The Sun.
London, England, 1835-07-07 00:00:00

THE THEATRES.

ENGLISH OPERA-HOUSE.
A new melodrama was produced here last night under the
title of The Father's Crime. The interest of the piece turns
upon some prominent event of guilt in the long,-past conduct
of one er more of the characters, and who, to save themselves
from the punishment and scandal which attend their crimes,
are obliged to plunge into new acts of guilt, and silence the
voices of those who have it in their power to condemn them by
their testimony. The drama was extremely well acted through-
out, but was rather tedious and redundant in some passages,
particularly the chorus finale, which, all things considered,
might well be dispensed with. When Mr. Rumball appeared
to announce the repetition of the piece, the confusion of sound
was so great that we hardly know whether he executed his task
or not. All we can say is we hope he did, if only on account
of Mrs. Keeley's acting, which deserves to be seen again.

Q UEEN'S.
After the extravaganza of Cupid in London, which has lost
nothing in attraction from its nightly repetition, another novelty
was produced last evening at this highly-amusing little theatre,
under the title of The Guard House. The incidents of the
piece, though they have little claim to originality, are well knit
together; the dialogue is terse, and free from much of that
extravagance so often to be found in pieces of this nature, and
the acting is excellent. We have no doubt, upon the whole,
that it will continue to afford considerable amusement, and re-
ceive much well-merited applause, for many nights to come.
It was followed by a very excellent farce, also lately produced
here, in which John Reeve, as a flexible man humouring the '
whims of three cousins, each devoted to a different pursuit, and
professing to be equally devoted to themselves, drew down roars
of laughter. The performances concluded with The Married
Rake.

CHARACTER.—Among the happiest and proudest
possessions of a man is his character—it is a wealth—it is a
rank of itself. It usually procures him the honours, and rarely
the jealousies of Fame. Like most treasures that are attained
less by circumstances than by ourselves, character is a more feli-
citous reputation than glory. The wise man, therefore, despises
not the opinion of the world—he estimates it at its full value
—ho does not wantonly jeopardize his treasure of a good name
_he does not rush from vanity alone, against the received sen-
timents of others—he does not hazard his costly jewel with un-
worthy combatants and for a petty stake. He respects the
legislation of decorum. If he be benevolent, as well as wise,
he will remember that character affords him a thousand utili-
ties—that it enables him the better to forgive the erring, and
to shelter the assailed. But that character is built on a false
and hollow basis, which is formed not from the dictates of our
own breast, but solely from the fear of censure. What is the
esseLce and the life of character? Principle, integrity, iT
dept.eidance !—or, as one of our great old writers hath it,
" that inbred loyalty unto Virtue which can serve her without
a livery." These are qualities that hang not upon any man's
breath. They must be formed within ourselves; they must
make ourselves—indissoluble and indestructible as the soul !
If, conscious of these possessions, we trust tranquilly to time
and occasion to render them known, we may rest assured that
our character, sooner or later, will establish itself. We cannot
more defeat our own object than by a restless and fevered an-
xietyi as to what the world will say of us. Except, indeed,f
we are tempted to unworthy compliances with what our con-
science disapproves, in order to please the fleeting and capri-
cious countenance of the time. There is a moral honesty in a
due regard for a cheracter which will not shape itself to the
humours of the crowd. And this, if honest, is no less wise ;
for the crowd never long esteems those who flatter it at their
own expense. He who has the suppleness of the demagogue
will live to complain or the fickleness of tho mob.....43uhver's
" Student."