The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-05

From the New York Post.
 "IIE death of William S. Gilbert re-
 moves a notable figure from the
 X theatrical world and puts a dra- matic end to a singularly full, successful and beneficial career. His renown had been so closely associated with that of his musical associate, Arthur Sullivan, that comparatively few persons, perhaps, real ize the full scope of his ability, the breadth of his ideals, or the steadfast- ness of his purpose. The immense pop ularity of the operettas, of which he was the inventor and the librettist, diverted events--from the wide variety and un- common excellence of his other theatrical work. It is useless, of course, to specu- late 10 what heights he might have risen as a dramatist pure and simple. if fate had not prepared for him that ideal mu- sical partnership which brought him fortune while virtually confining him to one line of endeavor; but it should not be forgotten that the llbrettos, by which he is most widely known, formed only about fourth of his whole dramatic and lit erary output He was the author of be- tween GO and 70 theatrical pieces, all told, which included farces, burlesques, panto- mines, comedies and serious dramas, and in each of these varied departments he won substantial if not always brilliant success.
 He was not a great dramatist. but he possessed many of the essential qualifica- A. of theatrical situation, either comic or serious. He had the constructive faculty, plenty of imagination and invention, expe- rience of life and knowledge of human nature, both kindly and caustic wit, quick and humorous perception, and mastery of language which manifested itself in sound and pregnant prose and fluent, musical verse. There are in his writings many pretty strokes of poetic fancy and bits of genuine pathos and passion, while some of his lightest productions are freighted with a pointed moral and philosophc observation. The delicious
 'Bab Ballads are not all nonsense. Such works as "The Palace of Truth" and 'The Wicked World, with their mingled deli cacy of fancy and sharp satire; "Pyg- malion and Galatea' with it's vigorous Druce,' Broken Hearts," with it's pa- thetic study of the deformed dwarf Mous- ta, and such exhilarating comedies as From Cobb and Engaged" exhibit 8 very wide range of power and versatility. None of them is quite so perfect work of art in it's way as is "Pinafore,' or "Patience,' or ''The Mikado,'' but in bulk they represent a capacity of an ex- oeedingly high order.
 Without making any analytical estimate of the exact literary or dramatic value of Gilberts work, it is we'll to point out the wholesomeness which, without disre- gard of it's many other excellences, may be called its pre-eminent characteristic. Although in one form or another he dealt with life in many phases, and often in robust fashion, he never condescended to pander to low tastes by the use of vul- gar or demoralizing methods. There is not an objectionable line to be found in all his publications. Beginning to write at time when the British stage was
 largely abandoned to crude sensation or the yelled improprieties of adaptations from the French, he set himself to work to prove that audiences could be attracted and held without any sacrifice of decency, and that it was possible even to handle pitch without deflement. He added to the gayety of nations and supplied amuse- ment with instruction and without offense. When he entered into his partnership with Sullivan-to quote his own words-''we re- solved that our plots, however ridcu- lous, should be coherent, that our dialog should be void of offense, that, on artistic principles, no man should play wom- ans part, and no woman mans. Final ly, we agreed that no lady of the com pany should be required to wear a dress that she could not wear with absolute propriety at a private fancy ball" To this agreement they faithfully adhered, with results that are known to the whole civilized world. What becomes of our modern musical comedy when judged by this standard?
 of course, Gilbert, who was the more potent spirit in the illustrious firm, diu not win the public and fortune by the mere exclusion of vulsarity and nuuity from his stage. He furnished better and more certain attractions instead of them. Having provided intelligible plots, reason able if often broadly humorous char acters, and dialogue we'll seasoned with wit. satire, and. pertinent allusions-on one memorable occasion he even ven tured to put MT. Gladstone on the stage he took care that every performer in his company should be able. not only to sing, but to act A consummate stage manager, he drilled the members of his company until he was, assured that every line of the text and bar cf the music should have their legitimate cnc-.. The consequence was that the representations at the Savoy