New-York tribune., 1907-08-31

nor a nrorn1se OF maria ge-dictated by her sense
OF obligation He was then, casually, TO ascertain
that her affections were, secrety' iiAeu r
handsome young of narrow fortune' ne was ~
rescue that youth frcrn the perils of the gaming
table and-with stern abnegation OF hili7eii "
procure the betrothal of the young lovers anu ~
disappear into France. There he was 10 ehuuie
poverty and the pangs of want; there, at phanto
feast he was TO welcome the phantom Shapes ol
noble lords and ladies, the companions OF his pet-
ter days. and there finally he was 10 EXPIRE al'ei
having been found by his old friends
Upon that plan l bel.cyed that practlcdpie
comedy could be written, and / was sure that
| Mansfield could write it l was not then a"aie
that the incident of Brummels insane recepuoh Vi
| imaginary visitors had been used in pi"y Dut
| afterward l read two-act piece, by Biancharo
| rarro1d a naItrv fabric of no practical use, in
which the incident OF the phantom guests was
| employed. incident is not startling hoVel'y
TO observers who remember GeofreE LHle ''iiu 'le
| play Of The Last Man" Mansfield wished me 10
old him, in writing p comedy about Beau Brummel
! but that l declined to do. being burdened with
| other work. The result was that he employed MI
| W c. Fitch, a Boston youth, who had been rec
commended TO his attention by the well known
! journalist Edward A. Dithmar; and, changing my
| plan (yithout improving it,. he dictated TO uild'
assistant the greater part of the piece as 1t no"
stands. Some of the more piquant lines IN its u'a
loglIe are derived from Captain Jesses book others
are taken from earlier plays; others are Inventions
| of the actor. The scheme of deaizins the cnafac
| ter was mine and so was the fundamental idea OF
the play. Brummel. in actual life was niue oet'si
| than a blackguard, and. according to Leigh Hui'
| he became a physical wreck because of inconti-
| nence. Mansfied's acting has mace MN d ~
| mantle. pathetic, exquisite hero
| Mansfield. throughout his professional career
has conspicuously displayed the faculty OF iii'ia
tive-the faculty of choosing new suo'ec'' anu
| making new applications of old ideas He went
| hack to Warrens once famous novel of zen
Thousand a Year and made Titmouse prac'ca'
| stage figure He encouraged Mr.. G. B. Shaw as a
dramatic writer and produced the only really eHec
| tive plavs ever made by that giddy, erratic'
sophisticaI mischievous satirist-'Arnls ana 'iie
Man" and THE DEVILS Disciple" He prompted
| the making of a play on Ihe FIRST |ioiii'
| delicate romantic novel, highly esteemed py 'ie
| iudicious conservative critic, George "llliarn
Curtis that he inclined TO place II at 'e Hed
| of contemporary fiction. He caused the dram
atization of Stevensons strange story OF dual me-
| ..rr Jekvll and Mr. Hyde" and he was the frst
! "a nut those characters the stage He trans
formed Prince Karl poor melodrarna INTO an
excelient farce and by a performance Of exquisite
| charm he made that triie source of much inno-
cant Measure He impaired a fascinating bodily
| form to the airy. fancfu. felicitous, romantic
concertion of Reaucaire. He vitalized the quaint
| half merry half sombre play of "Old Heidelberg
He succeeded with The Scarlet Letter, which no
body else ever made dramatically effective lie auoeu
TO the stage pantheon the grim figure and the tre-
rnendous character the Russian despot. Ivan the
| Terrible. He revived Moliere in Enslish-setting
| an example that bids fair to enrich the American
stage with long series Of the classics OF the Ief
| ature Of France He terminated Schiller's Don
Carlos" a famous tragedy long dead 10 the
theatre and in his elaborate productions of Rich
| ard III" The Merchant OF Venice" Henry "
and Julius Caesar he taught the younger genera
ton of actors that splendid results be obtained
from conscientious revival of the massive works or
| Shakespeare.
one OF his most practical and valuable services
alike the stage and society, was the restoration
| the good custom OF having varied repertory
instead OF depending upon one or two parts That
custom he adopted. enforced and justified at time
| when the dominant theatrical managers were op-
| posed it and allied against it Those managers
| have since been compelled to favor that custom
| and his example is now followed because other
actors impressed by his prosperous policy. wish TO
| adopt It and have constrained the managers more
less relax their buttonmaking policy OF small
companies restricted scenery and 'one set play
The professional career Richard Mansfield has
been one of prodgious labor and much and painful
| vciss:tude and trial. but it has eliminated in
| brilliant He has recently announced the
| purpose OF presently retiring from the stage The
| true workers-the persons who really do the i'm
porrant work OF this world In their various lines
and CapaCteS-often feel that their task Is finished
| and that their day over and they often long
| their release 1t was with the great novelist.
| Thackcray, who spoke of his work finished
| before he had written The Newcomes.'' 1t
SO with the great actress. Charlotte Cushman. who
| often took leave OF the stage and as often re-
| turned to it Mansfelds originality OF mind and
| poetry of temperament combined with his afruent
restless vitality. would always hold him In the
| realm of No other realm indeed exists In
| which there Is refuge for noble soul and n
sensitive heart. In all ether realms there is the
tImult of the raving world. snd the refuge
of art the voice OF detraction can sometimes make
| itself heard.
| Few men have been sedulously and fooli-hIy
| vilifed than Richard Mansfield: and. since people
generally are always ready believe i'll than
| good of any distinguished person. all manner OF
| idle yarns about him have been widely credited.
| Nervous and impetuous he may have been and
impatient OF duness, cut-and-dred formality and
| stupid, tedious convention. The poet Heine de-
| clared that even the clouds. when they happened
to drift over Hamburg the moment they looked
| down at its souless. deadly regularity of huck-
| Sterlng commonplace and routine made haste TO
| fy from it Byron noticed that quiet TO quick
| bosons is a hell"
! have known Richard Mansfield for many years
| and have never known "A os kinder heart
| genter disposition simpler taste. nor one more
easily led by sympathy and kindness In fighting
sometimes through poverty and sckness-he hard
| fight that genius always has to wage with a purse
proud society ntrenched within its ramparts of
| wealth and privilege, he has developed sporadic
! tendency to harsh imperious manners and to
ebullitions of cynical sarcasm. Fur
| thermore, when dubious his due recog-
! milton, and, therefore. insure of himself he
| has sometimes become dstrustfui of everybody
Ajax, in Sophoces land that is very ancient his
| tory. intimates that few persons reach the port
| of friendship and therein find rest. At all times
| Mansfield has been of mercurial temper and in
some moods he has fallen into the deepest detection
| -undervalued himself and his achievements; firmly
persuaded himself that he had done no sort Of JUS
| tce to his profession his opportunity and lapscd
into a lethargy of morose resentment of all praise
| and a bitter unbelief in all human affection
| Only a few years ago. when he recovering
from dangerous. nearly fatal. attaot of typhoid