; members OF the company have ,
been on the Savage roll for years; and. last
but by no means least, the staging Of the
piece shows the guiding hand of George
Marion in every line why then, should
Mr.. Savage remain in the background? Ii
may be that his experience earlier in the
season led him to a degree Of caution in
connection with regard to new productions.
and he preferred to try the piece under a
new firm name. The result has been sue
cess. The blossoming of Converse &
Peters as producers seems explained after
one mas seen the production. 1t is so un-
mistakably a Savage affair that it cannot
be hidden even under an assumed name
In anticipation of the appearance Of MIR.
mansfield IN Don Carlos anu IN view
OF MS announced IstIeule..C Il o..I me stage,
Mr.. William Winter whites in the New
York Tribune:
On Monday night at the New Amsterdam
theater the GROWING event OIL the New
YORK theatrical season WA occur Wnen
tIchard Mansfield makes ms re-entrance
mere IN Schiller s Tragedy OF Don carlos"
Inc ADVENT OF this actor, the ieaoer VI our
stage, ana in many ways ,ue nope VI tue
theatsF, Is auspiCious auu uymuIaOIe, pnns-
ING intellectual uenent srnU pIvdsure "
thousands OF persons Dy d 81. los OF III
NeIslheo, Remarkable, anu, Al sO.Ae cases.
great representations. An InLinauon oil
melancholy significance To the tnedter ana
70 the public mas recently Deen gwen VI
Mr.. Mansnelds intention soon 10 cease
acting and to leave the stage. II IS I'M
fortunate that the 'Iareweli tou.' has
peen 50 often useu as d ue,ee 10 attract
attention and Increase business. AIr. Mans-
neIus announced pulpOsI ads VI course,
Drought forth the customary lmpu,a llUIIs
Oh lnslncerity There Is, nov eVef, v.iiy too
much reason to bSheve ina. tie actor s
resolution to retire Is many athsn IT is
not surprising That a man OF sensibinty.
artistic nature ana inteuectual CHARACTER
should wish to Withdraw from the conflict
suiah1it' .x9igarlty and fOhy that aie So
tneater. Mr.. Mahsneds struggle fUr emf
hence Is ended; MS position is assured; the
puoiid appreciation of MIN Is general, earn
over tne lano, by bounteOus practical sup
port: 10 Mr.. Mansfield the prospect OF
Heeoom, while at the summit OF his fame
and in the meridian OF his powers must
ihueeo De delightful. To the intellectual
lovers OF the theater the thought OF mis-
retirement cannot be otherwise than sad.
mere are powerful forces contendlng for
the emancipation of the American stage
IN certain commercial respects contending
more actively than Mr. Mansfield is; but
TINS actor is the dominant leader, and his
withdrawal WILL Inevitably, weaken tho
theater and retard the advancement of
dramatic art In this country Tor Adr. Mans
held Is almost the only actor whose popu-
larlty and power such that he can
conduct his own business in his own way
producing what he thinks best and when
ne thlnF2 best, and acting whenever he
wishes to act independently OF the edlct
OF any theatrical booking agency. 1t is
through the actors who are also managers
that the emancipation of our tneater must
q, come. An actor is, of course, as much
amenable to the allurment of such finan-
rthce OF high motive as the business
man" who embarks in theatrical enter
prise only for whatever pecuniary gain
he can acquire; but, as II commonly and
fortunately happens, the self-respecting
actor possesses a guiding principle almost
unknown among theatrical managers of
the present day-artistic appreciation of
the possibilities of his noble profession
spring example. 1t has long been the Gus
tome to regard as impossible the combina-
business talent. in The Control of thes
atrical affairs. The average contemporary
manager naturally considers that combina-
ton impossible, and so plumes himself on
the excellence Of existing arrangements;
but the great achievements of the stage
have, as a rule, been accomplished by
managers who were also actors-such as
Shakespeare, Bulbage Alleyne, Cibber,
Garrlck, Kemble, Macready Charles kean
j. w. Wallaok, Edwin Booth and Henry
Irving. Assistants can be hired by actors
as easily as by the Individual who invests
capital. In the business" and directs the
policy OF the theater on the avowed plan
Of getting every cent that the traffic win
merely a sort of janitor, and at this time
in America 1t is the shop-keeping manager
who, for the most part, controls the situa-
ton. There have been managers, not them
selves actors, Ssuch men as Dunlap stephen
Price, Ford, Tayleure, Maretzek and Au-
theater and the art Of acting; whose
influence has been right and whose ambi-
ton has been nigh; and there are a few
of that kind now, who are, earnestly, and
with considerable success, following in the
footsteps of simpson, Wood, Warren, Barry,
Wallack and DAILY; but, in general, tue
theater is in the hands of speculative trad
ers, who distinctly avow that their sole
object is the accumulation OF money. some
of those persons VINO are known TO be
ignorant Of the drama, deficient of expert
ence and OF technical knowledge, incom-
petent to Judge the merits of play by
reading II. or to direct or assist actors
In a dramatic rehearsal or production. II
is against such forces these that the
influence of Mr.. Mansfield is operant, both
by achievement and example; and therefore
ment from the stage will be long deferred
Persistence in great work Is ever diff
cult; nothing great was ever accomplished
my country forty years said the old duke
OF Wellington, Twenty in the field and ten
Is not more in the cabinet; nor while alive
shall / be found wanting, wherever 1 may
be-" II Is a good monition. That was the
spirit which sustained Henry lfNlnB 10 the
last OF his illustrious career. Plying com
ments have sometimes been made as "a
IrVings decline" Nothing could be more
absurd. He had no decline. Slightly to alter
the beautiful words Of Byron
His day without a cloud was past
And he was glorious to the last
Extinguished, not decayed.
Irving held the destiny Of the English.
speaking stage In the hollow OF his hand fol
more than thirty years. ale had every thinE
OF afiluence that could be desired. He weni
everywhere; he saw everything; he haC
everything; he did everything, That he did
not amass a great fortune, far greater thar
that OF Forrest or Jefferson, was only be-
cause he preferred TO spend his money ant
not TO save Il; because he lived only fOl
the purpose OF noble achlevement-and thai
purpose he accomplished-for his achieve
a ment filled TO the brim, and overhowed, the
- greatest measure OF success, In every way
and, with all his sOrrOws. he had many
things that no money and no treasure OF
earth could buy The sleep that comes
after llfe's htful fever, Is the same to all
Continuance on the stage may mean
burden OF toll, sriet and patient endurance
but no kinder wish could be felt for Rich
ard Mansfield than the wish that. after
long eventful life dominating the stage al
his days, and eXerting always splendi,
influence to promote everything that Is no