The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-12-14 00:00:00

THE POLICE OF THEJITRES
'fl e avidity pleasure is as great in England as

te :
in France. To frequent the theatres, if it be a use-
ful diversion to stein t, his become absolutely tie
assail' to many. It thetetoreeis a service to all,
where such rules are fixed, KO customs observed, '
:tad such etiquette is adhered to4ithat amateurs or vi-
sitors of places of ps'aldle. diverston may know their
reciprocal rights aed deties.
The number ef Theatres open in France every
eieht, Sundays not excepted, and the feta, that Paris
hone has within its walls more Theatres than all
the other capitals ,if Europe together, prove that
the French people are the most fond of Plays, an]
with their usual ingenuity must have studied and
invented such Theatrical Police that insures, at
:cast to the truth tip/. their objeCts, pleasure and in-
struetion. We have, therefore, even during the
Revolutionary Anarchy, not heard or read of any
accident from crowds and riots at die public places
of entertainment in France; and it looks as if this
creel monger, which extended its ravages to cot-
ters as well as to palaces, to prisons at well as to
temples, respelled, with a tacit consent of all faCtions.
use Theau es, which, according to the official report
of the Minister of the interior, were three times
more numerous in 180'2, than in 1789, the rra of
the revolution.
The tyranny of the present, .as well as of
firmer revoluzionary rulers, is, and has not been
itatodueed into the law c died, " Thr Potiee Law e
Frenea • rhea/rel. Frenchmen, though slaves
eery where, even in their own houses, are freemen
in their places of entertainment. more so than their
Spanish, Italian, and German neighbours. Boria-
TA itTE has in vain Attempted to introduce his organ-
ised tyranny into these housee, where he more than
°nee has been ithligesi to listen, with an unavailing.
sge, to the applause of words and verses, of which
the application was no flattery to his cruelty and
usurpation \ hen some few indieiduahs in bet
April were seized by his police spies in the pit at the
Opera, for ceiling out " The Duke of ENGHLILM !"
when Princes of the Bleed were mentioned in the
Piece ; the speftators to chew their indignation,
left the house, whet he retrained deserted, except
by some coll.-dere, pensioner., hew is, and othentae-
compiicte. Such a mutinosts beesivistur woula have
been resented and punished its mast of the other Con-
tinentAl teirals ; but Buster A etre knew too well
the temper or Frenchmen not to be convinced, than
to touch them sin this tender point might irritate
t' em to attempt the recovery ot a civil and political
Iltree, instead of a theatrical one. The arrested
persons were rewasesi the same night, and, in re-
turn, the Cot s'ean was aeplauchel at the thet Opera.
The hence ,slice law orders, that when any
~es. piece is repo seeted, or any popelar player per-
forms, or or al! other occanonn when any es- wd is
ate reheadeel, t ugh the doors of the theatres are
Is seer open before five o'clock in the afternoon. the
PotWe Commisi.ary : id the guards arrive there at
oa. The men are placed in two 51c3. with space
enough betwee.s them to admit persons to pass one
by so.se, to buy tickets or to enter the house. Those
who arrive first, are the first served, and every one
walks in his turn with ease and without danger ;
and, as the nenther of persons, the bone, the pit.
at.d the galleries can contain, is feed by the police,
ay no more rickets are permitted to be sold, the
Felice Commissary'aneounces when the house is
full, and the people, instead of hashing or fighting
in the avcneess of the house, imtnediatt4 retire.
At ad the Fritch theatres, hexes may betaken for
the Tear. for the quarter, or for the night; which a
card, hang over the door of the box, anneueces.
This is sufficient to cause theatrical property to tw
reveled in a country where all other property is
so unsafe, and has often been violated. No places
are permitted to be kept by any pi :sons, because it
is against Freisch custom and g.tlearry to suffer
servants in the front seats, which they regard as the
tyranny of the idle over the aztive, and an insult to
the fair sea ; as ladies :night be obliged to sit be-
hind servants. The rich man may take o whole
box ; but tie cannot send a footmanas his representa-
tive to keep one r.r mote places, and hive his money
at the expenee of the right and ease of tee more
attentive. These, therefore, who come first, are
certain of the heat places ; should, however, any dis-
agreements :trite, the Police Commissary is apriled
to, .ind decides the matter; thought, in moat discus-
sions the pis. interferes, and is the judge to %shone
even the Commissary sae:nits. if the person in
1 the wroiee does not °hey the trusted decision of the pit
and the Police Conuntesary. twittery assistance is
called to turn out the relhatetoryteeEtatcw.
An amateir is less disturbed by noisy. riotous,
or loud ceuversation iu the theatres at Paris. that
ie those at Lathier,. Neither. reek, riches, beauty.
nor fashion, are suffered to spew their contempt of
their inferiors. or their instlence to their equals, by
c inverstag is the boxes as in their saloon. or at
their tee parties ; and by their chit-chat, laugh, or
inetteation to the play, disturb or prevent the at-
tention of ethers. Sea and age are both called to
orsisw 'spy the pit, ani awed to obey ; and he, who
can only afford to go to the amain once in the
month, is not prevetited from enjriying the play, by
aim, who has become indifferent by seeing it every
night. If, therefore, ever equality existed any whet e
in France, it is at the French theetes, where. for an
• equal price, every one is census of an equal tihfa,
• regur.i, justice. pleasure. There a may truly
' be said the sovereign people is the sole eevereign,
and acknowledges no tyrannical usurper.
In a!! other :entitle:sett capital:, the police of the
ape& ides vary or dialer more or less; but as their
population is not so great as those of London and
h Paris, no changers are to be apprehended from any
• Ithing else but from fire. The eharaaer of thego-
',atom:est, or of the sovereign of each, cannot by
their regulations escape the observauons of a tra-
veller. At Madrid, the spectators cannot applaud
before the King gives the signal. At St. Petets-
burgh, in the time of the Emperor Paut., no one
but himself was pc:mated to applaud. At V 111013.1,
the speclaturs may applaud, bet cannot hiss or
hoot. The 1.'...t..cr0a of Hesse, in the playbills.
iiiihrou the public, that all signs of approbation or
di:cc:neat are proehatted; and at the theatre at
Cassel, datrefore, reigns snore silence among the Au-
dience than in a c tutch. At Ilerlin. es well as at
11401hate,in the police of the theatres is the same ;
and Ilan:. riot tafces place, military aid is called in.
and every one ehhinics to the power of the bayonet.