Evening journal., 1920-07-12
WOODEN ACTORS
ARE POPULAR
Puppets Favorites With
Peoples Since Time of
Early Egyptians
REVIVAL UNDER WAY
THROUGHOUTEUROPE

MEM YORK. July "A press notice
Informed The public a few-days ago
that The "mari0nette rights OF lhe
pny. Not so Long Ago haNe d en-
sold in France and Belg um.No doupt
many people have wondered luS.
Whai nsrionctlc rights are. And II
Is expedient that every one should
know some thing about lhis subject,
since several rebels In The healre au-
oacahe the mariOnetle or puppet OAK
ING the place Of living actors.
The puppel show has been pop
,irr form OF entertainment for many
centuries and today 10 has lost none
OF its popularity In some ctnhTS. IL
is one OF the faVOrite amusemenis in
the peasant countries Of Europe, sell
dom visited by iroupes OF actors
puppets existed in the time OF ahe
ancient Egyptians and were usrd II
the temples FOR ceremonies ihe
Greeks tisd them and Aristotle mrh-
fions them in his writings. Ihey
soon nassed into iha civilization ui
tho Romans. where their popularity
has never died. and incidentally, To-
day Italy leads in the art Of the mar
ionette
The name marionaIie was given ia
the plppei because an Italian n1ined
Marion introduced the vogue into
France during the reign of Charles
IN In France tho puppct show
roa,-hed a high slate of perfection
PLAYS were written for ih' hltle wool
en- ac0rs. Who were moved by innun'
erahlc Strings attachcd 20 their anal.
omy and one Frnchman succeeded
in making a puppet haherina dahet
with a lifehke grace and ularn. ~
1914 a marionelte opera WIS held "
p4fiS and won great applause TO
dav lalere are three theatres in Paris
dldicaied 90 the art Of lbepuppelcer
When the mblrion ne was intro
duced into England many years alter
appearance ln France. II wa
known as the "mOtion puppet and q d
n8fuattain mu1h popularity antil Wt
Pinch and Judy shows came into eN'
isbtAce. Instead OF manipulating hs
puppeis with strings the puppolo
stood beneath the miniature stag
and placed his hands inside OF Them
The adventures of Punch aud his wife
Judy with their dog Toby won
warm place In The hearts OF The Eng
iiSb and The Punch and Judy show ap
Veared an over England. lhe puppeteei
holding shows in public square How
ever I'M later years. the public hccWn'
more educated and Oulgrew his form
Of Amusement But today 10 Is still
the children's faYorip pastlnc. an,
puppeteers ara oft0n founl with Mell
dancing dolls at the summer resorts
In recent yars. Gordon Craig sol
OF Ellen Terry and a revoluNOnisi u
tho theatre ast0unded even The mos
radical elements by asserting that th
marionettc would and must supcrst Il
the living actor Re says lhe huma
ACTOR Is susci piihle 90 he emotion
OF me audience and his interprcia
lions OF a rob varies az each perform
ancc But The wOodcn-headsl mar
ionetbs would perform nightly with
out varying his actions Of expires
sions from that preconvcived by hi
sculptor and peppetfer
Mr. Craig has won several support
ers on the Continent who h7ieve Il
his theory OF the "uher mariOnclie
or super puppct In his studio I
Rome he has collected puppets from
almost nvery country I'M the world
There are modern and antique mar
ionettes from Russia Germany
Frame. India. and one that he cher
ishes, a Burmese temple puppel I
native cosiume ami over ceniur
old.
In America the marionette show
nav M|IM r. NWANN| NN NNNlNNNA
amusement 10 the italian colonies
where many Americans became inter
ested In his ancient pastime Ton
Sarc. a clever Italian cartO0nist. In
troduced The puppel play into Ne'
Works Latin quarter Greenwich vi
lare. a few years ago. and he 500
found himslf on Broadway glyin
marionetle shows 90 the dchghte
audiences at ihe punh and Iud
Theatre Last sc1sOn Ellon Won NO
Ffnherg, an exponent OF the art thi
Rtre. rendered Shakespeare mi,
summer Nights Dream with a sei
''uber mariOnetus" designed all,
ihose used n The Munich Art The
ire and her efforts al the lAttle The
TIRE won for her unanimous applaus
Thorefore. when one reads ~ "ma
lonetie rights" one will und rstar
the popularity and importance of O
puppet on the Continent whrr, pla,
from Paris and the big cities ar5 ri
acted in tho provinces hy he liii
wooden actors. In England TO-, ma
ioreite shows are governed hy n
same serious factors as a gilima
Stage production