New-York tribune., 1907-12-08
EASILY UNDERSTOOD.

do not believe that even the extreme Of malevo-
lence will stoop SO low as to accuse me of shrking
the responsibility OF what 1 write
You accuse me of introducing eXtraneous matter
into this discussion" and of leading readers iaF
aacId That also is untrue Your original attack
ON mo COR vour CRITICISM you seem 10 prefer
TO call 1t contained two counts. One was ma
teraI your alleged grievance: the oter was ho'.
The first related TO my notice OF Sappho ana
Phaon" That answered separately. and disposed
Of IT, The second accused of cuStomariiy ais
paracins certain actors ali but one OF them iof-
elgners. whom YOU specified by name declaring
them to have been victims OF my "gratutous eru-
talitv" Such accusations have been made before
chiefly by scribbicrs in the blackguard section OF
the press. who would say anything; and no atten-
ton had paid TO them. When. however
manager of your prominence. the editor OF the lead
ing theatrical journal Of America, chose 10 reerae
the falsehood in a signed letter. refutaton became
essential. That refutation was supplied IN sepa-
rate article and ii supplied In separate arti-
Gle in order that the readers attention might not
be perverted from consideration OF the matter of
your alleged grievance.
You have told your readers that published some
Incomplete extracts from writings about those
actors whom you declare that have assailed With
"gratultous brutality" and you have tried, most
disngenuously. to nullify my statements by citing
a few sentences of mine out OF their context-an
expedient by means novel in the art OF special
pleading l quoted about $500 words in my 'in-
complete extracts" II is q pity that special i6
page issue of The Tribune could not have been pub
lished for your instruction. containing all my writ
ings the actors whom You named: but do not
own that paper: and it's Editor does not consider
that you and your proceedings altogether as in
terestng many other persons obviously they
to yourself.
Illustration OF your peculiar method OF duplicity
will enlighten your readers. You charge with
"gratuitous brutality" toward the eminent French
actor. Tounet- -Suy, because I did not accept his
o Hamlet Shp kpSpeareS
conception of that character. and. quoting opin-
ions. to some extent Carefully emitting my
pressed opinion that the representation
was an exceedingly Interesting manifestation
actors personality and Of his copous dramatic
skH). you alIege that they surely not in line
with what greater critics have written" On that
point you mstaken.-as it would be easy to
show. But that point is not material. Greatness"
of critics. whether / am not "a great critic
whether I not critic at all; whether
my views dissent from those Of other writers
not none Of those points is material. The point IS
that you have borne false witness against I
did not and do not, admire the French actors
performance of Hamlet: but of the French actor
as an actor wrote as follows
g. Mr.. Mounet- -Sully az once charmed his
audience by his picturesque appearance and he Gdre
a most fluent and terrible embodiment Of Of the
most romantic lorers (HcrnaRiJ that erer 1raced
the stage He is easily master of the art Of er-
preston His countenonce denotes rare scHsibiHfy:
he NTH grace, his dcpteaROr is inpetuons
and denoHstratire; end his rich roce utters the
emotions Of ardent spirit in the language of per
feet mpSt6. e" g. He (oS the CfdD
noble figure to the eye, and. IN particular his
oppression of lore ,cGS marked By that beautiful
delicdcU commtngli't1 and tcith pas
sioHdtc deUotion, lchich IS the signct Of truth
Another case of your duplicity will suffice. You
affirm "Mr, Winters writings about SaIvni wero
generally favorable. perhaps from Mr. Winters
point of view. Again the point is not
material; "A matter OF fact my views of Salvini
We're and are. those of enthusiastic admiration for
every admirable thing that he did. The ma
teral point is that your accusation unjust treat
ment of salvini. by me. is false. 1t is pity to
displease you. but cannot for that reason change
the opinion that since the character of Othello for
example drawn by Shakespeare does not exist
in Italian, it is impossible for Italian actor TO
comprehend Shakespeare's conception. Let your
mlsled readers who happen TO be Interested in my
views of Salvin. actor. IL any such there be.
consider these words OF mine long ago published In
The Tribune:
a.. Ills (SaIvinis) presence is still colossal
his voice magnificent. his countenance supremely
eloquent his gesculation natural. broad and splen-
did. his movement stately and supple. his passion
electric, and his stimulation of barbarc humanity
both truthful and terrible and he is the same prac-
tised and consummate mechanist as of old. -
And again. g. Salvini grander and
finer in King Saul than in any other embodiment
that he presented. He seized the ideal wholly and
he executed it with afiluent power II was
a colossal monument of human suffering that the
actor presented and could look upon 1t with
out being awed and chastened.''
AS to critical and ali other utterances you should
remember that they carry weight, not because they
are made. but because they true. You seem TO |
enjoy commencing your ideas to others and giving
advice. I old enough to be your father T was |
studying the theatre and acting, and writing about
them. before you were born permit me to give Won
a word of counsel: Deserve commendaton and |
cultivate indifference as TO whether receiue it
or not.
If you will not do and your readers the jus- |
tice of placing this letter before them exactly as
written. would ask that you return it to me, In
the enclosed stamped and addressed envelope.
WILLIAM WINTNR