chnique; he must have
some background of knowledge. He must study the theater from every point
of view, from an orchestra seat, from behind the scenes, from a peekhole
in the playwright's study, and from the pages of stage history. All the
tricks and effects must be evident to him. The only thing that will
teach him this is constant, intelligent theater-going. He must be
familiar with all of the plays of the season and with all of the
prominent plays of all seasons. A child cannot criticize the first play
that he sees because he has nothing with which to compare it. In the
same way a reporter cannot justly judge any kind of play until he has
seen another of the same kind with which to compare it. Hence he must
know many plays and must know something about the history of the
theater. Dramatic criticism is relative and the critic must have a basis
for his comparison.

This background of knowledge may seem a difficult thing to acquire. It
is; and it can best be acquired by watching many plays with an eye for
the technique of the art. The critic may judge a play from its effect
upon him, but his judgment will be superficial. He must try to see what
the playwright is trying to do, how well he succeeds, what tricks he
employs. He must judge the work of the stage carpenter and of the
costumer. He must try to realize what problem the leading lady has to
face and how well she solves it. The same carefulness of judgment must
be given to each member of the cast. Only when the critic is able to see
past the footlights and to understand the technique of the art, can he
judge intelligently. And as his judgment can be at best only relative,
he must have a background of many plays and much stage knowledge upon
which to base his estimate of any one production.

The ideal criticism, based upon this background of knowledge, would be
absolutely fair and unprejudiced. But unfortunately this ideal cannot
always be followed. Much dramatic criticism is colored by the policy of
the paper that prints it. Very few critics are so fortunate as to be
able to say exactly what they think about a play; they must say what the
editor wants them to say. Some theatrical copy, especially write-ups of
vaudeville shows, is paid for and must contain nothing but praise.
Sometimes it is necessary to praise the poorest production simply
because the paper is receiving so much a column for the praise. In many
other cases, when the copy is not paid for, the editor