Judge — May 2, 1885 — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

PERENNIAL ranting, like the poor, we have It has revived! T'was not Srace always with us. dead: it only slept. With the issuing of “Sealed Instructions” it awoke, refreshed and invigorated. It is now retailed and wholesaled at the Madison Square theatre. ‘The myst of this style of stage delivery is that the vocal machinery lasts so long under such tremendous friction, Like every other abuse of nature’s law, retribution follows. After a period of this crashing, tearing, hammer-and-tongs management of the vocal chords, they refuse to turn out any but the coursest, ugliest, rasping noises that can pass for human speech; though they more resem- ble the grunts and growls of the brute creation. Actors are coached in faintin in slashing space, in bussing, delicate and puissant, in everything but how to use the vocal or; {t is a lamentable fact that Ans. many spend a small fortune on elocution and learn to declaim, but do not know where, when, or how to use a natural tone. Yet it the genuine ring of such tones that san echo of sympathy in the heart’s of the heare: ‘This grinding out of sounds from the top of the throat is infamous. It is a libel on nature’s plan, An actor should know where to place his tone to express a given emotion, as accurately as Patti knows what note tostrike inagiven song. Singing tones are only speaking tones prolonged, but what a Bedlam it would be if some of our ranters prolonged their speaking tones! At our only American Dramatic School, famous for advertising to teach according to art- principles, they have just one exercise for the cultivation of all kinds of tones—a patent medicine dose; cures everything and is so harmless — viz.: a simple “Tah!” This method is great in. its simplicity, not in its results. “© SEALED INSTRUCTIONS” is supposed to haveaplot. Some one has said it is of a diplomatic character similar to t of “ Diplomacy,” but it is such a heter- eogenous mix-tip that we have failed to dis- cover the leading vein; in fact, it seemed devoid of one; it was rather mess of capillary meshes with numberless inlets and outlets. The writer seems to have thrown way the plot to secure situations, and then lost his, or her, situations. Admirers of **The Private cretary” sigh ‘* What a falling off is there! ” and sare straightway ‘‘seantier of their presence.” Miss Mathilda Madison is bright and pleas- ing in the lighter parts, such speculating and trifl ith men’s hearts; but she is in- adequate to the st onger lines. Her accent, h is agreeable in ordinary conversation, here becomes distressingly confusing. ‘The more noise, the more accent und less mean- Miss “Madison is gi raceful, aveenee in od taste, and altogether fairer to behold (neck and arms included) that many who As protessione al beauties; we should like to see her in a role better adapted to her powers. Miss Millward, as the governess is the ever present self-sacrificing mediator, but she might be absent frequently with good effect. Her voice is monotonous and hard, her face ex} nless, her body ungracefal. Why does she play at acting? We were *‘charmed, delighted” with Mr. Pitt in his first scene but—excuse us from further remarks. Miss Annie Russell received all our bouquets, She is like English violets, dainty, fresh and natural. Her lover, Mr. Ramsey, gives a good portrayal of acharacter seldom found in history—a dade with com- mon sense, Altogether, it is an exaggerated melodramatic presentation, Still it 1s of a higher grade of amusement than many of the theatres are giving us. Is HE A GREAT ACTOR? Already the reaction of public sentiment is tending toward a more impartial juc of Irving's acting. He has gone him disappears the glamour of fascination which hid his defects from many. He did much that was excellent, much that our dramatic world can profit by; but he is not allit That he is quite human; of the carth, earthy; is shown by his pique at Dixey’s imitation of him. ‘The question arises, where shall burlesque, travestics, etc., stop? Much of our humor is imitation, We burlesque and caricature clergymen, statesmen, police! Why notanactor?” THe Judge decides that in this life-picture-paint- ing the brush may hit helter-skelter, pell- mell anywhere, or may fastidiously copy a public poser, so long as it does not cross the Jines of our general moral sone sibility. This protests only what we reverence. Is Mr. rving included herein? He must conceited- ly think so, ¢ the man’s consciousness of unmerited credit makes him fear the ef- fect of imitations. Mr. Dixey travestied his weak point, namely, his own acting. Had some one tried to burlesqre his stage setting, we would have seen Mr. Irving smilingly complacent in his strength. The truth 1s, itis not the actor we admire but the ability of adistinguished stage manager. or el: Jack Servenmalet. HE TAKES A TURN IN ON ROLLERS, AND MEETS WITH DISASTER, JACK SERVENMALET, commonly Boston Jack by his shipmates on the n war at the North River pier, was taking a w Ik through the streets around the Purk, when, seeing a pretty girl enter a rink after an admiring glance at his flowing pantaloons, blue shirt, and jaunty cap, he concluded to follow her. Four or five hours later, after he had been hoisted on board his ship and attended by the surgeons, he told his mess the story of his adventure: “ T war takin’ a bit of a prommynade with the swells of the Park, and war keepin’ a sharp lookout, when what should I see but a oncommon trim little clipper with two wee gun carriages in her hand. I thinks to m self here’s one of them auxilleries, as the bo’s‘en called roller-skaters, and a wery neat craft she air. So, bein’ curus like, | hists my jib topsails and follers the chase till she neutral port where there war plenty room and no end o’ them auxilleries a ut. a pert young runner comes along-side and offers to fit me out as a ausillery and pilot me once around the harbor till I got my bearin’s like. Bein’ a stranger in them parts, I says to myself, ‘I won’t be bluffed nohow,’ and so I tells him to heave ahead. So he pilots me over to one side where they makes the little gon carriages fast on my pins, and then he hists me up and + «Brace up now,’ he say “Ave, Aye, sir, on which tack?’ says I. «Go ahead,’ says he. & Although it war aland- locked port, there was a nasty sea picked up to oncet, and I war feared I'd stowed my ballast all on deck, from the way she pitched and rolled. How ever, I trimmed shipa bit and got a perventer on my stcerin’ gear, so he couldn't carry away, and then we got along very comfort- able. We wero a loggin’ as much as three knots, and the cruise were about half ove when along comes that air little clipper I war tellin’ ye of. She war just a showin’ a clean pair of heels to everything tharabouts, and warn’t takin’ no spray on deck neither, when she spied me, She sce I warn’t no hand at that sort o” navagation, and says she, kinder soft like as she war overhaulin’ me: S ck, I'll give you a tow, if you'll catch me. “With that I called all hands, and castin’ off my towline on the run, I crowded on the canvas as fast as ever I could, without con- siderin’ whether | had enough ballast aboard to stand it; nor never lookin’ at the bar- ommyter, It war acaution tosee me plunge ahead when I first took the breeze, but jist as I war shovin’ my helm down to heave to athwart her hawse, I sce I war just under the bows of a tow of lubbers as had never been sailin’ in those waters afore, and war be- in’ piloted by-the harbor master. I reckon a cyelone must a struck about that ‘ere time and that I caught the heft of the weather, while that ere little pirate she jest filled and backed about the wreck and laughed till the tears war streaming down her cheeks from hearin’ me cuss. You don’t catch me tryin’ no more o’ them auxillery uavigators,” A Surprise. The latest social craze is clergymen’s surprise parties. His parishoners, some day will suddenly go to church and listen wid! awake to the sermon. It sets the minister up more than any donation, It’s a pleasant game but should not be carried so far that the minister organizes a surprize party by asking his church for a raise of salary, or payment of arrears, on the strength of growing popu- larity. comicbooks.com