Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-02

NAN' NA@ 80 @aNE A0NN - NHNNH
notoriety and some little note
49, takes her pen in hand and
E&tARHL through the medium OF a pop.
A1t8eoo1 uiar magazine exacerbates the
humble and possibly unnecessary dramatic
critic by telling him ne Is: Ca) incompe-
tent. often prejudiced, and never fair; Oh
that he Is venal, subservient, and afraid
OF his job; Cc) that he is employed by a
press that Is VIGOROUSLY corrupt and
whose standards Of art are measured by
the dollar mark: and 80 on through a long
list Of categorical accusations. But most
OF all, this offended actor lady insists that
the greatest Of the dramatic critics Of
lenses is that he will not allow the actor
ladies or the actor gentlemen to nave any
privacy in their lives. He persists in
dragging them before the public, espe-
cially as to their doings or undoings that
are not shown across the footlights. She
says II the press would only deal with
what takes place on the stage and ignored
completely what takes place off the stage,
all would be well, and II the critics would
not waste time In looking into the morals
of the drama, but would concern them
selves alone with the one great dramatic
purpose of the drama, which is to visual
lie the conflicts OF the huran soul, and
to establish the ultimate triumph Of the
ideals which 1t has pictured" everything
would be Just as lovely. In the course Of
her general Indictment and argument in
support thereof she says: II would only
point out that unless actors and actresses
are regarded by the American press with
the same degree of attention shown to
their temporal ~frailties that is shown them
BY their immediate friends, there will be
$500 H. Al. .,Afga
mind of the differences between an actress
behind the footlights and an actress in
her private life"
In this latter sentence dwells something
Of occasion for due reflection. 1t is pain
fully true that an lnordinate amount of
attention is paid by the public press of
America, and for that matter of some of
the other countries, to the private lives of
the folks OF the theateIs. And 1t is
equally true that the great majority of the
actors and actresses Of America suffer in
public estimation because of the private
lives Of the few. The press is not to blame
for this; II may be and likely Is true hat
a certain class Of newspaper publications
give too much publicity to the scandalous
doings of those few members of the the
atrical profession who bring the rest of
the stage folks into a bad light before the
public; but this same class of newspapers
also pursues anybody or anything that
savors Of scandal, because they cater to
that element of the reading public that
prefers to have the malodorous events Of
the day rather than the good. And, just
as the off-color play gets the biggest
crowds, so do the off-color newspapers at
tract the most readers. This leaves the
nanoIngto, an tbta noJpt to- ob,,io,,o 10
quire debate. The manager, looking for
mere money, is certain to point to his box
office receipts as justification for offering
the play that decency condemns; and the
publisher. actuated by the same motive,
shields himself behind his enormous daily
sales when accused Of catering TO low and
vicious tastes. Some actors conduct them
selves off the stage In a way TO bring dis
credit upon themselves, and there's the
trilogy complete. Manager, publisher and
actor as a class condemned because OF the
wrong doing of a few over whom the many
can exert but little II any control.
-
Dramatic criticism In America Is open to
the general objection. more or less hazily
expressed by the lady actor-writer, that It
is free and easy, and often considered more
from the aspect Of generosity to the criti-
ClLeu imam lIOm Anc SldnupOlHl VI even
and unalloyed Justice. This phase of the
question is not always. nor even often,
taken into consideration by the offended
player when he seeks revenge verbal or
otherwise upon the offending writer. 1t
may be said, and truthfully, that only a
very few American actors or American
plays warrant serious attention from the
critics. For the most part they are re-
viewed mainly with the ever present knowl-
edge thai they are men or women working
for a living, and probably doing the best
they can do to earn 1t. To these the critic
Is ever generous; he may not be doing his
full duty to the public In thus temperins
his critical character towards common
place or even mediocre efforts on the stage,
and yet he Is supported by consideration
of justice that after all are the real basis
for worthy criticism. And with the highest
possible regard for the talents of the lady
actor in question and the hope that she
will endeavor SO to conduct her private life
that 1t will occupy less OF space in the
public prints In the future than It has In
the past, the subject will be laid over as
unfinished business.
WOODWARD STOCK SEASON PLANS
Eva Lang and Albert MOrrison Ia