Those who take the theatre seriously owe an immense debt
to Mr. A. B. Walkley, whose death we also regret to record. He helped gradually to popularize what were once the unpopular plays of ideas. Mr. William Archer and Mr. Bernard Shaw fought the same fight against stupidity. They all showed that the really boring play was the one that desperately tried not to bore. In his latter days Mr. Walkley seemed to be a little disillusioned—oddly enough just when there seemed to be no cause for disillusionment, because he had won. If lie became a shade more cynical, and was inclined to laugh at anything so earnest as a " movement," ild was nevertheless then, as always, capable of real feeling. He would sometimes drop wit, and certainly persiflage, and write with passion and eloquence. We can remember excellent examples of this ; but we hope that many of our readers have read Mr. Walkley carefully enough to be able to remember them, too.
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