The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-02-25
The Sd. Chnrles Thsntrn.

by an unfortunate oversight, we omitted to men
ton that Miss Cushman took benefit on Saturday
night 1t was by far the best house we have seen
this season at Old Drury. Her Queen Katharine
was performed by her with the same passion and
pathos which marked her delineaton on the pre-
vious evening
Her Jastteaa, in the afterpece, was the best
comic character she has played The proud,
naughty, spoiled beauty was admirably done-but
she cannot subdue her spirit to represent the sub
missive wife
The play itself is an anachronism. Il is a mod
ern Tanning of the Shrew;;" all the wit and life
Is eyaporated and nothing left but the settings of
the false and exaggerated. No proud woman was
ever made by severity, to love the man who had de-
ceIved her into an unequal marriage. Bulwer has
managed the incident more skilfully. The magma
nlmity Of the young gardener does win the love of
his duped wife. The Tanning of the Shrewn de-
pets phase of society which, fortunately, has long
since passed away. The attempt to revive this
obsolete idea by giving ii local habaton in SPAIN
and in the present age, is gross blunder But the
play itself, 8" the Honey Moon,p contains many
most beautiful thoughts, ftly expressed. 1t is the
fashion Of the day rdcule the idea that the stage
is school of morals We do not follow the fashion,
for we are of the old opinion. The stage can be
made the means Of disseminating noble sentiments
oil holding up great examples to the public mind
very large class in all cities attend the theatres
they spend the evenings innocently, in the first
place; they hear the thoughts of the minds
OF our language; for the time, at least an elevation
oil thought, and refinement Of taste are created. We
speak now OF the theatre it ought to be. We
say 1t can be made efficient aid in the cause of
good morals. If the whole of the educated classes
would attend the theatre, they would restore it to
the high position it occupied when Addison and
Johnson, Goldsmith and Young wrote for it.
Schiller, not only the great poet, but one OF the
Pnrest men, devoted his valuable life to the stage
not alone by writing those beautiful dramas which
are the admiration of the German father-land, but
by actual supernendence of the details OF the stage
Such, TOO, was the case with Goethe, who, perhaps
superior in mind, was less bameless in character.
In that wide region where the German language
is spoken, the theatre is regarded as one of the fine
arts It's professors are treated men of liberal
education and high position. The prejudice which
exists against the theatre in this country is rem
nant OF that mistaken spirit which DESTROYED the
beautiful abbeys of Great Britain and the Neither
lands his prejudice, too, is unfortunately strength
ened by some of the evil habits of the theatre and
these, again, measure owing to the preiu-
dice itself There is no reason that bar-rooms and
vase places should be connected with the stage
Let the educated class say they will give their sup
port to theatre well conducted and respectable in
all its appointments and many of its present abuses
would cease, the stage itself be improved; men of
education would make the stage, as in Germany,
their profession.