The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-30


notwithstanding to the opin-
ion of Lord Byron, who was not given to
the scattering of praise among his con-
temporaries-"th best drama CThe Du-
enna), the best farce (The Critic, the
best address (monologue on Garrick),
and, to crown all, delivered the best ora
ton (the famous Begun speech). ever
conceived or heard in England-Richard
Brinsley Sheridan-died 100 years ago
poverty stricken, abandoned by his
friends, a prisoner for debt sheriff s
officer served papers on him in his
death-bed and was preparing to carry
him in his blankets to the debtors prison.
when death providentially saved the bal
lift the trouble. But at his funeral there
walked the two royal brothers, the Duke
of York and the Duke of Sussex, while
the Duke of Bedford, the Earl of Lau-
derdale Earl Mulgrave, the lord bishop
of London, Lord Holland and Lord Spen-
cer-a noble company-carried his body to
the grave. So, also, it will be remem-
bered, they let Burns die-and afterwards
gave $500 for his punch bowl. So wags
this merry world along.
| One hundred years is a long time to be
dead, and many great deeds find theif
way into the aims wallet of oblivion
within that time. Sheridan's great COM
edies and dramas have almost entirely
left the boards, and his Begun speech Is
remembered only by the schoolboy de-
Chalmers, but he has left one immortal
character of his creation to do perennial,
honor to his memory-our familiar friend,
Mrs. Malaprop. She is still a. prime IA
vorite with the photographers and the
inspiration of a host of imitators dis
guised under various names.
Mrs. Malaprop made her first appear
! ance upon the stage at the Covent Gar
den theatre, London, in 1875, where Sher
idan's play, THE Rivals" in which she
appears, was first produced. The part
was taken by Mrs. Green" as she was
billed in the original cast. The play was
a first severely criticized by the public,
and Mrs. Malaprop was singled out for
especial denunciation as an Outrageous
caricature." Perhaps it hit home in too
many places in that day of blue stock
| ings and literary affectations. 1t was
said. however, that Sheridan drew Mrs
Malaprop from an Original Of his &C
I quaintance--a well known minuet dancer
of the period. This is not hard to believe.
for, while the colors are perhaps laid on
| thick in THE Rivals" there was IN
doubtedly a Mrs. Malaprop to be found in
almost every social circle Of Sheridan S
| time, and she has left numerous de-
scendants in both the male and the fe-
| male line who survive to the present
day. And long may the Malaprops wave
to brighten the pragmatic path.
| There's one thing about the Malaprops
they have their opinions and they are
| not afraid OF expressing them. And
| their opinions are always of pro-
nounced character-a little defective, per
haps, in the pronunciation, but always
| unique and refreshing. Take the origi
nal Mrs. Malaprops views on feminine
education, for instance:
Observe me, Sir Anthony" she says
| to Sir Anthony Absolute, II would by
no means wish a daughter of mine to
| be a progeny of learning. l don't think
SO much learning becomes a young won,-
an. For instance, I would never let her
1
gbera, or simony. or fluxions, or para
doxes, or such inflammatory branches of
learning; neither would it be necessary
| for her to handle any of your mathemat.
| ical, astronomical or diabolical instru-
ments. But, Sir Anthony. I would send
| her, at years old, to a boarding school,
in order to learn a little ingenuity and
artifice. Then, sir, she should have d
| supercilious knowledge in accounts, and,
! structed in geometry, that she might
know something Of the contagious coun
tries. But, above all, Sir Anthony, she
should be mistress of orthodoxy, that
she might not misspell and mispronounce
words so shamefully as girls usually do,
and likewise that she might reprehend
the meaning of what she is saying. This,
Sir Anthony. is what I would have a
| woman know. and don't think there is
a superstitionus article in it,
Bob Acres is another character in 1.-THE
Rivals who still survives. He has done
yeoman service for the political orators.
| with whom he has always been fayoritc
as distinguished example of the kind
of courage their opponents are supposed
| to possess. Bod is the gentleman who
| first gave utterance to the immortal SEN
timent: "valor will come and go. I feel
| it oozing out as 1t were at the palms OF
my hands,
The critics charged Sheridan with
"cribbing" Bob Acres from Shakespeare's
Sir Andrew AguecheAs. but, If he did, he
improved on the original, and Bob Acres
will live and continue to serve the SPELL
binders when Sir Andrew is forgotten.
Sheridan was only "a years old when he
wrote 1.-THE Rivals" Two years later he
wrote the famous school for Scandal"
which was produced in his own theatre
the Drury Lane-in 1777 and achieved a
phenomenal success. He is acknowledged
to be one of the worlds greatest writer's
of comedies. remarkably original both In
his plots and his characters and especial
| ly noted for the wealth OF brilliant wit
ticisms with which his scenes are made
| to sparkle Tho critics of his day used
| to say that every individual who APP
pears in his scenes is a wit of his kind
and that the humblest parsonage, be he
a coachman, usurer. a valet. or an
humble friend, is a humorist in his own
way and occasionally much too clever
for his situation" But IL this be fault
commend it, as Lincoln said Of Grants
whisky, to some of the fellows who are
writing comedy stun for the stage In