Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-08-25

row on the oc cason of an intended serenade TO Fan
nv Elssler. The "Courier and Enquirer" ON the
| one side, and the "New York Planet" very re
spectacle loco-foco paper on the other, have each
endeavored TO give political bias to this matter.
This is all wrong. The itself was exceed
ingly wrong, Gas all rows are) and the attempt to
give il a party bias, and to make political capital
out of it, is still worse. The affair originally had
nothing of politics in it. Ii grew out Of the natural
disposition of the dies If this city Gas In every
large city) to kick up riot aud destroy property
upon every trihing cason, and upon every paltry
etext whether orig mating in private malice, per
sonaI pique, or ridiculous pre- udces.
And, indeed, looking at the history of this city
for the last few years, since Webb has had the con-
troll of the Courier" we cannot wonder at ihe dis
position of our mobs to get up riot, or at the FREE
quency Of the occurrence of such affairs. He in
particular has taken peculiar pride in iomenting
every great riot that has taken Place in New York
Before his time, riot scarcely known in the
city. He created a riot in Tanmany Hall, snd
thrown the banisters with the loss OF his coat
He then stirred up the materials for and brought up
the great negro riot and whilst the sacking of Lew
is Tappan's house occurring, he stood by and
thus encouraged the mob to acts of violence In this
riot, he caused the dissertation and burning OF
churches, private houses, and property OF all de-
scrptioas. He then stirred up the celebrated Ar
senal riot and placed several stands of arms in his
Office with view to increase the tumult, and occa-
sion the shedding of blood. Then came the Wood
riot, of which he the sole originator and leader
In burning churches, sacking private houses, hunt
ing down his nofensive fellow creatures, in cutting
theatres SCATTERING right arms, and comprising the
violent death of his fellow beings, Webb has ever
been actve he has been engaged in all the riots that
have heretofore taken place, and he has been the
main, if not the sole cause all
And whenever anythng arises to excite public at
tention in regard to the thousands Of respectable
citizens in this city, of foreign birth, the party pa
pers on both sides raise the disgusting cry of TO-
reigners"" foreigne with the view TO use them
to serve their own paltry purposes. All this our
adopted citizens should carefully guard against
pursue the tenor of their way, in the respect
able walks Of life; obey the laws they live under;
and If the Sc are not properly administered for their
protection, quietly adopt the remedyat the ballot
bsy, with view to change of rulers
As for the recent row, it had its origin not in poll
tica feeling-not in hostility to Fanny Elssler-but
in the natural disposition of the rowdes to get up
riot. IL was a species OF brutality, of semi'barba-
rsm that is inseparablc from the mob population OF
a densely crowded city, ade up OF all nations and
tongues, as New York is. And it is stimulated and
set on foot by low and brutal minded felos S, like
Webb, who obtain certain position in society, and
certain command over the passions OF The mob, by
their impotence, without possessing the least par
ticle OF the intellect, refinement Of feeling or any
thing else, necessary to enable them to guide and
control those passions correctly.
This brutal row we have before deprecated as we
deprecate all brutal mobs and ufian violence; and
we have pointed out what we believe 10 be one OF
the real causes OF the affair There Is another cause,
however, that may have operated in the matter
We have heard many in condemning the rioters,
that they not altogether totally anoon-
nected with the purlieus Of the Bowery theatre.
Now il was well known, that at the time Of the
Wood riot at the Park, some such feeling existed
and was brought in operation And il is possible il
may have been felt on this last occasion Fanny
Elssler, by her superior abilities, has completely
killed the attractions at the Bowery theatre; and
it is not, therefore, impossible that some Of the at
Ia chcs thereto may have stirred up the strife by
way Of retaliation.
But many have said that the honor Of the serenade
out Of place 10 a mere dancer. Ii is true that
Fanny Elssler is but dancer; but it is also true
that she is infinitely superior to any thing that
ever had here before. II it is but dancing, it is
dancing with true poetic genius. IL is dancing in
as nj gh OF arr was on the otner
hand for the acting of Hamlet by John Kemble, or
0ihello by Kran.
The prating this score about the superiority Of
the "leg,timate drama" is legitimate nonsense.
Whatever is excellent and beautifully perfect in its
line legitimate. Every species Of theatrical enter
tanment is but species Of amusement and the pub
lie will pstronise until they tire OF it, then
TO another for change, and the round till they
have patrolised each in its turn; and each in its
turn will for the time be termed legitimate.
PRosRgss or MoRALIrv.--CHASeE CoNrru
OvER ALL.-After undergoing many mutations and
singular changes, from eonfagration TO ruin, and
ruin to resurrection, from legitimate TO egitmate
drama and every thing from spectacle 90 farce aud
farce 10 nonsense from small quantity OF good gin
20 a large quantity Of poor water, the poor Bowery,
understand, stands a chance Of being convert
ed-not exactly TO the cause of morality, but 80
circus We should not be surprised to find that the
next movement viii be shut IL NJ for time-then
advertise IL for sae-tben convert u into church.
Should this he the case, we believe that we shall
purchase IL ourselves, upon the same principle that
the Rev. David Hale purchased the Tabernacle.
Indeed, upon calm consideration we think that IL s
high time q at this building used to some good
purpose; il has been used to good purpose long
enough We even look upon the advent Of the
horses as a good omen; and shall consider them a.
superior 20 some Of the former occupants Of the
theatre as Gulliver found the Houy hnhRms were 20
he Nahoos We haye no doubt wh.fevar that