New-York tribune., 1906-04-02
VIEWS OF OTIS SKINNER
Actor Discusses Drama at Ethical
Culture Society Meeting.

Dramatic art. art the plane with
painting and music. fits abuse and value to the
world Of to-day and its possibilities in the future
were discussed by Otis Skinner. the actor before
the Society for Ethical Culture, at Carnegie Hall
yesterday morning.
A department in Columbia or some other large
university for the teaching of dramatic art was
advocated by Mr.. Skinner and Dr. Felix Adler
Bernard Shaw and his plays severely criti-
cised. while the advantages of true dramatic art
TO the stage of the future shown by the two
speakers
Mr. Skinner then said that the hold that the
Church mad on the people was largely due to the
dramatic sense in the conducting Of services. He
cited the elaborate masses and other services, with
beautiful robes and color and the multiplicity of
paintings used in the decoration of old Roman
Catholic churches, and said that it was to appeal
to the dramatic sense Of the peonle. The sense
born in all. he continued, and said that the
small girl. with her doll. who dressed up in her
mothers skirt and played lady. we'll as the small
boy who plays policeman and fireman. were simply
the outcome Of the dramatic. acting, sense that
every one possessed. MI Skinner proceeded:
There are detractors of the stage. They say the
stage represents vice 1t also represents virtue, &
Few OF us are absolutely virtuous lake the
spectacle of drunkenness the stage. for instance
That is something that do not care 10 see. ana
II has tendency TO degrade, and does lover the re
standard Of morals Yet that can be used as one OF
the greatest lessons if used properly - ,,o,,bter,
the Sran,atic cfsent nm , efbiraiT ri@bt TAKE for
iElmortal play rip Van Winkle.' II did dis
gust II it had. it ought not To have been used
Follow Rip to the top Of the mountain; see the
drinking scene with the men of the mountains
and note. all the way through, the love tenderness
and sweetness of the character Jefferson gave US:
You moralists. YOU Temperance speakers. tnlhA OF
the fnal closing words OF the play, the toast: -.
Here's TO you and your family. May they 1--we
Why is it that You take away such a friendly
feeling for the actor who gave US such loyaple
vent away benefited by the character he had
given us.
G. Bernard Shaw and his play Mrs. Warren's
Profession then touched on by Mr., skinner
He said
drsmatist lately. 1t announced TO be placed on
the stage 1t had been printed In book form ana
hut it was produced. It should not have been
clever set of artists and unusual in the annals
of New York theatrical life. was suppressed 1t
son FOR the play except the exhibition Of vice. It
Justly Withdrawn. II could never have uphfted
superb.
The speaker then drew picture Of another play
that existed in his mind, in which millhand saved
the daughter Of a Steel Trust magnate. and, after
taking the girl home on the automobile was given
a place in the trust, with big salary, and the
hand of the girl He said that this play was abso-
lutely false and unworthy, and such exhibitions of
"namby-pamby" views fully as detrimental to
dramatic art as was Mrs. WaTTen's Profession
He denied that he had said in Boston recently that
the stage was not educative and said that he had
been misquoted.
He then advocated the establishment of chair
Of dramatic art in some university, that the
world would benefit by the actors of the future.
He continued:
You cannot kill dramatic art: No manager de-
sires 10 produce tawdry plays, but they must give
the people what they desire. The young dramatic
child will grow and feel that his future is most
promising.
DR. Felix Adler complimented Mr. Skinner on his
address and SAID that moralists should keep their
hands off the drama
1T IS bad art TO preach" said DR.. Adler. The
trouble with Shaw's play that it preached,
and a play should preach. The plays that you
make by patronizing them are like the politicians
YOU make by eecting them. dramatic depart
ment in a college IS important to the future vel
fare OF the nation as Il school for painting or
sculpture