The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-03-15 00:00:00

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SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1873.
CENSORSHIP AND LIBERTY.

The Rome Secretary, in reply to a ques-
tion put to him in the House of Commons,
has stated the circumstances under which
the Lord Chinoberlain has recently exerted
his authority. The action of Viscount Syd-
ney has in itself created great public inte-
rest, but it involves questions that will now
not easily be set at rest, while the occasion
is that is convenient for pressing the in-
quiry w:iy oar whole licensing system in con-
nect;on with all oar tinwares and places of
public entertainment should not be reformed.
In this particular instance the Lord Cham-
berlain has simply done his duty in accord-
ance with the duties of his office. He holds
his rights and exercises his functions, so far
as dramatic censorship is concerned, under
an Act passed in the 6th and 7th years of
her Majesty's reign, called an Act for Re-
gulating Theatres. Early last month the
manuscript of a play, to be presented at the
Court Theatre, Loudon, was submitted to
him. In this play there were certain politi-
cal allusions, but they were of teseneral, and
not of a personal character; the Reader of
Stage Plays passed them as admissable ; and
the Lord Chamberlain licensed the play.
But when the play was presented, it was
found to differ considerably from the copy
which his lordship had sanctioned. In the
new version Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Lowe, and
Mr. Ayrton were represented as three -popu-
lar statesmen," with a make-up which wai
unmistakeable, and under circumstances
which exposed these gentlemen to ridicule.
Leaving entirely out of consideration the
question whether this was good or bad taste,
Lord Sydney was undoubtedly perfectly
justified in withdrawing his prohibition.
But the question which is of general public
interest is whether it is advisable at all to
have an office of this character, held by a
person, be he who he may, who is practically
irresponsible, who controls property of an
enormous value, and who may or may not
exert his powers in the lenient and amicable
style of Viscount Sydney. We hold that the
system is entirely wrong and unsuited to
these days of liberty of the press and the
platform. The system is wrong inasmuch
as, though it is now worked by Lord Sydney
in so mild and forbearing a way, it may, at
some future time, by some of his successors,
be perverted into an engine of tyranny, and
may establish, or rather seek to establish, a
regime of dramatic censorship which would
be utterly unsuited to British notions of
liberty of action. We by no means advocate
tie abolition of all censorship and licensing;
on the contrary we think they ought to be
systematised, placed on such foundations,
and exerted under such conditions as the
public can understand. The incident which
has now excited so mach interest shows how
feebly our present system works. The Lord
Chamberlain has prohibited a certain make-
up of three well-known statesmen and the
utterance of certain speeches by their repre-
sentatives on the stage; but the the charac-
ters remain; the identity is still easily re-
cognised; the theatre is crowded nightly;
and the laughter is louder than ever; while
the "suppressed copy" of the play either is
or is to be published, with the suppressed
passages distinctively printed. All this
shows that the system, as now worked, is
little better than a farce. Take another
illustration. The Lord Chamberlain some
time since prohibited the play of "Jack
Sheppard "—very properly as we consider—
but there are being performed in the metro-
polis three plays, at three different theatres,
which are virtually representations of intrin-
sically the same play under different titles.
This shows with what uncertainty—with
what rigour sometimes, and with what laxity
at other times—the powers of the Lord
Chamberlain are exerted. There is also a
great anomaly in his duties so far as locality
is concerned. The licensing of theatres iu
the metropolis rests in him, but in the
country generally the licensing is in the
hands of the magistrates, and the examina-
tion and prohibition of plays in the hands of
the Lord Chamberlain ; while with regard to
music-halls generally—in which there is far
more liklihood of immorality or of objection-
able political allusions than in theatres—the
Lord Chamberlain has no authority what-
ever. We believe the public interest would
be best served by vesting the licensing of
all places of public entertainment in the
hand:: of the local magistrates with a right
to apptal to the Court of Queen's Bench.
This should be made to include the examina-
t and the right to prohibit all objection-
able entertainments. There need be no fear
of tis p )wer lig unfairly exercised, in
yie_w. of the .• oi the press and of
. .

public opinion. The grand thing to be aimed
at su pi . ..f imetoraLty or that
whieh ten& , •1. ,s highly anomalous
that c,onpar,t,v • v har.aless allusions to
political events--Mr. Lowe and the match-
tax, or Mr. Georg,- Odger's sentiments to
wit—should h •rehibited, while immoral
frao.rs and ilitl.fecnt ilittleiiq should be notori-
ously p ain;tte,l. The entire system needs
reform. A p t '.,,or::hip merely con-
fince to the stag is an anachronism and
anomaly.

THROAT Arirsurtims AND soffering
from irritation if It.o ihroet sod lioaren •so will be agree-
ably surprised it the almost iiu:indiate raid affeided
by the Use of "Itlown's Brom:lit/a Troches." Throw
famous "lozenges" are now sold by most respectable
chemists in this connirv, at In lid per box. People
troubled with a tekiji!! ...nigh," ii"slight cold."
Sr.. " try t".em to) aimy, a,
troub!es if di! w ti iiyilry6l, result in serions Puha°.
nary sad A,, ti.t Ntiections. See th it the words
inches "
Stamp around each boa—London Depot, 453 (Word-
street.