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^.DECEMBER 3, 1910. Yh B 1,11boar d IThe American Drama and Dramatist The history of drama and dramatist? in America, discloses the fact that this country has not been prolific In dra matic authors. The list of those who have produced works that have lived the required time to become standard or classic Is very small, but this list, howbeit terse, contains a few of in- ternational fame. Dramatizations and adaptations, have In recent years been found far more profitable than author- t ship, and the present system of one Person star acting, has subordinated author, adapter and the army of actors alike to the one chief performer. Hence, many of the pieces that have attained popularity in recent years, are known almost wholly by the name of the star actor or actress. A few years ago. patrons of the drama went to see Brown's Deluge; now they generally go to see Smith In the Deluge. And so, with few exceptions, the author or adapter has become a personage con- sidered of little importance. As pre- viously noted, the list of American dramatists la small and with but few shining lights. Robert M. B.lrd. whose lifetime was from 1803 to 1854, wrote three tragedies. I. e.. The Gladiator (In which Edwin Forrest achieved one of his most pronounced successes). Or- aloosa, and the Broker of Bogota, in 182S, George H. Boker. of Philadel- phia, began his earthly existence, and amid his public and other literary duties, produced the tragedies, Calay- nos. In 1848, and Anne Boleyn, In 1850. Leonor de Guzman, Francesca da Rim- ini. The Betrothal, and The Widow's Marriage, are among others from his David Paul Brown was" born In 1T95. His penchant wis law, and dur- ing his services at the bar, he devel- oped a literary ability, which gave to the stage the tragedy Sortorlus. or the Roman Patriot. In this drama the elder Booth appeared in the title role. Among his other dramatic effusions may be mentioned a melodrama, called The Trial. The Prophet of St. Paul's, and a farce. Love and Honor. Brown died at the ripe old age of 77 years. Bartley Campbell, who Is considered the most prolific of American dram- atists was born in 1843. His extreme application to the writing of dramas resulted In Insanity and death. He died during the year 1888. Principal among his works were: Through Fire, produced In 1871; Peril, written the following year; Fate. Risks, The Vir- ginian, and Gran Vale, produced In 1874: On the Rhine. Heroine In Rags. How Women Love, the title of which was later changed to The Vigilante*. Clio, Fairfax or Life In the Sunny South. My Partner. The Galley Slave, My Qeraldine, Siberia, Paqulta, The White Slave, and Matrimony. Another student of the law whose dramatic efforts were famous in their time, was Robert T. Conrad. He was i In 1810. and lived until 1858. His work was noticeable In Aylmere, which tragedy Edwin Forrest bought outright from the author, and In which he appeared for many yean. He took the part of Jack Cade, and the fame of the actor In that character grad- ually led the play to be better known by the principal part than tta title. Conrad wrote a tragedy which he called The Heretic, but It Is the gen- eral belief that this play was never put on the stage. Augustln Daly, born in 1838, besides -adapting many French and German works, wrote Divorce, Pique, Horizon, and Under the Gaslight. In 1852, the noted platform lecturer, Anna E. Dickinson was born. During her career, she wrote A Crown of Thorns, and appeared In the principal role during 1876. Later she wrote Aurellan for John McCullough. Julia Ward Howe, contributed The World's Own to dramatic literature, and also wrote Hippolytus for Edwin Booth. The former was played at Wallack's Theatre, in 1885. but the latter has never been published nor acted. » Joseph Stevens Jones, born In 1811, and who died in 1877, was credited with the authorship'of more than 200 plays, among which the best known are: The Silver Spoon, Solon Shingle. Eugene Aram, Siege of Boston, Moll Pitcher, The Carpenter of Rouen. The While America was still a colony, or to give the exact date. William Dunlap was born In 1766. He was an artist, but his two most important literary efforts. The Father, and Andre, met with considerable favor and enthu- siasm. Mr. Dunlap died In 1839. A prologue to the rollicking panto- mime. Huoipty Dumpty, was written by Abraham Oakley Hall, for a period Mayor of New York. This statesman also wrote The Crucible, in which he appeared as Wllmot Klerton. Branson Howard was born In 1841. To him might be applied the distinc- tion of being the father of the society play In America. His chief writings ere: Saratoga, produced In 1870; Dia- monds, in 1872: Hurricane. 1878: The Banker's Daughter, the same year; Wives, 1879: Toung Mrs. Wlnthrop. 1882; One of Our Girts, 1886; and Met by Chance, produced In 1887. Surgeon of Paris, The Last Dollar, Paul Revere, and Captain Lascar. It was In the Silver Spoon that Wm. Warren, as Jefferson Scattering Bat- ktns, achieved one of his earlier Anna Cora Mowatt, born In 1819. and who died In 1870. was an actress ot exceptional ability, a writer of pleas- ing fiction, and the author of three plays. Guizara, The Persian Slave, Fashion, a comedy, and Armand or the Peer and the Peasant. James Kirk Paulding, a friend of and collaborator with Washington Ir- ving, acknowledged authorship of a volume of comedies. Including the Buck tails, or the American In England. He was assisted in these by his son, Washington Irving Paulding. He was born in 1779, and died In I860. John Howard Payne (1792-1862) author of a large number of dramas. It was In his Clarl. or the Maid of Milan, that he Introduced his eternal song. Home. Sweet Home. His Brutus, a tragedy, was produced In 1818, with Edmund Kean In the prin- cipal part, and his Charles the Second was a favorite with Charles Kemble. Epes Sargent wrote a five-act play. The Bride of Genoa, for Josephine Clifton, and a tragedy, Velasco, for Ellen Tree. Harriet Beecher Stowe, with no In- tention of producing a work for dra- matic presentation, invested Uncle Tom's Cabin, with such a wealth and completeness of dramatic requisites, that the book fell almost naturally into the lines and situations of stage action. Uncle Tom's Cabin proved one of the most thrilling dramas the world has ever Nathaniel Parker Willis (1807-67) wrote two dramas, Tortesa, the Usurer, and Bianca Vlscontl. and Samuel Wood worth (1785-1842) produced sev- eral dramas, but the fame of his i The Old Oaken Bucket, of all his other writings. Of the present day dramatic authors whose works can stand the test of public opinion, there are but very few. David Belasco, the peer of living American dramatists, has one or two plays to his credit that have withstood several seasons of hard usage. Clyde Fitch has written a few plays that may live out another generation, and there may be one or two i who will be children and grandchildren of who read this article, have attained the age. of theatre-going, but that is all. American dramatic literature of- fers nothing that can be immortalized. England, France, Germany and other European countries have produced writers and are of : round. Shakespeare. Mollere. and others too numerous to here, will delight the Intelligent play- goer. America, first in industry, greatest in wealth and grandest In Its govern- ment. Is lacking In the finer arts. Not only has It produced less artists, fewer musicians and a smaller number of writers than Its older relatives, but Its people are without the temperament and artistic qualities so delightful in our European cousins. We must, however, consider this: No country has achieved such remarkable progress as America. In the records of ment as Is the case of the United States. If we must acknowledge an inferiority in artistic developments, we can point to our Industrial achieve- ments with more pride than any other nation. We are a young nation. Shakespeare's advent was sixteen hun- dred years after the Christian era be- gan. Our greatest writers (with few exceptions) have lived in the past three or four centuries. If we could glimpse Into the future, perhaps visions of even greater writers than our Immortal poets and authors would be revealed to us. Who knows what great genius may be morrow?