Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-06-02
PERSONAL-- SOCIAL
DR.. PHELPS TALKS
TOAUTHORS CLUB
Shakspeare's Relation to the
Stage Subject of Wonder
fully Fine Lecture

DR.. VIM. Lyons Phelps, professor
of English literature at Yale College,
in his lecture in Boyd Memorial Hall
last evening before the Authors Club
and their guests brought vividly to his
audience the power and depth and
beauty of the works of William
Shakespeare. Mrs. Maurice E. Fin
ney, president of the organization, in
troduced the speaker.
DR.. Phelps dealt chiefly with Shake
speare's relation to the stage. Out of
81 authentic plays by the great poet,
piufully few are produced in the Eng
lish tongue. So many of the really
great Shakespearean actors have
passed away both in England and Am
erica that the Interpretation of the
well-known characters to-day fall far
short in finish and understanding to
that of a decade ago. Shakespeare's
plays, acted, are so vastly different
from the same lines when merely read
or studied that, in DR.. Phelps opin-
ion, they cannot be truly appreciated
except when produced. There is such
poetry, such mystery in his language
that the older one grows and the more
one studies the more Shakespeare ap-
peals to the literary mind.
THE character of Hamlet, for in
stance" he said, lis the most inter
estinG in the history of literature.
termine if he was insane or not. Never
theless, for over 900 years he has been
able to hold public attention. Could
mad man do that? Hamlet is so
real, so human, just because he is too
complex to be labeled. Above all, he
was gentleman. This is just why the
English actor, Forbes Robertson, in
terprets the role so well. He, too, is
essentially a gentleman.
I'VE know very little of the real
personality of Shakespeare, but 1 am
convinced that for his day he was con-
sidered very good actor. His good
taste and knowledge of the fine points
of stagecraft show in his talk on act
ing which the character Hamlet gives.
lie advocated a natural quietness of
manner and tripping easy flow of
words. Above all, he hated affection,
mouthing and big phrases"
In speaking of the relation of the
stage to education DR.. Phelps regret
ted the fact that the American theater
is so far apart from the national life
and consciousness. He thinks every
town should support it's own stock
company where Shakespeare plays
as well as modern dramas could be
produced. Last month in New York
there was notable production of The
Tempest in the Century theater. One
afternoon 1000 school children at
tended at prices ranging from 10 to
SO cents. Their absorbed interest was
the best proof of the wisdom of such
an opportunity. In Germany when a
new play comes out in one of the big
cities and makes a decided hit. every
township, borough and village pro-
duces it within a month with their
home company so that the whole coun-
try discusses it at once. The great in
tellectual idea is grasped by all the
people together and the second and
third rate cities do not have to wait
two or three years before a road
night stand with play which by this
time is old-as is the case with so
many American towns.
DR.. Phelps paid graceful tribute to
Booth, Barrett and Salvanii, great in
terpreters of Shakespeare: to Richard
Mansfield, the Most intellectual actor
of his generation; to Mary Anderson.
the most beautiful "Rosalind" ever on
the stage and to Robert Mantell, still
living, who worked his way from
cheap melodrama to the plays of
Shakespeare.
Especially interesting was his ac-
count of the playing of "Othello," in
Toxic. Japan. Japanese company,
desirous of producing q play like the
rest of the world enjoyed, visited Eng
land, France, Germany and Italy to
study plays and methods of acting.
Returning home they produced the
great Shakespearean tragedy in their
own tongue. Although in many ways
the japanese public disapproved, the
humanity of it got them and the play
made a big hit
All through DR.. Phelps lecture ran
vein of delicious humor which de-
lighted his audience from his child
hood studies of Shakespeare because
his old aunt awoke him to discuss the
great mans works for a couple of
hours at five every morning, to ac-
counts of his college pranks. But all
the serious, intellectual side of him
worshiped at the shrine of the great
poet who during 800 years has left his
soul in mems hearts"
Following the lecture there was
reception for DR.. Phelps and his
audience with the Authors Club as
hosts.