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Observer, Volume XXXII, Issue 24, 24 February 1912, Page 14

Hubert Mitchell, Who for years past has acted ac the " Lyttelton Times' " opinion on plays and players, has left that job in order to take the Marie Bains Comedy Co. on tour through Australia, India and Japan. . »• • » I was reading the other day some confidences of David Warfield, the excellent American actor. Speaking of emotional and mechanical acting, Mr Warfield said : "It looks simplicity itself to stand on the stage and speak lines naturally. Yet there must be something more than naturalness. To be successful, there must be spontaneity or sincerity. In greatneai, both qualities are combined with the gift of versatility." Mr Warfield went on to say : "If an actor---es-pecially in a highly-emotional role— ehould feel all the simulated paaeiong of hig role, he would be worn to a ehred in less than no time. That is why really great actors d« not really feel the emotions portrayed—at least not after the preliminary conception of the part." m p - • It is not generally known that the costume which the famous Harry Lauder sings his severely-domesti-cated Scawtch songs has both a eentimental and historical value. The shake or Scawtch bonnet worn by the artist was presented to him by Private Alexander Dow, now eighty years of age, who formed one of the "thin red line" of 93rd Highlanders on the sanguinary field of Balaclava. The remainder of the comedian's costume, with the exception of the tiny dagger or skean-dhu which pokes out of his right stocking, was a gift from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The skean-dhu is a relic from th© battlefield of Magersfontein iv the Boer War, and was handed to Lauder by Pipe Major McKay, of the aforementioned regiment.