The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-20

only 400, and that these plays are only rehears-
ed twice in the evening, we have, 10000 young
persons every evening receiving their qualiiica-
tons for the cells of Newgate, the ticket OF
leave, the gailows, or the premature grave );
and this in the Christian metropolis OF England,
many of whose chapels and churches have no
ADEQUATE educational apparatus
-~ In MANY of these haunts OF juvenile vaga-
bonds there will be found in a corner some sort
of gambling table, which 10 doubt belongs to
the party. On our demonstrating with several
Of the police whom We found occ tslonaliy VS.
ting the penny theatres, with their disgusting
exhibitions, and the danger they were preparing
for the public at large, they admitted the evils
and said they had no power OF repression, while
the propretors avoided breach OF the peace.
In one Of them in the east of London, the Po-
ceman assured us that the audience scarcely
contained an honest youth, and that there is lit
tie doubt that the means to attend these places
of amusement are frequently procured by theft.
In vain, them do we labor on the surface of So
ciety, while these nefarious exhibitions are
nightly tolerated by the law. 1t is to scenes
like these that the domestic robberies OF ser
wants and apprentices may be traced for, out OF
all the places that we have examined, We have
never found a single instance OF the moral
pointing the tale Just Mt that important Pc
Rod when the feelings begin to develope them
selves the children of the poor are thus fur
nished for a penny with witty lesson on pros
titution, theft, drunkenness, or pugilism. What
is to prevent the children Of the Christian poor,
or of our Sabbath schools, being in time de-
coyed to these dreadful exhibitions How are
we to know that our servants-who are occa-
sionaly out on domestic business-have not
been ut the penny theatre, or even our children,
when, from many causes over which no parental
control can extend, they must be exposed to the
temptation! Whatever may be pretended about
the liberty Of the subject, we have no hesita-
ton in stating that the tolerance OF such semi
naries is Il monstrous peryersion of faS.
Now Of the penny theatres, the abused powers
of the press is the main, if not the sole cluse
In none Of these houses is the histronic litera-
ture of the more decent shcool repre- sented for
the obvious reason that it is not sufficiently
prurient. The songs, the dramas, and the farces
of the ilolywel street and the Reynolds schools
are exclusively used at the penny thentres. In
stead of Richard the Third IIotspur, Wolsey
Catharino of Arragon, Oliver Cromwell, and the
ideal personages Of the modern drama, we only
find Jack Sheppard, Turpin, Carew, Tom Shin
gle, Rush, Mrs. Manning, and others who have
risen above the ordinary heroes of the NeWgate
Caiendir; and these are neither exhibited to
elicit the set.deIusions or the certain penalties
of crime, but to excite compassion for the Grim
inal, or to smother all possible reflections by
terminating tragedy with grmacc The last
thing we saw exhibited WAS the peasant boy tre
PANIED, before some three hundred boys and
young girls; and when the murderer fell, and
seeming impression was made on the audience
for the instant, drol pair of young lovers, il
the most grotesque habliments Of beggary
rushed upon the stage, the young man exclam
ing Twill you have me now! ~ With t is
question the meeting broke up in shouts Of hi
deous laughter; which rs the benches were
cleared, changed to the most obscene exclama
tons, and something like general fight. Why
are authors who thus purvey for the ruin of tn,
poor, and stroling companies of vagabonds who
debauch and rob them, tolerated nightly tt
counteract our schools, literature and morals