New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-16
LOVE AND ITS COUNTERFEIT
Twelve True Stories of the
Past.
GREAT LOVE STORIES OF THE THE
ATRE. A Record Of Theatrical Ro-
nance. BY Charles W. Collins. Illus
trated. svo, pp. 327. Duffield co.

trated. 8vo, pp. 81. DuHeid q %
This volume is still another addition
to the sort OF biography, chiefly OF
English manufacture. that has Of late
begun 10 compete with fiction as light
entertainment for thoughtless readers
Much Of It is frankly and designedly
scandalous, some of it is more or less
reliably Informing. and not a little OF
il is decidedly amusing. as the byways
OF history and biography. its gossip ana
bagatelles often are Taking its cue
from a certain fashion In fiction, this
school of romance pays special atten-
ton TO temperament" to the love af-
fairs. happy and unhappy, Of person
ages whose fame was won in far DIFF
ferent fields-to the incidents OF their
private lives as apart from their public
careers. And all too often it gives TO
these incidents an importance out OF all
proportion to the moral and social
standards of their period. AS the
philosophic Syrian said when the
"salome" battle was at its height: "A
head cut off was OF so little significance
in her day and country. Why make so
much TODD over it now?'
Cosby Mr.. Collns's book is, rather
scandalous, much less romantic than
his title would lead one to expect, and.
here and there, informing in an histori-
cally rather unimportant way. It's chief
offence lies in it's highfalutin style when
the author digresses from straight mar
rative to philosophize, when he be-
comes psychological" or undertakes to
moralize He rises TO sensationalism
when drawing a pen picture Of the
notorious Lord Rochester. and revels
throughout in expressions like "wanton
stage" and amour. but his French calls
urgently for the proofreader and he
condemns the stage where the blame for
the conditions he describes really should
rest upon the manners and morals or
land OF the Restoration, or the France
Of the Directoire or the romantic move
ment.
Whoever is responsible for the adjec-
tive great" in the title of the volume.
the author himself substitutes the more
fitting word in the first line OF his text.
Pretty. witty Nelly" he says. lis an
inevitable first choice for heroine when
the notorious romances OF the stage are
viewed in their historical perspective"
And so he begins with the notorious
Nell Gwynn and the notorious Charles
H. Here the woman is by far the more
attractive figure Of the two. but through
out these twelve "romances" this is but
rarely the case. Marie de Champnesle
was entirely unworthy Of the love of
Racine: her English contemporary.
Elizabeth Barry, can only serve as a
peg upon which to hang paper on
Otway. the plays he wrote for her, and
the letters ne penned TO her in his blind
and unrequited alteration. With the best
intentions in the world, no great love
story" can be constructed out Of the
problematical relations between Anne
Bracegirdle and William Congreve. who
fit Of the doubt, as the author himself
confesses. As for Peg Wellington. David
Garricks temperamental limitations
made their story far from a great one:
and the House OF Hanover does not shine
i'm the case Of Mrs. Jordan. Perdita
Robinson and George ". on the other
hand. were most automatically well
matched.
Adrienne Lecouvreur's story owes its
posthumous rathos chiefly TO the inrc-
nuity ~ two French playwrights and
Nine Favart would have been forgotten
long since but for libretto which Of
fenbach set To music. Women doomed
e. come within the circle of the influence
Of Maurice de SAKE could not fail 10 out
shine him in qualities of the heart. Mile.
Georges was a mere incident in Ma
poleon's life, even though she proved
true friend in the day OF his downfall.
And as for Marie Dorval and Alfred de
Vigny. that was but the case of Nine.
de Champmesle and Racine all over
again. the case Of the poets imagination
clothing an unworthy woman with quail
tiles Of womanhood that she did not