New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-25
Civic Forum HOnOrs Actor
and Julia MarloWe, Who
Retire This Month.
HAILED AS SAVIORS
OF THE BEST DRAMA
Steadfastly Played the Beauti-
full When Public's Tastes Were
Falling, Says w. Ames.

ing Of 400 men and women met at the
/ Hotel Astor last night in a testimonial
/ to Julia Marlowe and +. II. Sothern,
whose retirement from the American
stage this month has perhaps been the
/ saddest incident in the celebration of
/ the tercentenary of the great poet to
whose memory they dedicated their
! lives.
DR.. John II. Finley, president Of the
! University Of the State of New York,
was POSTMASTER. At his left sat Miss
/ Marlowe. and at his right Mr.. Sothern.
/ The speakers were Edwin Markham,
/ Agnes Repplier, Corinne Roosevelt
/ Robinson. Maud Ballngton Booth, Au-
! gustus Thomas, Winthrop Ames, Otto
/ Kahn and Talcott Williams.
Always Played the Beautiful.
Winthrop Ames, director Of the Little
! Theatre. and identified with the move
ment for better plays, pointed out the
| debt Of gratitude the theatre going
| public owed 10 Miss Marlowe and Mr..
Sothern. When the drama was at a
very low ebb, he said, and public taste
| in prmordial state, they stuck to the
task Of playing the beautiful
Intelligent people who occasionally
sit in front of the curtain-people like
our friends gathered here-have fallen
/ in the habit of berating us managers.
/ They say the stage is degenerating at
/ least, not keeping up with them, intel
/ loctualy. And their private grumblings
/ have been taken UP by college pro-
fessors, amateur critics, drama leaguerS
and stage -sOcletytes.
"But any broad statement that the
drama has gone backward in our day
is obviously sweeping. What chance
would Mr.. Thomas's subter plays, or
those of Shaw, Galsworthy, or Barrie
have had with the playgoers Of our
/ fathers eneration-playgoer who
considered The Lady of Lyons a mas
tcrpiece. If the titles of these plays
don't convince you of their quality,
read them. You can find them in dusty,
yellow covers in the library. The mo-
ton picture people have already found
them.
II believe that more good plays are
produced now, and that on the whole
they are as competently acted as they
ever have been. / think we shall dag
nose the trouble with our stage more
accurately if we say that the average
isn't as high as it ought to be. The
good plays are so submerged and over
whelmed by a food of inferior rubbish
that they seem 10 have been lost in the
shuttle | believe that the average
quality of stage plays has declined for
these four reasons: America is de-
mocracy; we have free public schools,
unexampled material prosperity and
labor unions.
"For these reasons those in America
who would have been called peasants
abroad have advanced stride in the
social scale, increasing the middle
class and quintupling the number or
our theatregoers. A whole new section
of the public has sufficient mental ad-
vancement and spending money to be-
come 0trons OF the drama"
Want Exciting Story.
According to Mr. Ames, all that this
new great clientele wanted was a
SHOW" a simple, rapid, exciting story,
| told in terms of action. They cared
nothing for such things as character
/ delineation. psychological analysis or
subtleties of dialogue-the things that
make for dramatic literature"
They became the general public,
and the managers were forced to cater
7 to them. "The trouble with the drama
now, and for several years past, is that
it is dominated by a great, new, eager,
childlike, tasteless, honest. crude Gem
eral Public. And as for blaming any
one for it-well. it's pretty poor fun
blaming a great primal force, like grav-
itation or democracy"
When affairs were so unpromlsing
for art and the best of drama, Sothern
and Msrlowe took up the titanic task
of giving Shakespeare TO those who
did not want ii. "That they should at
the time they did, with so many odds
against them and so many allurements
to make them decide otherwise. have
made and persisted in their decision
was something for which we shall be
grateful 20 them as long as they live
and after. They alone set up a stand
ard to which the wise and the honest
might repair.
"Lives Of Noble Service"
ave of the theatre, my dear Mr..
and Mrs. Sothern, know that no other
actor or actress has done 50 much as
you for the American stage in our
time. You leave US the examples Of
lives Of noble service"
Edwin Markham read an original
poem written for the occasion, in which
he praised the guests for making more
immortal an immortal bard. Agnes
Repplier recalled her early acquain-
tances with the drama and mourned
the loss of two actors who "for years
have dignifed and exalted our stage,
who for years have played Shakespeare
along noble lines. Their going leaves
US nothing but an arid waste of plays
like sermons. and not orthodox sermons
either, but pathological lectures or
sweet little plays of the kindergarten
Otto Kahn, patron of art IN all forms,
outlined the debt owed to the guests by
the world of letters. They are two
prophets OF the right God-they have
kept the faith and fought the good
fight. They never compromised with
that deadly and insidious foe OF art
commercialsm. Out Of their own no
bility they have ennobled others"
Corinne Roosevelt Robinson. Sir Her
bert Tree. Mrs Booth, Augustus
Thomas and Talcott Williams. director
of the Columbia University School Of
Journalism and lifelong friend Of
Miss MarlOwe, also spoke.
The dinner was given under the au-
spices of the Civic Forum, and mass
meeting testimonial tonight at Carne-
gle Hall will be an added tribute TO the
retiring artists. Mr. Sothern will be
seen for two weeks, starting Saturday,
in "If | Were King" for the benefit OF
the Actors Fund. Miss Marlowe has
not appeared for several years, as her
health would not permit. This summer
the couple plan TO return to their coun-
try home IN England.
A printed testimonial. bound in mo-
rocco. containing the autographs OF all
the guests and many other persons in
all walks of life who desired 10 add
their appreciation, was presented TO
the stars at the close Of the affair.
In his speech Mr.. Thomas stated
humorously that he was glad 70 be
H,k ~ ba