true competition-philosophy. That is the supreme law, governing differentiations, as it can be traced in religious nations; away down to individual life. The social world is a machine; every cog and wheel performing its own duty. This has been termed the creed of pessimism, but it is not.

Rather an incongruous development of ideas you must think, but the heading" must justify this abuse of good form.

THERE seems to be a belief prevalent that gentlemen, who try to deserve the title, by dressing tastefully and paying attention to certain rules of politeness, are "dudes." So much nonsense is circulated by way of sneering down the progressive tastes of the rising young men, that it takes a man of strong will, or violent "asthetic" enthusiasms, to dress in such a manner as would be deemed only commonplace in London or Paris. This is because people are morally cowards. Mr. Allan Forman in last week's Journalist" speaks of the old-time idea "that brains and a clean shirt are incompatible," in this following manner while alluding to Mr. F. M. White of "Life." Some years ago he was known when on the Times as "Dude " White. He always dressed with scrupulous care and exquisite taste. He was an ideal reporter. . . . . . I am glad to record his success because he belongs to the newspaper men of to-morrow; the rising class who have discovered that brains and a clean shirt are not incompatible. As between the brainy "dude” and the accomplished "Bohemian" of the old school I prefer the "dude" every time.

The above is truly refreshing and written in an unmistakable spirit of candour.

And let us assert, that you must import more of this so-called "dudishness" into journalism, if you wish to elevate its tone.

**

SPEAKING to a book-seller, last week, we asked which of the latest novels seemed to have the largest sale. He said that, with him, the "Silence of Dean Maitland" outsold every other book on hand. Miss Varian, of New York," he placed as second.

"

'The Deemster" he estimated came out as third.

This last-named is a powerful novel; of its kind perhaps the most powerful in years. It is strikingly original. To persons interested in Scotch or Welsh old customs and folk-lore it appeals specially. Mr. Wilson Barrett has seized upon the story, and is producing it upon the London boards under the title," Ben-ma-chree." Walter Besant's new book, "Herr Paulus," also is selling rapidly. The youthful authoress of "Miss Varian" has jumped into notoriety at a bound. The story contains little dramatic potency, neither are the characters strongly marked, but the writing bears the impress of skill and care. If this is the actual work of an unpractised hand, the authoress must have special ability, and will win fame; and money when the new international copyright theory wins the attention of the great law-makers.

SUMMER is almost here, and those who are so fortunate as to be able to "rusticate," without abstract loss, are to be envied. Light opera New York visitors will have in abundance. We think that the man who would try to spring Music-Drama upon us over-summer should be summarily lynched. It may be unlawful, but --. Dear Editor-There is no doubt but your staff of contributors are sincerely grateful for the respite afforded between the summer-season issues of THE THEATRE. Not that they lack a spirit of sympathy, but it is so hard to find dramatic or musical topics to write about during the period between May and October; that is, to be really interesting. The relation THE THEATRE bears to its contemporaries as a magazine,--yet without strictly adhering to the traditional lines of the Magazine form.-is peculiarly emphasized by your method of publication. It seems that this relativeness is not properly understood or defined. Your contemporaries should be generous enough to see the fact that THE THEATRE, in its way, gives a certain dignity to American dramatic journalism, and conflicts nowhere

with those able journals existing. Your monthly numbers will be read with quadruple interest, and no doubt, in quality and quantity, will be equal to condensing four into one, in a literal sense.

Daniel Spillane.

ENGLISH AND FRENCH THEATRES. ABOUT six months ago one of our leading newspapers published, as part of an interview with an actress, the statement that in England sixpence is charged for programmes. The same day another journal stated, upon the authority of a returned traveler, that "No theatre in Europe, excepting the Lyceum, run by Gilbert and Sullivan. furnishes programmes without charge." I should like to correct these misstatements, adding, at the same time, some notes about the theatres of London and Paris.

It is hardly necessary to say that Henry Irving manages the Lyceum, and that the noted pair of collaborators do not run any theatre, since the production of their works is entrusted to D'Oyley Carte, who controls the Savoy Theatre. However, at both these houses, as well as at the Prince's and Princess's Theatres, no charge is made for programmes. When a charge is made it is generally two-pence, a price that I have paid in Liverpool and at the London operahouses. An agreeable feature of all of these (excepting that of the Savoy) is the absence of matter not relating to the play. They are also printed in better style than most of those to which we are accustomed, those of the Lyceum being especially attractive.

It has been stated that when Mr. Daly visited London, four years ago, he introduced our style of theatre tickets, but I remember having seen similar ones at a neighboring theatre during the same season. However, he has, in return, made the patrons of his own theatre acquainted with the kind of ticket that is usually seen in London theatres, viz., a blank form with space for name of purchaser and numbers of seats. The prices that one pays for these

bits of paper are certainly higher than ours, the usual price for orchestra stalls being a half guinea, but Americans, who so frequently call this exorbitant, should not only bear in mind the class distinctions that exist in England, but also that one-third of the seats on the lower floor, constituting the pit, are sold for two shillings each, thus reducing the average price to about one dollar and eighty cents. The nightly receipts are, therefore, not much larger than if the manager adopted our scale of prices, and, while he taxes the upper classes a dollar more, he is thereby enabled to charge the lower classes a dollar less, and the greengrocer who pays but two "bob" for his seat can see "Faust" nearly as well as his more or less royal patron whose ten and sixpence Las procured him a stall in the orchestra. And I mean see in a literal sense, for, if he comes early enough to get a place in the front of the pit, he is not called upon to imagine that Margaret's garden extends nearly across the auditorium, and that the ingenuous maiden has placed inverted flower-pots over her cuttings to shelter them from the sun's rays. No, he looks across rows of bonnetless women and men in evening dress. Cloak-rooms being provided for the former, they are not allowed to enter the orchestra stalls until they have removed their head-coverings. This measure seems arbitrary, but how we should like to see it enforced here!--we, who have so long been accustomed to have a portion of the stage screened from our view by those monstrosities of millinery that claim Parisian descent, but which, in their glaring bad taste and obtrusiveness are anything but French. Doubtless many New Yorkers would pay a dollar extra were they assured of an unobstructed view at the theatre.

Other customs that are noticeable because of their unfamiliarity are the occasional employment of female ushers; the passing of ices, and, in the pit, ginger pop, etc., between the acts; the brass checks that make such a disagreeable racket when dropped in the door-keeper's tin-box. There seems to be little or no window advertising, and the

large posters that, in this country, savor so much of the circus in their exaggerated descriptions, are less conspicuous. The plain red bills of the Lyceum Theatre seem like old friends, so familiar have they become to us here.

In the Parisian theatres we are even less at home than in those of London. There is no standing-room, and instead of the familiar balcony and dress circle we see tiers of boxes rising one above the other, with a gallery at the top. There is a pit, containing reserved seats, but to this and the orchestra stalls in front no women are admitted, although an effort was made during the past winter to modify this rule so as to admit them to the orchestra. At the opera they may occupy this part of the house whenever a performance is given on Saturday night. Here the pit occupies the middle portion of the lower floor, leaving room at the back for a raised section of seats which are the best in the house and to which women are at all times admitted. These seats cost about three dollars and a half, the orchestra stalls three dollars, and the pit about half as much. Good thirdtier boxes may be had for about two dollars a seat. At the Français orchestra stalls and seats in boxes cost a dollar and a half to two dollars and a half. All these figures include an extra charge of about forty cents that is made for reserving the seats. This custom is universal, there being always two schedules of prices, “de location” and “de bureau." The tickets are blank forms of colored paper which are filled out by old women, who, being prone to take their own time, allow purchasers to do the same while selecting seats from the model of the auditorium. Admission tickets are sold at the Eden Theatre, but that house is so constructed that directly behind the single gallery there is a large foyer affording a view of the stage. Most of the theatres are unattractive in appearance, lacking in proper ventilation, and, as proved by the official investigation of last May, quite unsafe, though all have since then complied, more or less, with the requirements of the law. I

remember that the Châtelet was obliged to close its doors, last June, in the midst of a prosperous run, and that the manager felt that he was being dealt with rather too severely, but the Opéra Comique fire had roused the authorities to a more rigid enforcement of the law. The effects of bad ventilation are in some instances being overcome by the introduction of the incandescent lights. This not only renders the Opéra comfortable in warm weather, but adds greatly to the appearance of the interior, since it shows the beautiful frescoes in a better light and will prevent them from being blackened a second time by smoke and gases.

One notes the absence of entr'acte music in French theatres, and feels that this custom is preferable to that which prevails here of playing inappropriate music. Certainly silence is better than a medley of popular songs, which I have heard the orchestra play as the curtain fell upon “Othello,” with Booth as lago. The employment of female ushers and box-openers is a disagreeable feature, for they are so persistent in their efforts to get possession of all the clothing that you can remove, which service (?) they expect a fee, as well as for opening your box and loaning you a cushion and foot-stool. One cannot get rid of them, for, holding the keys to the box, they are, for the time, his jailers. However, each country has its institutions, and if foreign customs do not suit us we must remember that we have the choice of remaining at home.

for

Programmes are sold at four cents each, and may be purchased outside the theatre. They are, in reality, four-page newspapers, which are published daily, and bear various names. They contain the programmes of all the theatres, one or two pages being devoted to advertisements and theatrical news. Sometimes the first page contains a large copy of the programme of a particular theatre, and on each side of this a small photograph of the two leading artists that are in the cast. They are generally badly printed and unpleasant to handle, but contain one

excellent feature, about which we are frequently quite neglectful-they always print the name or names of the authors (if an opera, that of the librettist always precedes), and also the character of the piece, the number of acts, and the hour of commence

ART CHAT.

THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARTISTS.

III. AND LAST.

Tis a great pity that the paintings in

usual size and style;

Ce soir, à l'Odéon, premiére représenta- | tion de Mademoiselle Dargens, comédie en trois actes, en prose, de M. Henri Amic:

It will be noticed that only the last names of the actors are given, excepting where a similarity of names exists, as in this example, where the simple initial M. distinguishes Mme. Samary from her namesake at the Français.

The French reduce theatrical advertising to a minimum, the following being the exact space that the four leading theatres occupy in the column of "L Figaro." They do not announce any future productions, not even the next day's bill, in this column. any information of that sort being furnished by the column of theatrical news.

Programmes des Theatres.

OPERA. -8h. Rigoletto; Coppélia.

They are hung so high and the gallery is so narrow, and at night the gas so low down that the faces in most of the fulllength portraits can hardly be distinguished

at all.

We are really not quite sure whether we have ever seen the true colors in Mr. Sargent's "Portrait of a Lady." At times the face is so yellow as to be decidedly objectionable. As a full-length figure, both the painting and drawing are noticably weak. The hands are placed one upon the other in the most nervous fashion and the gloves upon them are clumsy. The combination of colors of the draperies are not easily described. Pink, if we remember rightly, predominates, and blue or green comes in, failing however to harmonize. In no way does this compare with Mr. Sargent's best work, nor is it equal at all to his" Academy" portrait.

* *黃

RUDGER DONOHO who is known for the most part as a landscape painter gives most welcome proof of his ability to paint a portrait also. His subject is himself. The work is executed with broadness, yet not lacking in finish. W. M. Chase has, as well as the landscapes mentioned heretofore. three paintings with figures: A hallway or room in which children are sketched playing "Hide and Seek;" another is a Mother and Child," the mother being in a Japanese gown, she has her back toward us and the head turned toward her left shoulder. This picture is evidently a hasty study and there is really not much to it, but it is executed with most perfect facility. The third canvas is a "Portrait of Mr. Cheeks," a rising young painter who has studied under Mr. Chase. The likeness is striking, but neither the figure nor the face have ease or repose.

IRVING R. WILES is represented by a fair "Portrait" of a lady in a tiger-skin cloak, and a charming walk underneath spreading trees which throw their shadows irregularly across it. This even excels the lawn landscape in the north gallery of the Academy, by the same artist.

**

C. C. CURRAN'S" Evening in the Studio" is hung to high to be properly seen, and the yellow lamp-light in it does not show to advantage in the evening. It is a very delicately-painted picture however, with graceful lines in the composition. (This is also 'engraved as an illustration to our paper on "The Art Student in New York' in this month's American Magazine). We praise the composition again as we have done so often previously, so as to be able to object to it in the other exhibit by Mr. Curran : "A Study in Sunlight." The erect figure of the girl in the middle of the canvas, with the two lines at right angles to her of the clothes-basket and the clothes-line does not make an agreeable combination. Mr. Curran is seldom, however, caught making a faulty composition. There is some wonderfully faithful sunlight effects inthis canvas.

**

KENYON COX is represented by three works. An ambitious panel-shaped painting almost life-size is of "Jacob Wrestling with the Angel;" it is one of those pictures which one would hesitate before pronouncing a failure, and yet which one feels at the first glance are not successes. We certainly can say that Mr. Cox has treated a worthy theme in a worthy manner. There is nothing commonplace or vulgar about the color, and many of the lines of the picture are exceedingly powerful.

In Mr. Cox's design Jacob is "the fine figure of a man" with extraordinarily well developed muscles. Evidently after the painter had finished modeling this figure he had some surplus flesh left over which he forthwith utilized in creating a companion. Eva, which we behold in the single figured nude which Mr. Cox calls" Indian Summer." One would not like to guess at what figure this woman would tip the scales.

The third exhibit of this artist is far more welcome. It is a realistic" Portrait" of the sculptor, Augustus St. Gaudens at work on a bas-relief.

Few painters in America could paint a man in his shirt sleeves, coatless, in truth his undershirt half way down his arm, as artisticly as Mr. Cox has done. The picture is replete and complete with detail: sponge,

clay, etc., have absolute existence, yet no objectional detail obtrudes itself, not a single object plays more than its part in the ensemble. The hands of the sculptor should have been mentioned in last week's Chat with the expressive hands in the pictures of this exhibition. The exhibition closes today.

THE ACADEMY EXHIBITION.

VI.

It would be a lengthy task to enumerate the pleasing landscapes in exhibition this year, and difficult, indeed, to pick out from among them the most interesting ones. Here is a low-land scene which may please one person, there a hill-side view which another may admire more; both are equally good in execution. There is no dearth of promising landscape artists in America.

WILLIAM MERRITT POST, who has been exhibiting at the Academy for but four years. has a charming view, "On the Ipswich River" (574). Charles Warren Eaton's Winter Moonrise" (350) is a very simple subject handled with great directness by the artist. His brother's canvas, "A Wet Day in October" (344), (Charles Harry Eaton), is one of the most effective pictures in the South Gallery. The reflection of the sky in the rain-water, which still lies in the ruts in the road, is admirably felt in the color of the picture. R. M. Shurtleff's "In Autumn Woods" (148) is probably the most brilliant landscape in the North Gallery; it is the best work the artist has exhibited for years. True, it lacks subtlety in the color arrangement, and more grey and less yellow would be far more pleasing to the eye.

The same fault, a prominence of one color, is found in Walter L. Palmer's winter scene, On the Bozen Kill" (529); the amount of blue in it kills it for a gallery picture; no connoisseur would ever be so uncharitable as to hang it next a painting that he valued. One of the landscapes, most beautiful in color and transparent in its shadows, is Bruce Crane's "A Landscape, Connecticut" (249), in the East Gallery.