New-York tribune., 1908-05-10
CARTOONS AND WIDOWS
ur Mar Beerb0hm,s -4rt-Mr.
Maugham,s Plays.
London. April o9.


Sc no reverence for social favorites and liter
celebrities. and buresques royalties. peers.
a,ors painters and authors with the freedom
= licensed satrist; yet there are no heart
,-ninss no resentments and no outbursts of
,stiveness. His victims, instead of squirming
;.b irritation, fattered by his attentions,
- eniov the joke at their own expense so
,esnlv that they buy the caricatures and hang
.her, in their libraries The satire is truthful,
,d consequently there is ground for COM
,..,4 Of unfairness; and the dra wing is
hroadly ludcrous that there is no justification
Cor serious discussion. Mr.. Beerbohm is carl
,.,,,rist without guile malevolence, and his
.-- has distinctive French qualities
The Archbishop of Canterbury is not sacro-
.snct against ridicule for he is portrayed in
ious serenity and circumspect conservatism on
,be crimson benches OF the House of Lords, and
~ the other end is snartly dressed peer with
.nravling figure 10 indicate contrasted effect
of the vTivileged class. Lord Rosebery. pink.
per1hi- ard satisfied is cleverly satirized,
end SO also is Mr.. Asquith. with his clear cut
features and sheaf of gray hair, and with wires
running from hands, mouth and feet to electric
batteries TO assist him in acquiring personal
,arnetisn The Lord Chief Justice on the
bench is broadly but not unkindly drawn, and
Nr Lewis Harcourt is a comical figure, tall and
Tn-d Portsmouth. suggesting more or less un-
consciously a design the Shakespearfan me-
mortal 2 red beard and wig conveying lntma-
tions of genius is supremely funny, and the
satire is as sharp as il is fantastic in the car
noon of Mr.. Alfred Lyttelton, and in the sketch
or Mr. George Wyndham and Professor Waiter
Raleigh con1muning on the subject Of Shake
speare-
The skits on social celebrities are equally en-
,ovatlle Sir Ernest Cassel, Mr.. Montague Guest
the sportsmanlike Duke of Westminster ana
Lord Chesterfield conserving 4 family tradl-
+io, - are subjects for genial treatment quite
rnIke what they receive when they are honored
with places in Vanity Fairs" portrait gallery
nr Maurice Barring scrutnzing the stolid, mel
sncholy face of a Russian peasant for glints or
fTr,o- is as freely drawn Prince Francis OF
-Teck laying the ghost Of the Venetian republic
Colonel Newnham Davis, epicure and expert
in country house manners, is grotesquely por-
trsyed at the critical moment when he is walt
ing for dinner There is a laughable triad, con-
sisting of the Austrian and Russian aInpassa-
dors and the Portuguese Minister, and there is
2 swarm Of celebrities in Mr.. Beeroohm hprarE
urging him in the interest OF common humanity
and good taste 10 desist from further maltrest-
rnent Of them
Mr.. Beerbohnn's literary and artistic friends
have IN suffer the penalties for such prominence
as they have Mr. Rudyard Kipling, on receiv-
ing the Nobel award in full is dancing jig TO
the banjo movement Of his own measures "hle
Mr. Hall Caine looks on, dismal and theatTlcdL
Mr. ZanswiT waving his arms and working MS
mouth leads the way to the new Zion on d
donkey Mr.. Barrie. in middle class nursery
is telling q fairy story about little boy who
wished to be a mother, anc how the FAIRIES sent
the s-ork to him with a baby, and how II was
the tears are falling from the cheeks OF the
listeners and there are other signs of anguish
Mr. Maurice Hewlett gets off with faniasuc
csricature in which his Italian features are e&-
srgerated Mr.. Arthur Christopher Benson
vooing with ardor duh woman leaning on an
umbrella is described as ''vowing eternal ndeily
to the obvious" That is good fun and SO is the
conference on the National Theatre between
solemn and melancholy William Archer and MI
Granville Archer elusive Candida and edgIng
of SO as to be spared the last word
Nothing could be more un-English than the
csricsture of Gordon Craig, long haired, weird
and ultra-romantic, appealing TO businesslke'
prosasc Charles Frohman 10 secede from me
theatre as the petitioner had hoped SighoTa
Duse would do. The contrast between artlstic
and p-acticaI traits of character is most ludi-
crousiy suggested and exaggerauon IS employed
with prodisal wastefuness in producing gro
tesoue effect Equally funny is the Queue out
side Mr. sarsent's" with the painter in the win
dow surveying the scene; and even more comical
is An Awful Fancy with bewildered, COM
plex Henry Jones subpenaed as a psychooglcal
expert in a scandal case, and the aggressive
lawyer with commanding gesture demanding:
Come sir L ask you a plain question and
expect 2 plain answer Mr.. Beerbohms work
has the effect Of rapid, spontaneous improVlsa-
ton. ana there is economy of line and precision
of stroke Sometimes the resemblances are very
Close as in the caricature depicting H B. Irving.
with hand upon Winston Churchlfs shoulder
and with the incisive question underwritten;
Going TO make speech Why not one of
your fatfler-s?" Again il is minimzed, as in the
cartoon of Charles Hawtrey, with face like d
billiard ball. or in that Of Mark Twain, with
head like feather duster. But there is always
fun the fair, when it is at the ARTIST
expense as when he tricks himself out as an
etenirate dandy and explains to Sir Francis
Gould his craving for knighthood in the ques-
ton: Tell me frankly: Is one born, or can one
become arniable?"
Mr.. Somerset Vaughan is arming the dash
ing widow with new terrors for umorous bach
elors Of all ages Lady Frederick as imper-
sonsted by Miss Ethel Irving is a fascinating
heroine with Irish temper, who contriVes
eisenchantment for one lover by her absolute
csndor in revealing the mysteries Of her toilet
table and commands the respect and Devotion
OF another lover by her sincerity and fighting
power Mrs. Dot as enacted by Miss Marie |
Tempest at the Comedy Theatre Is equally |
formidable as disturber Of bachelor peace, AL |
though she conceals ner purposes and accom- |
plishes them by sheer dexterity rather than by |
uuthfulness. She has wealth. wit. charm and
persistency and is without sentimental ideals. |
he