New-York tribune., 1909-11-21
THE PLAYG0ER
NEW DRAMAS BY THE AUTHOR
OF THE MUMMY AND THE
HUMMING BIRD"


Inns lseen touring ever since. with some
st.F or other. an this country, the United
huudnn and the British possessions.
Man, persons haNs wondered why Isaac
Henderson. its author. MAS npt heard from
again. Ilad he boon like certain other
playmakg~s ~ Tho time nc would have
llui cieht. or sixteen. other comedies before
1hc managers Gre TINS. with fair chance
for tho sucressful production of each one.
llut tho fact Is ne would not write TO
order; ho worked SloWiy, with great pa
sisncc and polish. and ne was less ambi-
tious Tor Same and its cmoluments than
auk othor writer of plavs in his generation,
perhaps ~ amy generation.
Isauc Henderson died last March in
Rome where he lad lived for sixteen
veurs. o., had leen wen and active until
within a few days of his death. Attacked
un The golf links hy a chill. he lived but
nine da.s after winning a championship,
cup at his favorite game The day before
the golf match he finished a comedy which
hc had begun four years earlier. Indeed,
rhrce wears ago he finished IL, he then
shouchi. and submitted il To- the judgment
- theatrical acquaintance in London.
lut. dissatisfied with lis work hc withdrew
IL and rewrotc Il from beginning 10 end.
lli. action was characteristic. When Hen
dersou's first play The Silent Battle
Wae in rehearsal At the Haymarkct Thea
trc IN London. then under the management
If Becrbohm Tree the author withdrew
a. rewrote H. and subsequently placed
IL with Charles Wyndham mot then Sir
charles. who produced IL with great sue
cess 81 the Criterion Theatre. That was in
1872 Nmc wears passed before Henderson
was ready with The Mummy and the
Humuing Bird" Eight years after that be
said Of his last play. lis ready now"
Bu within twenty y-four hours came the
fatal illness which took from the world one
of it, finest. most courteous and accom-
piished spirits. Recently the executor Of
the estate contided the manuscript Of the
nov play 10 a man who had been an in
innate and dear friend ~ the author and
Who had worked with him i'm London over
Tire shaping of The Silent Battle" OF the
new play il - sufficient TO say just now
that in dramatic power. in strength Of con-
structiou, in sublety and finish. in nobility
of purpose. in drawing of character and
ia interest n is superior To Henderson
I,necedins plays admirable ana successful
as these were. IL is likely, indeed, TO prove
itself one Of the most impressive plays 10y
any English writing dramatist OF the
present period
With the prospect that Isaac Hender-
sons last play viii, by another season, be
known 10 audiences on both sides Of the
Atlantic il is not uniting that memory
should run backward a little 10 the man
and his work. Henderson was New
Yorker. Ills father was a partner Of Will
lam Cullen Bryant and John Bigelow IN
the proprietorship Of The Evening Post"
Tie son became publisher Of that paper.
Eeiiring. after few years, in comforta Die
circumstances D. went u Italy with his
bride. who. like himself, = native of
NeW YORK In Italy Henderson wrote iwO
novels. They were published by Houghton,
M!am & Co. Of Boston, ana were cordially
received by the public. one of these novels
n,as Agatha Page" In lSG OF 1855 the
Iendersons removed from Rome 10 Lon
don, ana there, In charming house, which
Eurena Ficld celebrated Ia The Bottoms,
Twenty y-two" and which became a centre
Ior a rare and delightful group Of literary
aud artistic folk. the novelist turned dram
atist. putting into stage form the book
which he had called Agatha Page
Charles Nyndham. olga Nethersole.
Lewis MAILER, Winifred Emery Herbert
Ns-ing. Rose LeclercQ. Minnie Terry and
Mary Moore were IA Tie east Qf Agatha"
at It's first production. My .. 1882 Miss
NethcrsOlc had acted la London two sea-
Guns or So bat IN this play she fOund her
nrst real opportunity Gud sne made tie
most al il. Her prominence in the public
gaze mates from that day. The character
she played Was Meroeco; Nyndham WAS
John Dow, ana DE has never played amy
part better than that one The play. tried
"a tho Criterion al a series Of special mat
iuees, was 80 great a success that WIND
81. .HFH
a Fuocessfui run. Frank NoIthinC then
made Dis first London I'M. taking the part
Nhich MAILER had 81 first performed The
name OF the piece MAS changed from
Agatha" - ''The silent Battle" stu iu
America n retained its original title. being
produced lere al the Boston Museum.
which was sian maintaining the traditions
- its famous bat now almost forgotten
past Agatha was put on iu NcW York.
lut was - weirdly miScsst sud 30 ineptIy
staged that the public do NOT support IT,
fhe author could NOT recognize il. and.
Disguised by the hatchery Of his work and
the moapscity of its producers. ho took The
neNt ship for Europe. whore again ne saw
fle play ruperh.y rendered s wear later
- returned o. Rome. and there. iu the Via
sfregorisns. near Tho top of The Spanish
steps h. lived unin lis death. In ll4i
fniS sufhcrs whose nfsf novel. The i'rDl-
ste" had been anti-Roman IN tone and
purpose sought as did his wife and daugh-
ters. admission INTO tho Cathoir Chur,l.
Ife became On officer of the Papal house
hold one of his closest friends was Mon
signor. now Cardinal. Merry del NaI. Pap1l
secretary 81 State.
Henderson touched life al many points.
sincere son of tie Church, and one OF
the most devoted members of the Vatican
entOurage, he was also ardent lover og
outdoors Italy had no better nor more
constant golf player. Whether In Rome or
in the Engadine, where he passed the SUM
mers, he daily drove the little white hail
over the links. lie was fond OF music. a
lover Of books. a man Of scholarly inclina-
ton: OF literary skill and dramatic in
stincts, he delighted keealy IN all that Is
best AZ the theatre: his wide circle OF
friends touched many countries and con-
tained men prominent IN varied fields Of
activity. His friendship was prize treas
ureG by all who had won fl. How true a
friend he was. clyde Fitch, for instance.
knew when the world knew not Clyde
Fitch. or. beginning TO know HIM, laughed
at not with. him.
Fitch was piuckiiy writing. but il seemed
only for rejection. Henderson encouraged
him 20 go on. lie got under the skin Of
that tircless and, as many thought. superb
sial youth. lie understood him. When