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    to which he belonged . But bad as are painters , actors are still worse in this crying evil : —• ' These two hated with a hate Found only on the stage , and each more pained With his more tuneful neighbour than his fate /

    Painters do not work in concert , and , therefore , the evil passion confines its effect to the narrowing of their own minds , and the consequent cramping of their faculties ; but , on the stage , wholesale ruin is produced by baleful envy inciting each one to injure his neighbour . I remember being present at the debut of a new actress , at one of the principal theatres . One of established reputation

    in the same part , beautiful and youthful , had taken her station in the stage-box to watch the aspirant . How horrible were the contortions of her beautiful face , on beholding any successful hit ! She turned pale with envy , and then again reddened with rage . But when , towards the conclusion , there were evident marks of failure , the joy of the demon seemed to light up her countenance and sparkle in her eyes . All her beauty departed from her , and I could never again see her without pain .

    There are some superior spirits , raised by mental training , above this , —but for whom , the profession of an actor would sink beneath degradation . For all this mischief they are indebted to the monopoly ; and he , who needs the highest and most universal talents , is scarcely held to rank as a gentleman , because , in the pursuit of his profession , he must necessarily

    mingle with many worthless persons . A high and imposing actor , such as we can contemplate , should possess all those qualities which are most ennobling in real life . He must possess the faculty of poetry , or he cannot truly comprehend that which is set down for him . He must be capable of imagining a play , or he cannot truly act it ; and if he can imagine it , he possesses the qualities necessary for writing one . In proof of this , our writers

    and players are now uniting in one person . He must possess a noble face and figure , and be free from debasing passions by the influence of a cultivated mind . He must be versed in history , in antiquity , and possess a familiar acquaintance wilh all the branches of costume . And who can enact Hamlet well , without

    possessing the mind of a philosopher ? Acting does not consist in imitation ; that is mere mimicry . Painters and sculptors of the highest class are at present not in request . None can get remunerated for bestowing seven years of an existence on a single labour . There are no royal , or church patrons , as in the middle ages . State work is at an end , and private patronage cannot sufficiently remunerate ; while the public , as a body , is not yet sufficiently refined for the establishment of national galleries in all the cities , to the improvement of the

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    On the State of the Fine Art * in England . T

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Jan. 2, 1833, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2606/page/7/