New-York tribune., 1910-10-23
AnglO-ArneriCan Memories
Sir HENRY DIRECT, PERSONAL coNT,nuuNe IN
FLUENcE THE ENGLISH STAGE
Copyright. 1910. by George W. sma,lsv,

1eorge W. Smauey)
nisnt ms own; with Mr.. Bran Stoker
as the amiable but inexorable guardian
OF the gateway to this theatrical nara
disc, since paradise il was on these
occasions Stoker had become a kind Of
second self 10 Irving. thinking his
thoughts, knowing what he wanted done
anu carrying out his wishes with equal
energy and intelligence. If even among
this chosen company Of the faithful
there was discomfort. and dissenting
cries mingled with the cheers Irving
met them with an air of ingenious. in
credulous surprise, as if they could not
mean II. He was wounded in the house
OF his friends He did not resent it
he seemed TO be sorry. not for himself.
but for an audience which could mis-
understand so sadly Altogether. the
grand manner: neither defiant nor dep
recatory. but impartial as if not he but
third person were concerned. and they
Who disapproved were simply mistaken.
l used TO think these scenes among
the finest in which Irving ever appeared.
After a time he stiIled the expressions
Of dissent; they died away as if in truth
the authors Of them had become aware
they were wrong. which perhaps they
did feel; and as II Irving We're after all
right which sometimes he was not.
But the grand manner has departed
with him: there was no one 10 take the
torch from his dying hand. There has
been these last two years an invasion
Of Russian dancers into London. They
have brought with them a Russian obse-
quiousness Of bearing. Even Mile. Paw
Iowa has It Yet II is not so very much
more marked in these Russians than
now in the English themselves. When
you come 10 a question Of personal de
pertinent il is delicate business and I
name no names. I only ask. who among
the best and most successful Of the actors
row to he seen in London holds his head
high when he takes his call? The actor
managers are on their own ground. The
theatre is theirs. They could close il
tomorrow and turn their audiences into
the street Il they liked. Yet there are
among them those who face a cheering
or a bowling house with the air Of
tradesman in dread Of offending his Gus
TONERS.
But irving Irving. without the least
touch Of arrogance. looked about him as
a King upon his subjects, The natural
ma jesty Of the man was better seen in
these crises than at any other time He
was perfectly self-possessed. perfectly
fearless. while inside Of him burnt
contemptuous anger he was far 100
much the aristocrat 10 show. The public
liked him the better for it. He said TO
ne once:
u have had TO make study OF aUGl-
ences. have studied actors also in
their relation 10 audiences, and feel
sure that. whether as actor or man
ager. he who defers too much 10 the
public loses his hold on the public
Those people il front. even if they have
paid for their places, expect the actor
to know his business better than they
do. and even if he is wrong they ike
him TO hold 10 his own view. So with
the manager. They are not such fools
as 10 think they know better than he
how to stage a play. You must stand
I'D TO them 4 bad first night may cost
me thousands Of pounds, but the greater
the funk I'm in the less 7 show IL
There is the real Irving. It was =
O'Clock in the morning speech; cool.
quiet. collected. convinced and entirely
sincere. The virile note you heard from
him in private goes far TO explain him
on the stage. It is a commonplace TO
say that Irving owed much Of his fame
as an actor 10 hts personality l have
said 1t myself. But even a commonplace
may be true. and may be a compliment,
as this is. for you can hardly praise an
actor better than by saying that an
actors success in depicting other men is
due TO his own manliness- @ W. s.