The Press.
London, England, 1856-08-16 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

AUGUST 16, 1856.

Traviata, is the " apotheosis of prostitution." When the Traviata was
brought out, with one exception, and that in THE PRESS, every critic
applauded Mr. LUMLEY to the clouds, and Mlle. PICCOLOMINI to those
regions M. LEOOUVE is kind enough to send her in the libretto.
As for the libretto, it was a model of purity, the dramatic
action was according to the unities, and a tremendous success
was prophesied for the opera. The prophecy was truellto some
extent during the regular season ; and now Mr. LUMLEY has made his
money out of it, the Tunes, with a laudable anxiety for public morals,
denounces the opera as the most immoral ever seen upon the stage.
Mr. Lumixv's defence, on the other hand, is, that. he feels so strongly for
morality, that he would not expunge a single objectionable passage
from the Traviata—though nothing, he admits, " would have been
easier,"—for fear he should injure " the moral tendency of the plot;" and
to keep it clear from the debauchery of modern life, he has " thrown
it back a century (as if vice a century old was one whit less vicious than
the vice of to-day). He would have the stage mirror held up to nature—
in a brothel as in a boudoir,—though he would not have vice given in all
its grossness, nor rendered too alluring, but the exhibitions of vice, he
contends, will rather purify than corrupt the passions of an audience
He concludes his defence by denying that ,there is in the Traviata
a single " situation" which could suggest " an impure or offensive idea,"
and that he deliberately believes in adopting the present libretto he
" was administering to a good, a right, and a merciful cause "
To such a defence very little need be said. Those who have seen the
opera, who have watched Violetta, surrounded by her harpies, and, re-
versing the custom of the Harem, by the gift of a flower confer her
favour upon Alfredo and then, after the separation insisted on by
Alfredo's papa, appear again under the protection of a gentleman in
blue, and fi.ially die of consumption in the arms of Alfredo, beseech-
ing him, if he should ever marry a virgin pure and true, to

Give her this likeness—
Tell her that she who gave it thee
'Midst the saints in heaven
Pra)s for her and thee !

will be able to decide whether the opera is the best moral to be
offered to young wives and daughters, and an exhibition of prostitu
tion sinning, and prostitution repentant, more adapted for the im-
provement than the corruption of their moral feelings But, after all-
is Mr. LUMLEY so much to blame for bringing out such an opera, and,
are the public to be abused for going to see it? We are all weak,
erring mortals, prone to impropriety, and especially to impropriety in
French or Italian. There is a peculiar flavour in such a medium
which enables pit and boxes to swallow it easily, if not eagerly; and
managers, moreover, are especially given to bringing out, if they can,
anything highly flavoured in this way, and probable to pay.
But here is the real point at issue. There is a certain
office called the Lord Chamberlain's, where a Reader of
Plays decides upon the morality or immorality of each piece,
alci licenses or refuses as the case may be. What the Lord Chamber-
Lin sanctions the public considers it has equally a right to approve or
to damn. The piece comes out with the stamp of official license, for
it is to the Lord Chamberlain the public look. He is essentially the
keeper of the public morals so far as stage representations go, and on
his shoulders the responsibility of the Traviata should rest. Now this
great public functionary is sometimes inconsistent : he forbade the
appearance of RISTORI in Myrrha, on the ground of danger to the
public morals, which may be true enough ; but we question whether
the stern tragic acting of RIsTORI in Itlyrrha, at which every passion is
Chilled, would have proved half so dangerous to public morality as the
high coloured representation of a consumptive " Lorette" by Piccolo
MINI, in a libretto with just sufficient sentiment to save it, from in-
decency. To reject the one while permitting the other was either an
act of favoritism, or of indolent neglect ; and if the Lord Chamberlain
justifies his Header of Plays in such distinction we must confess
that the sooner that public officer aims at a higher standard ~f
morality the better for the purity of our stage, and the morals of the
people.

THE PRETTY BLUE COACH.
Safe at St. Petersburg, ready for Moscow,
Granville is telegraphed; shout at the news.
Quicker did never Love, Houdin, or Bosco,
Pop up a puppet the pit to amuse.
Smiling, smirking,
Strings all working,
See our Envoy's proud approach;
Ridey pidey
(Peel as Man Friday),
Granny goes out in his pretty Blue Coach.
Nesselrode smiles, but his cold look is sinister;
Morny with effort scarce masters a sneer;
lie never sees it, our affable Minister,
Making his way to his lodgings so dear.
We smashed Russia,
0r s‘‘orc to crush her,
Now we find her sound as a roach.
That's but a trifle ;
Thoughts we'll stifle,—;
Granny goes out in his pretty Blue Coach.

Lucky he's got such an excellent temper, or
He'd run a chance of a worrying rub ;
They say that he's had, though, a hint from the Emperor,
Not to be vexed if he meets with a snub.'
He and Napier
Must civilly steer,