The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-06
WILLIAM WINTER
A NOTED FIGURE
Is the Dean of American ORA
matte Critics
READY TO RESUME WORK
For Fifteen Years He Has Not Wis
tied Editorial Rooms of the New
York Tribune Though Its
Dramatic Critic.
READY TO RESUME WORK

From the New York Telegraph.
At first night gatherings in Broadway
there is no more conspicuous figure than
William Winter, with white tousled hair
upturned coat collar and muffled throat
Aged and feeble as he has grown, every
premiere of Importance is attended by
him with the conscientious regularity Of
his more youthful colleagues, In all kinds
of weather he makes the journey from
his Staten Island home to the theatrical
center which has moved from lower
Broadway to Fourteenth street. and then
on to Forty-second street since he as
sumed the post of dramatic critic on the
Tribune forty-one years ago Moreover,
he considers it not too great task to
witness scenes from each of half dozen
new plays in a single night, and his wan
behring's from playhouse to playhouse are
quite as much a feature of important the
atrical nights as the curtain calls and the
authors speeches.
They Call Him Names.
Mr. Winters pen is dipped more often
In vitriol than in honey. His standards
are high, his ideals are old-fashioned, his
dstaste for modern frivolity uncompro-
missing. His knowledge of the drama en-
compasses the evolution Of the play from
the early Greek tragedies to Joe Weber )
burlesaues His fund of data and Stats
tics is limitless. His memory Is almost
uncanny He has been called weeping
Willie Winter and a common scold
He has been called other names used by
actors and managers only behind critics
backs He has been accused OF sleeping
at his post-even of snoring And yet he
h., "a
a century ago, the most distinguished,
the most brilliant and most respected
dramatic reviewer In America.
Mr. Winter was born in Gloucester,
Mass, July 49, 1886. He graduated from
the law school of Harvard university,
and in 1856 took the dramatic desk In the
office of the Tribune. In addition to tho
criticisms he has written a number OF
poems that have attained distinction,
among them being 1.-THE convent
"Queens Domain" my Witness, :
''Thistledown'' and 1.-THE wonderers."
His Favorte Actors.
Edwin Booth, Joseph Jefferson and Hen
ry Irving have been his favorite actors
There has been but one favorite actress
Ada Rehan. He has devoted volumes to
the stage careers of them all, and is also
author of a book entitled Shadows of the
Stage"
In the past fifteen years Mr.. Winter has
not once set foot In the editorial rooms
of the Tribune His reviews, lengthy and
thorough as they are, have been written
on window ledge in the ground floor
business office Mr.. Winter having a dis
tinct aversion to both stairs and eleva-
tors. 1t is his custom to read In advance
plays he is about to review. With this
preliminary information a brief visit to
the theatre Is sufficient to satisfy him OF
the merits and defects Of the piece and its
performance.
Encounters With Managers.
Disgruntled managers oftentimes think
him biased; players who have felt the
sting of his verbal shafts describe him
sometimes as a crank. On various occa-
sions authors and managers have made
so bold as to cross pens with him, pro-
ceeding that invariably has led to their
complete rout and surrender. His sar-
casm has a razor edge, and is deity
welded.
Mr. Winter is at present at the home of
his son in Los Angeles. Cal. He expects
to return to New York in the fall and re-
sumo his labors with the enthusiasm that
marked his first review. AS he once wrote
of an actress who brought a certain sea-
son to an end with particularly delight
full performance:
1.-THE setting sun, and music at the
close"