New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-04-12
THE DRAMA.
A SAIR GREETING.

9'O""ldh' IS again dstressed-apparently, this
Ie' with the old afliction that often befalIs
VH." persons whom the cold and cruel world will
NOT accept at their own tremendous valuation Of
- Importance The exciting cause Of Mr..
e.reets new suffering seems to be the view OF him
80 mas oeen pTofaney taken by the critics Of
80 my IN general, and by the present writer in
t" al'lcuar Mr. Greets woe has taken the direc
'ioIi NOT or tears. but OF wrath. He should pause,
Ienec[ and be merciful 1t is cruel TO imperil the
welfare OF the entire metropolitan press by sudden
oNugence Of the dsa approval of such an awful per
se' such calamity is terrific. Last year the
"Ietched dramatic critics nearly died OF anguish
because OF the precipitat, condemnation that
!auhched upon them by the austere and unrelenting
ni"uV' Mr. Ben" Greet's censure. coming thus
AiAe an avalanche, will plunge them in a perfect
maelstrom of misery. The particular grievance
oI the great Greet, to the present writer,
mas not as yet. been clearly related in print,
ou.' uouotless' the fearful bolt will presently
iaii' ana then-"a long FAREWELL II was in wind
ing up MS season at the Garden Theatre last Sat
uroay night. that Mr.. Greet opened his valves
'u' from all accounts the flow OF his eloquence
iVe peen scorcher in the way Of tOrrid air
10y are these things hide?" So far can be
Eathered' the orator not only demolished this
writer but permanently settled the status of The
Ne"- lock Tribune describing 1t as "a rotten rag
when designation puts one organ out OF business
o,1Ne'' Also the oracle announced that "of the
NiiiCS OF ths city but six know good English
"eh they hear 1t. not to mention their inability
10 write IT. The intelligent six are little com
C me rest have taken to the woods. Mr.
utee', OF course. is final authority on English
'iiOush' evidently. to Judge by that elegant sem
fence or MIS- he does not always care to let his
Hnsual light shine. "'I doubt '-Purtbery,ora oriad
1le inspired one,-'1f the public however cares
nuch Tor the views of your dramatic critics"
ol'una'e and happy doubt The public does not
care TOT views; nor does II care particularly for
what Is said about them It ia natien+ ond
Bood natured public. II rather entovv the efrar
Eescence OF such persons as Mr. Greet and thar
Do4ns So ne would present moro sensible an
Pearahce than he now does, II he would a LITTLE
curb HIS ardor. and cease II possible N ,,.I,o =
fool OF himself 'e - i''aNe q
one OF Mr. Ben Greets remarks merits serious
attention. 1t is reported as follows-"Tbere Is a
s,-l IN this country (the United States)
AGAINST foreign talent Foreign PLAYERS are con-
oemned before they give a performance There "a
Pte1uulee IN the press against all Of them"
AHut statement is both false and ridIcnIoua
80. 10 no country in the world in which foreign
Aotots are habitually treated with such distin
s"sneo respect and consideration as are accorded
70 them mere; no country in the world vvboro tbo
u"ent condescension OF such a theatrical
pe as MI Ben Greet would be not only en-
~S Dut even rewarded. as It has been here II
-4I Greet were to take his missionary sbor, 20
France or Germany-Uhera he ,,o,,1 -. e.,
ei'Htl the bland cleric the convenient Dorcas
Soe!ety,-he would be squelched at once: n he
oucS H. ne ought to try the experiment He could
Ie0u'iy DC spared here. and he would receive soma
1oreisn actors in general (neaning actors and nor
elementary twaddlers about the original text and
the Ehzaoethan METHOD Il is to the United States
.NAe 'heE I'll come, TO earn tho money necessary
Tor prosecution OF their enterprises at home or ro
tHeir personal support in age and retirement That
mas been tho custom for many years; certainIv
from the time of Cooke and Kean to that ~ Dovy
ron ana Mathews and onward TO the era OF
henry Irving and Ellen Terry. The history m our
theatre Is full Of the efforts. and generally the
successes. here, OF foreign actors-Bernard RIis
se't Burton. Wallack, Macready. Dillon Bouci-
eault Sothern. Adelaide Nelson Ada Cayendish
Iooie' Coghlan. Wyndham, F. S. willard Beer
BONN Tree Mr.. and Mrs Kendall Edward Terry
and scores moro OF our English kindred not 70
mention the foreign players from the stage OF Con-
tnental Europe. such Dawson. Barnay Salvtni
Rossi. sonnenthal. Majeroni. Mime. Rachel Nine
Hlstori, Mme. MOdJeska, Mime. Bernhard Nine
Rejane, and Nine. Duse. Tho American stage AZ
this moment, IS populous with foreign actors who
have como TO the United States for the very good
reasons that as a rule. they treated here with
far more respect and consideration than they ever
receive at home, and are far more literally re-
warded with money than they ever were IN Eng
land; such actors, for example, as Robert ManteH
Sidney Herbert. Frank WorthinR I.awrance
Dorsay. Herbert Gresham, J. Z. Dodson Reeves
Smith. Bruce McRae, Fuller MeIish and Charles
Warner. The list might be much extended This Is
the great field and market for actors and thew
perfectly we'll know t.
~ Is not meant that such actors not welcome
OH the contrary they are very welcome; and II
should be added-although some OF them Rrumble-
that. a class. they sincere earnest eonsc,e,
tious and gratefully aDpreciative persons u Is
meant however.-and IL ought to bs distinctly
said that.-snce such the existent conditions
It Ill becomes anF foreigner. of all such an
OBSCURE ana trivial specimen Mr.. Ben Greet
10 bring against the American rubIic or nress Tho
charge Of prejudice injustice or antipathv toward
foreign actors Our visitors do not invariabIv ac
quire opulence There is a prodIgious popuIotton
here and there are all sorts tastes and here a
III o'her iahds'-when II comes to the question Of
supreme greatness.-'the many fail. the ono sue
ceeds- But as class our visitors faro rr,oh
better here than they do anvvvboro ot., - '' -.
nave appreciation and comfort The America, ,,h
nc wnen dissatisfied. stays away from the tbestr..
II uoes not Miss and boo. The American nrass "a
otiS 700 lavish or its commentator. Mr. and Mrs
Ne"u"l' "heh they made their first tour I'm Amer
ica' received much more money than tbov baI 80.
even dreamed of receiving for a uko r.rtS - :,
England and they were fairly astonisbad =. 81,
U"h prosperity That great actor Henry Irving
ite most ADMIRED and beloved player OF his tine
c. '''Sh Stage'-had to 70 the United
80 :" retrieve his fortune: and he tes
uhed' IN his public speeches % ,bo 80
that 1t was the splendid sunpoyt 90 tt ., ,'0'
people that upheld him and enabled hin, 90 -,
ana everybody in America remembers with What
Hashincence OF artistic achievement he went nm
anu WIN "hat pure glory he crowned his career
ms manager MI Bran Stoker. disclosed the fact
mat III the american tour that he made with Robes
pierre the gross receipts exceeded six hundrad
thousand dollars On the night when Henry Irvin, |
SAID his final farewell ut was on March o. 100.
at the harlen Opera House,, these were the last
words mat he spoke: 81 can only tell Won That
our hearts are full OF gratitude and affection Tb
WISH Is IN my heart and my Ips-God bless
America" A very different spirit that from, tha |
puny raneor OF ben" Greet, and from the pettv
malignity OF those pothouse actors 0hanniI, Co..