The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-02
ACTOR TO ADLER'S FLOCK.
OTIS SKINNER DISCUSSES THE
NEEDS OF THE STAGE.

Speaks In carnegie 1tall 10 inc BtTlchl Suls
ture SOclety-NO Use for Mrs. War
ren's Profession" but Some MelO-
dramas, He Says, Are Equally Vicious.
r Otis Skinner talked about "The Stage"
at Carnegie Hall yesterday morning before
Prof. Felix Adler's Ethical Culture Society.
He stood up for his profession and hit at the
sort Of carpers who have been described
az making virtue odlous by constantly
screaming for 1t.
About the best thing hat could happen
for the theatre as well as the public, in
Mr.. SINNERS opinion, would be the teach
ing of dramatic art in the public schools,
to be supplemented by the establishment
in the large colleges Of chairs Of dramatic
art. Mr.. Skinner limited that the public
will be shy in artistic ideals until somebody
starts in educating from the ground up.
Mr.. Skinner was not greeted by applause,
because the audiences at Carnegie Hall Of
Sunday mornings do not give way to such
weaknesses. He appeared through a hedge
of palms with Prof. Adler. The hall, with
is subdued light, was solemn as a church.
The actor, however, was not depressed.
He spoke briskly and oheerily and laughed
when he felt like it, although his laugh
sounded lonesome at times.
There could be but one reply to an in
curry as to the moral worth of the stage,
Mr.. Skinner said. The drama is an art
and certainly all art is uplifting. Since
art is peculiarly the expression of emotion,
the theatre must excel in that regard, MI.
Skinner concluded. A drama to be suo-
cessful must make q strong appeal to the
emotions or it is bound to fail.
aTbn rrrnpca NJ tha NAV " said MT,
Skinner, ais to hold a mirror up to nature,
although such things as horror, meanness,
lust or crime must not be shown for their
sake alone, me rely to display accurate
dramatic pilot ographs. They must be
utilized toward a definite end. The stage
has many detract ors, and among them are
the ones that say the stage does not repre-
sent real life always. Nor should it. will
give you a definition Of art which l get from
DR.. Adler. 1t explains what I mean: Art
is the PATTERN, and not so many ellis cut from
the fabric of life
Some years ago IN London l went to
Nine. Tussaud's waxworks. Curious to
identify the figures / turned to a lady and
asked her where / might obtain a pro-
gramme There was no answer. 1 became
embarrassed and a little angry when l saw
| was the subject of amusement for the
CTONu. L IOOhtu NlOStls NY .N
made of wax. Well, | don't remember
how she looked, but this / do remember,
every line Of the beauties of the Venus o.
Milo which l saw in the Louvre, or OF
Michael Angeles Moses. l did not con
slider them figures of real men,, yet they
live with me.
There is a charge that the theatre repres-
ents vice too constantly. 1t does NOT
1t rather represents virtue. lake drunken
ness. Don't you remember Joe Jefferson
no Pin that Hr,lnRan utterly GOOD LOT
nothing fellow, a typical d~runkardI icy
we weren't Disguised with him. We didn't
hate him. Rather we loved him. In Rip
Van Winkle,' as in Samson drunken
ness is used as q means to an end.
Mr.. Skinner, describing Salvini as sam
son, said that the most thrilling episode
of his long theatregoing career was wnen
he heard the screams of Sd mson at the
moment the victim OF Detildh realized ne
had been shorn Of his hair.
He alluded to Mrs. Warren's Profession,
saying fatty that it was quite properly
suppressed. at represented real life IN
too direct and ugly a way; said Mr. Skin-
ner. There was no reason for thus dragging
out such things except merely to exhlolt
vice. Vice was the be all and end all OF
the play, But suppose so foolish ana taise
parade were made of virtue, ,wouIah I ~
be as vicious? Here, Ill make a melo-
drama for you:
"A handsome young man, poor out
honest, works in a steel mill to support
his widowed mother. The mill is In a trusS
of which the head is q, philanthropio T nha
magnate has a daughter, a beautiful gy-ul'
Time passes. One day the daughter,
virtuous as she is beautiful, Is driving het
$50, 900 automobile in a lonely road Out
pounce two highwaymen' Inc GhaIae Hirii
in the plot, runs away. There lS the glr5
all helpless and alone. What shall she 90!
Where shall she turn2 All, Godl over a
hedgerow leaps our hero, his honest blue
eyes shining with u~nconquerable p ose'
He springs like a young tiger upon tne
highwavmen, overcomes them, ties them
single handed and delivers them up 70
justice, The magnate, overcome WIN
gratitude, gives the lad his daughter. Inc
boy becomes an executive officer OF the
trust with millions to burn, They are
married and live happily ever afterward'
Now that would be az immoral and as
vicious as the play l just mentioned,
The theatre should not be COMPOUNDED
with the schoolroom except in the largest
sense. When the theatre becomes didactlc
II ceases to teach. Sincerity, simplicity and
sympathetic appeal are necessary If the mis-
sion is to he fulfilled. Shakespeare always
gave out his moral truths sugar coated, IN
Producing them by means of exciting sltua-
tons. The plays the thing. Inc truVhs
merely follow,
in America we lead strenuous lives
The theatre should be the repose OF the
busy man and a cause of artistic, delgnt 70
him. There is much said these days about
the cheap and trashy plays put on here.
Well. that isn't the fault of the producer or
the manager. They no more want to iur-
nish trashy plays than a self-reepeGtlng
grocer wants TO sell decayed vegetables;
They listen to public demand, are tempted
and fall. Therefore the public must he
educated and the process must begin In
the public schools, from the very bottom
Adding a word or two about music and
arts, Mr.. Skinner said:
"Philanthropic music lovers like Col,
Higginson of Boston, the patron OF the
Boston Symphony Orchestra, have done
more for the good of the people than Mar
conf or Edison or even Morse" =,
Prof. Adler took a fling at George Bernard
Shaw.
Some of Shaw's plays we dislike not
because they are immoral but because
they p~reach-and Mephistopheles is In the
pulpit said Prof. Adler. at is bad art
to preach and bad art to thrust teaching
at people"