The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-06-02
4 FAMOUS p|-AYHODS
Old 0rury Lane Has 0ulava
Many vieiesitudes.


u PneNlN AWUyU6 JHeAJelSy
london's Heme ~ paaeeaaiWas N
Been the Scene oe Aaaay cea0nFo
tiens-Attaeks Upon Royalty VvisaA
lts Wsils-Ths ~Nsissssd Addressed
On the night Of Feb. -. lsoo. a. d
house OF commons was engaged upu
rather important debate, sundry
the members observed through ii
windows q faint red glow which even
tually became % alarming IN IN q
tensity n to interfere with ths order
" course Of the discussion. lt wN
not long before the news ran rom
the benches that Drury Lane theata
was alight. and % great was The gen
eral concern at what was considered
almost q national disaster that q NO
ton was made to adjourn the s1ttino
Sheridan. however. ~ AoeCo te1lo q
In his life Of the great crater. tmna
diately expressed the hope-With q,
air Of detachment that did him II
greatest credit. considering hlo pool
ton n principal shareholder 1n tn
theater-that whatever might b. tn
extent Of the present calamity Il veaN
not interfere with the public bus1nea
Of the country" That his coarAes ~,
not daunted by % serious . pegsea&
disaster was proved BY the 1Aet tAai
he reopened . week later 1t tAo L.
ceum.
The destruction Of 'The lnnsr-shs
third building since tn 1oundatiea b
l6dS-was one Of seven familiar d.
asters to London theatees IN tWenty
years: but. whatever else hApQooeo
Drury Lane must be rebuilt. Nor VA
the decision ON the part oe tAs pro
prietors unbusinesslike n the leaa
degree. for Horace Walpole, under thu
date Of 1751. tells NJ how On the day
appointed for the nationaliMttoo bill
1.-THE house OF commons adjeuFned %
was acted by . Mr.. Debanal a1a -
family.
Drury Lane has passed through many
vicissitudes In the course a itD exist
ence. The nrst. building was very IN,
favOrably described BY Pepys. M
writes Of the discomfort cA0De0 b.
rain that found its way throa0A the
roof and drenched the occupanGD q
the pit and also the bad acoustic Qual
titles Of the place. Fire put IN end "a
these inconveniences In 1872. The &c.
ond theater. which was dssagned b.
Wren and opened In 1914. hAd . mech
the scene OF attempts upon IL regal
family. In 1716 Freeman trisd Do sAooe
the Prince Of Wales. who aftsgWard
became King George II. and In 1854
George III. was the victim Of q similar
unsuccessful attack ut The haa0o Of q
lunat1c. Il was this same bQfldino
which, - Walpole relates In one Of his
letters, was the scene Of Q lively Dis
turbance In 17ll, when an at1smpe
was made to Introduce panto0lme 1oe
the INST time. 30 great has beeo TIE
change Of popular sentiment O tAis
point since that far OF dato hat today
winter In London without pantom1Ds
at Drury Lane b almost incrediblA
The third building. which Mas open-
"a In 1874. came to IN untimely end,
n We have seen. in 1o0o. ana IL lnau.
guration Of its Suecessoe tAEoo yeaEu
later was marked b. IN event - CO..
siderable literary impogtanea. n
managers Of the theatsf. bs1hg 1aglEs
ous Of giving their new venture . SOD
sendo6. invited the puhlie 30 suh0at -
competition suitable peosog1a2 IL
prize poem to have The Aoaoe q ooon9
publicly reelted from ~ otneD -
the day Of opening. 4 hsst - .ws11uut
including many. Of IL bese tmOWu
names In contemporary ntRatRo. -
sponded to the INITIATES, ana TIL
fact fortunately suggested 10 I've
brothers. James and Horace 011eA.
who were beginning to acquire . roDo-
tation In the world Of letters. IT, -
don Of publishing anooymously . col
lection Of prologues parodylAg -
styles Of various living writeeR g -.
pute. Az It was necessary that tho
little volume should be issued ln t1mo
for the opening Of tho theatef. IL an
thors were compelled to complete tAelP
task in six weeks. but e - doubtfnl
whether the quality of the WORT suf-
fered much on this account. Indeed. -
the preface to the eighteenth edition,
published in 1888. It II suggested that
the parodies gained rather than lot q
effectiveness BY being struck q, - 8
were. at q white heat
The success Of The Rejected A.
dresses'' was immediate and la0l1nG.
The two brothers found that they ~
leaped into fame ut . bound. ana IT,
famous authors whom they had - 60.
cessfully held mp to kindly ridlcuje
expressed their astonishment ut tie
accuracy with which their pecullAfl-
ties Of style and expression had been
reproduced. 1t was . notable achieve
ment Byron. whose prologue Won
the prize and was delivered In due
course on the Drury Lane stage. writ
ing to Murray. expressed his approc12-
ton Of the little volume that had made
such q stir In the world and ID q soc-
ond letter told him that 10 liked e
better and better" JEFFREY IN 1el3
wrote that be took The Rejected Adj
dresses" to be the very best fmita-
lions (and often Of di@cu1t oeiginals)
that ever were made. But perhaps tbo
comment which pleased the authors
the most was that Of Q Lineolnshiro
clergyman QUOTED In the preface Of
1888, to the effect that bs diA not -
why they should have been rejected.
Indeed, be thought some Of them very
good The reverend gentleman dis
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