New-York tribune., 1910-01-24
TRIBUTE TO FITCH
PRAISE HIS ARTISTRY.
John Emerson Tells Playgoers
of Dran,atist's MOdestg.

1t came from the bottom of his heart.
that wish expressed TO The Playgoers last
night by John Emerson 1t told volumes
in illumination Of the problems of a stage
manager Mr. Emerson, who has staged
two-thirds of Clyde F'itch's plays and is at
present producing "The City" the play
wright's last work. was emphasizing Mr.
Fftch's absolute modesty, his willingness
to take suggestions from even the hum
blest of the stage folk who helped inter-
pref his art to the public. and he cried:
"Oh. If some Of our actors could get
that modesty,"
1T does seem to me- he continued, that
the deadliest thing in all art is conceit the
inability of artists to measure themselves
1 suppose that is piatitude. but should
like TO frame it and put 1t up in every dress
ing room"
The American Playgoers met ar the Hotel
Astor TO show their appreciation of the
work of Clyde Fitch, with special reference
to The City, and the problem play COM
mittee. under whose auspices the meeting
was held, had invited host OF actors.
critics. playwrights and friends Of the dead
author to attend. Only a few OF these
could be present however. and the pro-
gramne was largely given I'D to the read
ing OF letters and kilograms OF regret. each
OF which contained words OF praise and af-
fection for the dramatist- Brander Mat
thews wrote
I held him In very high esteem both as
an artist and a man. and I feel that his
career was unfortunately cut short at the
to display itself even more indisputably-
Great as was his actual achievement,
think his promise was even greater. No
living dramatist put on the stage more
powerful or a more truthful scene than
that which ends the third act OF THE Girl
With the Green Eyes" and other scenes OF
his. not few. are only little less poig-
nant and veracious than this
William Lyon Phelps. professor of Eng
lish at Yale, said In his letter that he has
known Mr.. Fitch when they were boys to-
gether in 1881 at the Hartford High School.
He was not appreciated by the rest OF
u.s., said he, "at that time. because we
were young barbarians. and even a boy
he showed tastes for art and literature
which were incomprehensible to the rest
OF U.s."
Daniel Frohnan wrote that if the play
wright had lived he would have stamped
himself as ''the Sheridan Of the age"
Other tributes were expressed in the mes
sages OF regret sent by John Luther Long.
Charles Klein, Claiming Pollock. David
Belasco. Lee Shubert, Henry W. Savage.
John Corbin. Viola Allen, Nat Goodwin.
Julia Marlowe, Francis Wilson, Arnold
Daily and Sir Charles Wyndham-
Miss Marguerite Merington, play
wright, spoke feeltngly OF her admiration
Of Clyde Fitch, but said his chief fault was
his tendency ''to construct decoration in
stead OF decorating construction This
John Emerson also called the dramatist's
only crime But he said The City
free from it. for in that Mr.. Fitch had
not tried Ito lug in comedy by the heels.
On the stage to hear Mr.. Emerzon's re-
marks on modesty in the profession were
Mr.. and Mrs. Walter Hampden, Mr.. and
Mrs. TulIy Marshall and A F. Stuart, now
playing IN The City and Miss Jessie
Bonstelle and Miss Harriet Ross A number
of other actors and actresses were in the
audience.
William NJ Chase. the artist. was also a
speaker. He said he had never known a
more artistic nature than that possessed by
Clyde Fitch. There never was moment"
he declared, when that man did not show
his artistic force --