Their Influence upon Dramatic Literature. By scenery is meant the paintings in perspective and movable with the change of place represented in the play.

The word "properties" we find technically applied to the appurtenances of the stage in England as early as 1511. In an account of the furniture used for the play of St. George during the Revels at Court in that year, properties" and property making" are both used. The person in

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arrived there.

In the estimates of the Revels in 1563 the "properties" for five plays at Windsor are mentioned several times. The "tireman," as well as the “book-holder" (the prompter), is also spoken of by Ben Jonson in the induction to his play, "Cynthia's Revels," and both are mentioned by many other dramatic writers of that time.

As long ago as 1561 the public theatres only had, instead of scenery, besides the curtain in front, other curtains at the back of the stage. These were called "traverses," and served to indicate another inner apartment, when one was needed. These were also afterward called arras." In "Hamlet" we find Polonius places himself behind the "arras." Beds, chairs, and other "properties" needed on the stage, were thrust on through these hangings.

In one

Painted scenery was as yet unknown at the public theatres as late as 1594. of the oldest historical plays extant, "Semilus, Emperor of the Turks," published in that year, we find a stage direction in proof of this fact. The hero is conveying the dead body of his father in a solemn funeral procession to the temple of Mahomet. With great simplicity the audience is told by one of the characters on the stage: "Suppose this the temple of Mahomet." This piece was performed by the Queen's players, who would certainly have had

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IN order to indicate the place where the action of the play was laid, a board was frequently hung up by the speaker of the prologue, in view of the audience, with the name of the place painted on it. At other times, as in Kyd's "Spanish Tragedy," in 1588, it was formally announced by Hieronimo, one of the characters, who simply said, "Our scene is Rhodes." This was also done with the title of the play, by Hieromino saying to Bathazar, "hang up the title."

In "Wily Beguiled," the prologue-speaker, as late as 1606, asks another actor what the name of the play is, and the answer is, "Sir, you may look upon the title." Sometimes the speaker of the prologue carried the title in his hand. In Brome's "Antipodes," in alluding to the title hung in sight of the audience, the prologue-speaker says:

"Our far fetch'd title, over land and seas,
Offers unto your views The Antipodes."

WHILE this was the state of affairs at the public theatres, Collier, in his searches, meets with accounts in the expenses of the Revels which prove that painted scenes, though not movable ones, were employed in the performances at Court as early as 1568. In connection with one play, "Strato's House," Dobbin's House," Orestes' House," and the "Palace of Prosperity" are mentioned as having been painted. William Lyzard was paid for "paynting the houses that served the playes and players," and John Izarde for "a device for counterfeiting thunder and lightning" for the Revels of 1571-2. In the next year Lady Peace was lodged in "a castle," Appollo and the Muses were represented on a mount with a fountain." In 1573 a charge is made for "pins used in hanging painted cloths." In the next year "a contrivance for exhibiting the sun breaking through a cloud" was paid for, as was in 1576 “a painted cloth and two frames," and in 1578 “for a burning mountain." In 1580 Lyzarde was paid for painting "Seven Cities: one country house, one battlement, a movement, and two great cloths."

versities for the getting-up of such exhibitions. The poet Heywood says that Jones, for the performance of his "Love's Mistress," "changed the stage to every Act, and almost to every scene." In a play before the King and Queen, in August of the same year, Jones produced eight scenes for one play, and contrived to eclipse the sun and to dash out the fire of an altar by a deluge of rain.

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FROM Fleckno's "Short Discourse of the Stage," however, we learn that not until about 1664, movable scenery had been introduced at the public theatres.

In 1672, Corey in the prologue to his "Generous Enemies" has the following lines:

"Your aged fathers came to plays for wit,

And sat knee-deep in nut-shells in the pit; Coarse hangings then, instead of scenes, were worn, And Kidderminster did the stage adorn." Kidderminster then, as now, was noted for the manufacture of carpets.

WITH what rapid strides, scenic effects and stage appointments have been advancing since then, and specially of late years, need not, for the present, be elaborated on here.

Their influence upon dramatic literature generally cannot be misconceived.

Collier says, in his "History of English Dramatic Poetry:" "The introduction of scenry gives the date to the commencement of the decline of our dramatic poetry. Our old dramatists unquestionably luxuriated in passages descriptive of natural or artificial beauty, because they felt that their auditors would have nothing before their eyes to contradict their poetry. They brought their patrons into contact with the best and the most interesting personages of every period of history; with the noblest, the wittiest, the tenderest, the bravest and the purest characters of humanity or fiction. This made every auditor a denizen of all nations—a contemporary of all ages, by the mere force and beauty of language.

WHAT a most fortunate circumstance for our old English dramatic literature, that, at that time, the imagination of the auditor was only appealed to, and that, to the absence of painted scenery and stage appointments, we owe so many of the finest passages in Shakespeare and his contemporaries, and a few immediate followers. Their creations are as sublime as ever.

The dramatists of those days wrote no plays around a shipwreck or a railroad "smash-up." The patrons of the theatre had, at that time, no use for fire-engine or tank-playmakers.

With the advance in and desire for stagerealism of to-day, I am sorry to say, we now have. Of course the writers, who resort to these substitutes for motive in plays, can place but a very low estimate upon the general intelligence of that portion of the public which patronizes their productions. The worst of it is that they insist that that is what the public wants.

If that were really so, would not the true lover of the dramatic art be justified in comparing the majority of the theatre patrons with the raven in the following lines:

"The raven flies by the fair Arabian spiceries,

Her pleasant gardens and delightsome parks,
Seeming to curse them with his hoarse exclaims,
And yet doth stoop with hungry violence
Upon a piece of hateful carrion."

It is a very serious question, which the conscientious critic ought not to answer hastily, whether even such incomparably artistic stage illusions as those exhibited in Irving's production of "Faust," are a benefit to the future of dramatic literature.

But, what next, after the "fire-engine " or "tank" play? Aye, what next? Steele Mackaye says, the Guillotine.

ART CHAT.

THE Metropolitan Museum of Art was brought into undue public notice some years ago by the Cesnola investigation case. And again, to-day, they are washing some private linen in open view in the episode of the removal of Mr. J. Ward Stimson from the management of their Art Schools.

Were they a second-class actor seeking notoriety by some breach of behavior, they could not do much more in the way of exhibiting personalities than they have done.

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As for Mr. Stimson, had he spent the last four years in painting one simple picture, devoting as much vital force to its production as he has nurturing care to the Metropolitan Art School, and had he exhibited the same as the one effort of his life, it is doubtful if he would have received onetenth the newspaper notoriety that he has, consequent to his personal squabble with the Museum's Director, Mr. Richard Hoe!

This is not meant for a slur on Mr. Stimson. It is not meant to intimate that he is an artist of any mean ability, but when we think of what is the general course of the daily press toward art productions, this extraordinary interest in a little personal quarrel up at the 49th Street Schools is particularly amusing.

And it is a question whether Mr. Stimson had not done better in refraining from the attack on Mr. Hoe which he (Mr. Stimson) published in Tuesday's Times.

Not that he does not make out a good case, for he certainly does, and he has a right to defend his good name and the resolution sent him informing him of his discharge, and giving him the lie direct by saying that "his written statement was not sustained by facts," certainly reflected upon his good name. Yet in his tirade against Mr. Hoe, Mr. Stimson seemed to be too ready to lay his own petty grievances before the public. His epithets "maker of printing presses," to Mr. Hoe, and "gentle Irish landlord," to Mr. Cassidy, were not at all | comme il faut, as Mr. Hoe is one of our influential citizens, and whether he made printing presses or pictures could in no wise effect his standing as a gentleman and man of taste and refinement in this city. The "Irish" landlord was a still more unhappy expression as it is the most plebeian form of attack to hurl the fact of a man's nationality at him in an argument. Goodnaturedness if any dominal characteristic. is what should be ascribed to the Irish tem

perament, was not, according to Mr. Stimson's story, one of Mr. Cassidy's attributes.

Without doubt Mr. Stimson wrote in haste and under a great strain, and as he makes a good defense for himself, he should be pardoned for some sudden slips of the pen.

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THOSE who are best able to judge, the students of the school and many of his fellow-teachers, show no lack of enthusiastic championship of Mr. Stimson's cause.

And the fact is, that Mr. Stimson has done more than any other man in New York-I won't say could have done, but, would have done for the Metropolitan Art Schools. No other man would have, under the adverse circumstances in which he had to work at first, pushed ahead year after year as Mr. Stimson did, moulding the school from a sickly, lifeless affair into a robust, living power as an art educator. Mr. Stimson did not follow in any old roots but struck out, with indominable will, in a new direction: he combined instruction in the general principals of art with practical instruction in art applied to manufacture. He made it possible for those with small means to study a branch of art, in which they could reach proficiency sooner than in oil-painting; to those with whom it would be impossible to give up year after year of their lives to study without any returns, but who after gaining the knowledge which enabled them to utilize their artistic talents, could perhaps, later on, by being employed, say, during the summer only and saving out of their earnings enough to enable them to study during the winter, perfect themselves in that art, or enter into higher branches.

There are many scholars in Mr. Stimson's school who could have obtained no such assistance from any other school in New York. They owe their ability to earn a living by their art to him.

His school has been a success, and I hope things will be so arranged that he may obtain justice from the trustees, and continue his prosperous management until the Metropolitan Art School does become, as was his design, a first-class practical University of

Art.

MENDELSSOHN AT WORK.

"WHEN I do not not feel inclined to compose, there is the conducting and rehearsing, and it is quite a pleasure to see how pluckily things go; and then this place is so charmingly diminutive that you always | fancy yourself in your room; and yet it is complete in its way. There is an opera and a choral society, an orchestra, church music, a public, and even a small opposition; it is simply delightful. I have joined a society for the improvement of our stage, and we are now rehearsing the 'Wasserträger; it is quite touching to see with what eagerness, what appetite, the singers pounce upon every hint, and what trouble they take, if anybody will be at the pains of teaching them: how they strain every nerve, and really make our performances as perfect as can be imagined, considering the means at our disposal. Last December I gave Don Juan' (it was the first time Î conducted an opera in public), and I can assure you many things went better and with more precision than I have heard them at some of the large and famous theatres, because, from first to last, everyone concerned went in for it heart and soul; well, we had twenty rehearsals. The lessee of the theatre had, however, thought fit to raise the prices on account of the heavy expenses, and when, at the first performance of 'Don Juan,' the curtain rose, the malcontent section of the public called for Mr. Derossi like mad, making a tremendous disturbance; after five minutes, order being restored, we began, and went through the first act splendidly, constantly accompanied by applause; but lo! and behold! as the curtain rises for the second act, the uproar breaks out afreash, with redoubled vigor and persistence. Well, I felt inclined to hand the whole concern over to the archfiend-never did I conduct under such trying circumstances. The opposition consists mainly of beerhouse keepers and waiters; in fact, by four o'clock P. M. half Düsseldorf is intoxicated; anybody wanting to see me must call be- . tween eight and nine in the morning; it is quite useless attempting to transact any kind of business in the afternoon."-From "Mendelssohn's Letters to Moscheles," by WILLIAM F. APTHORP, in Scribner's Magazine for February.

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COQUELIN gave a private performance during his stay at Constantinople on board Mr. Vanderbilt's yacht, which was lying in the Bosphorus, and at which only the owner of the vessel and his wife were present. The charge for this representation was £500.