Show r rug Letter I 5 I H 2 Tho Big Critics v Declared e nr on tho r 5 2 Trust An Estimate E of ot tho Lending Leading of ot 5 5 5 2 Dramatic Opinion lon by y Ono One of ot Them Thom 5 5 2 c 5 L n n nm U 2 I U MUM Special Correspondence nce Now York Feb 11 nAt At present the Theatric suffered severely In finance mind fame famo by J their this season is engaged In an attempt to stultify the tho SlOwer of or the dramatic critics of or New York Before Bufore these th se wor wore worthies worthies thies are arc overthrown by Jy the Octopus It may mil be Interesting Inter to chronicle them themas ns liS the arena areal martyrs while they were being Ing devoured by Ly wild animals used I to cry In their final breath to Caesar I Tough h proportions every one of ot them Pow l ol die dla end none noD surrender Unac linac Unaccountably tho the newspapers being wIng en ell entreated entreated treated and threatened by tho the trust re me remain reo main contumacious anti and will not dis rut theIr critics won Hili hi to the time wrath of ot the time Worm Indeed such urh Is in the humor of or this town the this anguish of the theatric syndicate i es ell rather than thlin aroused the sympathy of or our managing editors The critics crItic themselves find a n now new Joy jO In life and andIn andIn In a U way ft that Is liS quite distressing to contemplate proceed to frosh tr h Ingenuities to torment the Octopus I ThAt monster Is having what the Trench F term a n bad quarter of ot an all hour He lie In is beset by b nightmares every night nl ht for he hI never ncr knows In what new style tl the time critics will prick his hide and rub acid In next morning Pity lIty the sor sorrows sorrows rows of or a poor po r old It Is a IL mod modern modera ern era bush compelled to battle with I Journalistic Davids each of or whom is II isa IIa isa a man of or wit wt WINTER OP OF O TUB TIlE First is William Winter He lie Is the doyen doyon of or our guild gUilt by Ly age OKe service and renown He lie tans has ha occupied the critics critic chair in the Tribune for tor five live and forty years He Ill was IU a 11 friend of or Dana 11 nf of Horace OrI Gr Nn vast CO to his appearance is venerable than his actions He lie Is youthful In II heart and limbs Not ot long ago ngo a II couple of or I burly footpads topped him in the tte ut 2 In tha th morning o ohe lie as liehe asbe he be was going home bomo from fromma tho tIme Tribune office Mr Winter darted between them theta and ltd tho time robber such Nuch a n race that they were forced by lack of ot wind to abandon pursuit of or him The Tho doyen Is little more than titan five live feet Ceet high but trim In figure and amid with a II line lino head lIell ills His hair Is Ii I snow white whit and a 1111 abundant n t His tuve In III like a n cameo He le 1 I is the time handsomest of or orull all ull tint th critics and time the greatest At M Atthe Atthe the theater he lie always wears brown gloves several enral sizes too laro Inne for tor hU hands but when tho the ploy piny U is 01 lib hb hi handles It without gloves HP lie hits has the wit vit of ot Jeffreys the thu th Macauley M and thu time style of ot f Addition ol He lIe la is n a friend an Implacable enemy When ho lie likes n II h as all lit lie liken Ada lIa Behan and nothing wilt will H him from kindliness When he dl a It player as us he dislikes Sa Sarah Sarah rah mb Bernhardt and Mrs Mra Carter r noth nothing nothIng ing will move moro him to kindliness In hU his wrath he lie writes with u II two edged sword and und there Is nothing loft left of or time the actor except minced meat In III his habit ns nil he II lives live to quote Hamlet Mr Win Whim tor tr Is of ot mild and amid amiable humor AH All AHun Allun un tin speaker ct not even evell Chauncey Depew CW can cnn compare re him Ills poems mind and criticisms ms select selected s lect ud ed and published in iii book Jook form tonn at nt Inter Intervals vals ais al are url classics even In III time tho life lICo time of It If their author This nun Utile little man Is the time biggest man maim we ve have The fill Time The Theatric utile atric Trust affects to overlook him him be because cause the Tribune is not a n yellow Jour 1101 mm and has hams a 1 comparatively small alt olt Tho Time venerable critic Is U thrust Into bad touts at nt the tho theater th ter behind now new ephemeral nod bawdy Hut wherever William Winter Vinter sits mitts thotIs Is I the th head of or the time critics round table and however he may mn be Jc treated by L Ir tm Irreverent reverent managers the guild honors him mightily S OF OP POST Of or the same kidney Is of ot the Post is n a 1 writer without any uny souse sense sen e of or humor He lie takes himself seriously and pro tito Judgment with the dl ut ul t of or a n JUdge on a 1 bench Lencl He Ite all aim admirable style of ot exact quality anti and his imis reviews of lit Worthy plays and amid actors declare a l value seldom Idom discovered In journalism His Ills fault nult Is that he lie cannot unbend but ap up applies plies the same rules of url art to farce HB us to 10 the time classics and ln studies James Powers I as QS carefully ns as he lie Henry Irving Irvine Mr Mi ToWe Tow Is la n II blond man luau middle sized with a II face like thu the Duke of ot Wellington rind an inflexible disposition Several papers have havo tried to secure his hla pen but no offer ever evor huB has tempted him to forsake tile the Post to whose hose readers he lie Is as its the law III IV and gospel in art FYLES PYLES AND HUNEKER Next In ago age and dignity until this pennon was Franklin Fyles FYle Ho III was wason wason on the Sun for tor seven SOVen and nd twenty tent years Trust was his overthrow He Ire was too friendly with tIme the syndicate He lIe fought for It and against Its It II ene mils mien valorous valorously No one on ever oer has ques questioned the time honesty of or tills this critic except Mrs Flake Fiske who sho finding the Hun iun her bitterest foe toe when wh n she site began to pie gie If against the oppression of oC the tIme Thea rhea Theatric trio Trust fought back spiritedly Our plucky actress delivered lectures and Breeches hes in her own defense anti nd ao tic accused the Sun Bun of ot matters that made good rending residing but unpleasant memory A 4 new business manager engaged for tor that paper found that while the thu Trust rewarded tho thu Suns lid by no nomore nomore nomore more than the usual advertising the tue Independent theaters gave gao It less lees than the customary business The result of ot the mutter matter was that thal Mr Ir place In Inthe Inthe the Sun chico is now tilled filled to tho the gen gell general eral emal satisfaction by James The lne new critic crille Is not an n Unknown l writ writer er cm r hut but one well established In the tho ap tip applause of or the public Huneker won on lame fame as ns u a music critic but he bi can write brilliantly on en tiny any art theme th me Ho Ito Is the tue theauthor th author of ot the standard work on Chopin and amid Is now engaged on ott an nn equally Im Ira volume on Liszt No iiI man knows morn more about music than Huneker and no mao man writes mites better hotter on till thi drama he Is time the must most scholarly of ot all the guild being heln essentially e a ii 1 student stu ent of ot letters leters His Ills criticisms ms written hastily In a telegraph ollice after utter a perform performance i I once Alice have all the flavor of ot the midnight j i joil oil 01 next morning lie He possesses s a n nice sense of ot proportion and amid treats a Clyde I Fitch play piny pia ns us lightly as IlS he lie handles a I or drama gravely Bravely Huneker does not care tup up I pence for tor the Trust or th the Independent Ho lie 11 Is II absolutely Impart arid rid although I occasionally ho lie cannot conceal late his cpu tempt for tor peters yet he lie treats them fairly C He III has bas the wit of ot an Irishman the th grace of ot a Frenchman the tue power of 01 on cia Englishman En tIme tilt depth of ot a n Ger Ocr German moan man and the versatility of or an nn American l tore he lie dies Huneker Hunek will bo 00 lx one ono ot of the tho great Croat Ir at names In III our literature Meanwhile 1 1 wh II 0 he lie Is one ono of at tho tIme brightest wits wit of ot New IIII ew York A nephew of ot arch Gibbon of he lie looks hooks like IIII a cleric of ot Jolly disposition Every Everybody I hotly body bOIl approves a him except the Theatric rh Trust which still laments the loss Ios of ot its lis friend Fyles I DAVIES DA OP OF Tim THIS SUN Acton Davies of ot the Evening l Sun h Is I a n power poWel In the lie metropolis This Is I un tin In Intelligent paper Palmer which line has a large circulation circulation lation among business men wOo take tuk takeno no rio Interest in the hysterics of ot the Eve Ef Evening ning Journal amid World and nm who dislike the time of ot the time Post Probably there Is no critic In New eW ev YorK no has imas a l larger lar r circle circie 01 UI Influential readers titan than Th They like him too lIe Hs them Hit IIi Is III earnest lie He in III i nn an extremist t When heum ho lie enjoys a 1 play lIa he lie e every ery bt of It When he lie disapproves a play IlIa UK 10 Is nothing good In lii It If It he lie takes a fancy tone fanc to an tin actor w ve l must all nil nu RI Taud him else there is la trouble DavIs Davids Is U ns nil positive as a l Scotchman H never MIer sits on the fence ThIn are nil alt II with him or all nl wrong The au atm author author thor Is either ell her of ot great creat account or nn 1111 n account Time The player Is either ell her a or Ill 1 dullard The TIme manager Is elUi Ih tIe the benefactor of ot mankind or th Ih erem of ot society Having decided th tim mutter matter Davies Davie will admit neither ex fX I t nor qualifying In this decision of opinion cOmbo ol he lie n r x m byes bles b William Winter who rho ho is 19 Sir Ora 1 Davies however is more insistent Own te veteran Mr Winter ter says IIII In ety elT elTI t tI I write only for tor or Tribune readers There Theme are arc no mao other people In The rest are arc mere macre Insects Incapable without Intelligence long as 11 the Tribune is right It Ir right Tho Tue Evening Sun Stan man mall is t not to so 0 haughty He known thai that lii iii er has a St large la e Circulation am iK readers of or various quality q Mary Marv mInds many manners says as he lie and ami an I 11 hr v proceeds to thump his argument tout every Cry one of or cm m lie He fights nilUs for H un n IJ actor heroically or he docs not leu so soa L LI a I leg ICI i to stand on Ie nd this p 81 which Is excellent for or the tIle t I generally believes Lelles In n a I writer who I b Urns lieis in himself hi f Acton Davies has a n bubbling VII rift of oC humor lie He la is rut t a n professional funny tunny man as lIS may found In yellow rellow journalism but II a R n u tnt Inv humorist Ills His wit It is II biting and amid lie li wn cn turn plays tays timid and ant players into rk cule ns us well as liS anybody When DaYI hits hit he tie hits hll hard and on occasion h hr Involved In libel suits but tuf nothing cornea comes nf of them and he lie lt av H court with n ii 1 sharper pen Pin than latin cv vi good tod natured l he can fight like i I a wild cat rat The Theatric trust lm h has l made many blunders but Jut its worst wont er r t wore were the forcing of ot FrIes Fyles off ort the Sun SlIn and the arousinG of or the wrath of or Acton Davies David THE TH A AND AiD D OTHERS The other critics are of ot negative quimi quality ity ily It Tho The Times employs a n young liar v vrr r l nam neine n n i t tut h b s lifts has little experience arid and must hare hav fm tm to prove pro his hI value alue The World I has hes a man from ChIcago named lc Do Voe VOl ECtal to hay have IW 1 stun In la latin him but to so fur far In lie hiu haa ha h had d no chance to df lure It a The Thu Herald developed r tent erit ultima In Steinberg 1111 M lt lr r but it Is the policy of ot this I paper nittie no ian 0 mini shall elicit make a n reputation tion on it 11 t and when those these writers bo bogan IJ IJan gan gama an to be talked about they lo l lost at t their positions lOllS At U tIme the Herald details filmy any nil reporter who happens to be he In the th cUbe to In attend the tile theater or ai opera and write his Another mall inami coming coining mutter inter Is on the errand and amid buth buLb opinions are arc I next nautili rug frequently tl one mao no con comi the Puck Judge tire reputed to be bo funny but hut the Ih Dt t paper Impel In lii Now New York ii ti the time 1 Mine made her first and last In iii Ocr Oar man L the lie Herald lemhI cried triumph flatly next morning und and In lint Hat contra contradiction contradiction diction of ut sit all time the music critics At last we ve have the time al On the time following timmy day it printed In the time same tamo column a t letter signed by the time prima IIlma donna In which Melba 1 sorrowfully sorrow tully do dared that flint realizing tIme thu of ot her bier failure she aho had resolved never ner again l to lit the music drama It ItIs ItIs itIs Is no rio lit uncommon timIng thing thin fur for this amusing paper to In say lIa that a play hilly Is a n bat bad play playon on elm Monday and a good play on Wed Wednesday Indeed on the th taunt morning cheek k by b Jowl Jol It often asserts two din e 11 opposed opInions o at the thu th top ut or the tile column Mr finds that hint he lie IB Its ri line fine Hamlet while at the tho bottom bottoni of oC the column he lie discovers that tha t he hi heIs hila heIs Is la a ii L bad Lall Hamlet The Time Herald how h heer however ever eer theatric gossip than am ori bo be arrived at by Jy other anti where It tails falls all as os a 11 guide ulde to art It sue suc succeeds uc as a an aid ld to th this curious It 11 in I Saul by the envious that thIs thiN Journal in return for fOl giving good goul notices to all the time Trust fruit productions has hau hasLi a Li monopoly of ot tho time syndicates 1108 This rub report Is not verified THE WEEKLIES W The metropolis Is Hooded flooded with weekly pUllers papers but I ln none neat of ot them cuts cute any ny till fig figure fl ure uia In dramatic opinions except Town Topics lopica whose whole critic Is IN Acton Aeton Davies and auth Ulf which Is intelligently represented seated at lit the theaters rs by II M Met t calfe Most of oC the tho weeklies hate hae dra MR dram I m tlc without lilY any tha trio and they are conducted un on oni I the i lie principle ad pie of ot o t exchanging ngi mm g coin mentill for tickets i as barbers hang hun play hills bills In their helm shops In older ollIr to get pusses fur tUf the play Thus flume publications never venture an opinion on mat mint matters matters tars except to attack Homebody who wholine ho hohns line has attacked somebody In other words or l lIC if it your correspondent criticizes with de se deverity E verity erty j il i time tile press the tIme Rosalind of Miss the tho weekly paper crit criticizes cs him still more severely and seals semU a II marked paper to tn that unhappy lady 11 ly With a II directed ctt envelope In closed how I 1 defend you ou against your enemy Please Hand me Ko tO seats for tor Monday Some of ot these chaps chap spend most mOlt of their time abusing the time regular and slob slobbering slobbering bering over emery production with the time agreeable result that they the add admi to their Incomes by the cab naK of theater tickets ut Ill reduced rates Nobody bothers over them except time the press ureSH agent who alto mn mil have havo his scrap books bookiS of ot notices s filled tIlt ll somehow Equal l Indifference In Is n a nto ato to our two dramatic papers although they th lead leu 1 the lh strenuous life to attract attention alt One of or them Is the or organ cn of ot the Theatric trust the tho |