New-York tribune., 1906-04-20
AN ADDRESS BY WILLIAM WINTER.
He Speaks on the Theatre and the Public
Before a Brooklyn Club.

William Winter last night spoke before the Twen-
tieth Century Club of Brooklyn. at the house Of
Mrs. and Miss Packer. No. Grace Court. Brooklyn.
on The Theatre and the Public" Mr.. Winter de-
voted some space to specific designation OF the
adverse influences under which American society
exists Cynical Ievty and unscrupulous commerce
with popular caprice he said. prominent char
acteristcs of people Everything is made the
subject of Jest. Business methods tainted WIN
indirection Luxury is everywhere prevalent. Man
ners are overwhelmed by vulgarity. Refinement ls
insulted every turn. The bookstalls TEEN with
fctioa that Is either erocr deriurr or sentimental
rubbish The public is maddened with haste ana
strife. and there is no peace anywhere This part
of the discourse particularly elaborated and
was made punsent by personal anuson-
Mr.. Winter said:
1bsen. the Norwegian dramatist. with his baleful
types Of the depravity resultant from hereditary
dseasei Pinero, the English dramatist; with nis
ton Shaw. the Irish dramatst with his PeFfnsI;s ;
cheap. second-hand shimner of cyntcism; Maeter-
hnck. the Belgian dramatist with hls IahIastI9
lunacy; and that dire charlatan who calls himself
Gabriel D Annunzo. the Italian dramatlst with ms
InenaEerie of wantOn monsoers-each and all have
found numerous following and each ana an are are
equally prosperous and dllgent IN poIIuuns @ the
silver stream of literature, the public morals ana
the public taste.
Mr. Winter proceeded 10 define the causes of
existent evils threefold-materialsrn mediocrity
and the ascendancy of the plebeian- The results OF
The forces themselves could be clearly dscerned IN
the theatre and in the newspaper-which show the
condition OF the public mind and, at the time
color and guide it. Mr. Winter clearly defined the
duty OF the newspaper toward the theatre. saying,
among other things. that the newspaper is not the
teacher Of actors, and il should cognizance Of
dramatic art only where dramatic art becomes i'm
portant 10 the welfare of society. The newspaper
should oppose all influences tending TO degrade the
intellectual standard of the stage.
Mr.. Winter disclaimed all purposes OF dis
paraging the present in order to glorify the past
The condition OF the theatre he said. has uctuated.
Of hopeless decline. The theatre must be conducted
and reason makes no protest against a practical
administration OF the theatre-aimng to please the
it is just and honest But experience has shown
that there is craving for evil on the part of a
considerable public and readiness on the part
OF the theatre TO to Obsan profit by G supplying that
and the institutions that depend public support
will exhibit refinement. A pure stage is the con-
the consequence of right education" The speaker
dTelt with strong emphasis. on the DUTY OF an m
and objects OF beauty. and he defined, in detail,
the duty Of the dramatic reviewer and also the
function Of the stage-what it is and what it does
restrictions, extending over Period Of half
century, and, after rapidly DESIGNATING the finer
the public fancy with which it WAS marked
such as the 'sansation drama the opera boufre
the semi-nude burlesque. the tainted French drama
of matrimonial tncontnence. the real tubs. mem
mental farces. the problem play" the various
foreign eccentricities. such as Mr. Fechter's Ham
let Mr.. Salvini's Othello-which the speaker char
acterized animal, sensual. ferocious and dis
tinctly untrue TO Shakespeare-Sara Bernhard 3
hateful women. Mime. Duses anectaton ana
dreary. Photographic method, and the Ibsen. Mae
terlinck and Shaw movements, in which he
said the Crank drama reached it's fruition" Men
ton was made of the plays OF Mr.. Clyde Fitch.
which Mr.. Winter said. were like creation in the
book OF Genesis. without form and void "
The speaker after a denUnciation OF the Theatri-
cal Trust. earnestly contended that acting IS the
soul of the theatre, and that IL should never be de-
graded; that the actor should regard his art a
religion and that his mission Is TO assist in devel-
oping the forces OF spiritual culture Then passing
rapidly in review of the famous players of the
past, whose acting IL had been his good fortune TO
and study and enjoy. and whose achievements
he had celebrated. Mr. Winter closed his address
with enforcement OF his dominant idea-that :
the province of art is the ministry of beauty, and
the duty of its ministers is 70 hold fast by the
intellect and thus promote the welfare and happt-
ness not Of few. but OF all mankind.