The question as to the usefu'nyss or otherwise of dramatic criticisim—whether its agency good plays live longer, or occasionally "die sooner—has been brought before the public Intely through several letters which have appeared on the subject in a leading daily paper. The O. P Club—which largely consists of dramatic authors, critics and men more or less directly interested in matters theatrical—naturally felt the matter was one about which they were entitled to give an opinion, so last Sunday, their President, Mr. Carl Hentschel, called a special meeting for its discussion, and, in orler to secure expert evidence, he previously framed a series of questions under the heading of Are Dramatic Critics of any Use?
hose he posted to most of our leading critics, actors, and actress ndaskedthem, in case they should be unable to he present at the debate, to let him have their replies before the meeting took place in order that their views might be recorded at the meet ing.
The questions ran as follows.
(1) Are dramatic orities of author, (b) actor, (¢) man (2) Is the prosperity of plays affected by dramatic criticism (3) Would that criticism be likely to be re independent if the writers paid for eir seats (4) Would it be fairer to if the critique after seeing:—(a) the final dress tele (0) the first public performs any subsequent performance HOLLOWAY'S PILLS. Weary of life.
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Of all the replies Mr. G. Bernard Shaw's was the most original. He considered critics useless to all concerned, and with regard to the last series of questions he replied that they were not to the point. "You might as well ask me whether Mr, Rudyard Kipling's stories are of any use to the Indian Government, the Army, or the Zoological Gardens, A dramatic criticism is " work of literary art, useful only to the people who enjoy reading dramatic criticisms,.and generally more or less hurtful to everyone else concerned. A criticism may be incidentally useful by acting as an advertisement, just as ay epidemic may be incidentally useful by promoting sunitation; but that is not its purpose and cannot be its justification."
Several actors and actresses who con tributed their views considered that every critic should seo.a piece at least three times before judging it—at dress rehearsal, first night, imd after a lapse of ten days. or a fortnight. It occurred to me that' if thas idea were carried out the stall of eritict would have to be largely augmented, as is
are ax many as four first nights in West End 8 happens tit in one week there theatres alone, and may be one or te more in suburban houses, sv one would be kept busy. Mr. Cyril "Maude, although approves of exticismy, reurked that in hin belief it could neither make nor mar a play, as he had a vivid recollection of having levee for over 270 nights in a piece which lad been heartily damned by the Press, and for painfully few nights in another which had been remarkably gushed over.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.