Blandford Weekly News. — 1886-07-03 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

MAD ANARCHIST.  Gallo, the man who some time ago threw a bottle of prussic acid into the middle of the Paris Bourse from one of the galleries and then fired a revolver five times into the crowd of stockbrokers, has just been brought up for trial. In prison Gallo has been writing memoirs and Anarchist poems, some of those In honour of the use of dynamite and in praise of the murderers of M. Watrin at Decazeville: It was evident from the beginning that President Cartier had his match in Gallo, who called him " Citizen President." A long altercation took place in court between judge and prisoner. M. Cartier said that he regretted tlost Gallo had not been put into a madhouse instead of being brought before him. The accused threatened to murder his prison guardians if sentenced, and to lead a social revolution if liberated. He then proceeded ti declaim wildly on the subject of anarchy. After repeatedly warning hint, the presidin; judge ordered the prisoner to be removed and the trial to be adjourned to some future session et the court.  MR. IRVING ON THE ENGLISH DRAMA Mr. Henry Irving lias lectured before the University of Oxford, on the invitation of the Vice-Chancellor, upon the English drama and its four chief exponents, Itturbage Betterten, Garrick, and Edmund Kean, whom he said were, in their respective times, the four greatest champions of nature in contradistinction to artificiality. In the fight of the battle of Nature, Shakspere fitted him blank verse to the 'natural expres..ion of his ideas. In order to dethrcne artifice and affectation he needed the help of a leading actor, and such a one he found in Richard Borbage who was universally acknowledged as the greatest tragic actor of his time. lie was the first great actor that England ever saw, and the original •representative of many of Shakspere's noblest crowtions. At the same time, the difficulties surrounding the stage at that period w- re such that the finer lights and shades i.f intimation must have been impossible, and recitation, rather than impersonation, wonld be generally aimed at by the actors, Retterton, a son of one of Charles L's cooks, was born in Westminster 18 yews after the death of Hurbage. He began his dramatic career at the age of 24, and for upwards; of 50 years held the rsiiiition of tbe foremint actor of the day. By charming th.- public ,n the popular novelties of the Restoration, he was able to commend their stillest when he sought it for a n blie form of erama. This was the nian of whom Steele and Addison wrote enthiniastically in the Tatter ; and he was buried in the Cloisters of Westminster Abbey in 1710, with every mark of respect and honour. Little more than 30 years elapsed between the death of Betterton and the appearance of David Garrick, who was to restore Nature once mo,e to the stage. By descent Garrick way a combinetion of French, Eliglieh, and combination by no means unprornking for one who was going to be an eetor. Garrick in one leap, in 1741, gained a position which in the citee of mint other actors had only leen reached through years of toil. Garrick was greatly expined to the attacks of envy from the very universality of his success ; but he was a man of noble characti r, and all that was known of bin] was to his honour. His style of noting was eminently natural, and he was a very intense actor. Garrick made Shalowere's plays once more popular; and he accomplished the great r-form of removing the audience from the wings and the stain', and keeping them on the other side of the footlights. The extraordinary early history of IMmund Kean, the -degrading suffrrings of his childhood, and the con%inn& hardship of his youth and early manhood, led the lecturer to the night in January, ISM, when Kean achieved his first gmat success as nhylock, at Drury-lane. The fascination of his manner led Mr. Irving to conclude that Kean was the greatest genius our able; has ever Peen. Coleridge RSA of him that to see K-an act was "like readisig Shakspere by -flashes id liNhtning." All then, four great actors carried aet by different methods, but in the same the principle that in acting :Nature most dominate Art.