Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1852-1853, 1852-10-07

Tie ulDlculy I'D caSuig lne male cnaraCleTs oiu
Mrs. Hardcastle, not requiring any great share
OF personal attractions and being considered
part that would tell, soon found representative;
but when we came TO the 'donnas'--TiBtd and
Secunda-then il was that the managers troubles
began. Il was really necessary to insure the
most moderate degree of success TO the com
edy, that Miss Hardcastle should have at least
lady like department. The public voice first
in whispers, then audibly, at last voclerously,
called upon Leicester. Slightly formed, hand
some, clever, and accomplished, with naturally
graceful manners, and a fair share OF vanity and
affectation, there was no doubt of his making
respectable heroine if he would consent 10 be
made love TO. In vain did he protest against
the petticoats, and urge with affecting earnes-
ness the claims of the whiskers which for the
last six months he had so diligently been cult
waiting; the chorus Of entreaty and eXpOstuatun
had its effect, aided 10y a well-timed compliment
to the arlstocratcally small hand and foot, of
which Horace was pardonably vain. Shaving
was pronounced Indispensable to the due growth
of the whiskers; and the importance of the char
acter, and the point of the situations, so strong
'ly dwelt upon, that he became gradually recon
Iciled 10 his fate, and began to debate the ques-
ton whether Miss Hardcastie should wear her
hair in curls or bands. A freshman of seven
teen. who had no pretensions in the way Of
whiskcis, and who was too happy to be admitted
on any terms to share i'll such fast idea as
the getting up play, was TO be the Miss Ne
Vile and before the hall cell rang for dinner
an order had been despatched for "A dozen acting
copies Of She Stoops TO Conquer.
Times have materially changed since Queen
Elizabeth's visit to Christ Church; the Univer-
sity, one OF the earliest nurses Of the infant dra-
ma, has long since turned it out of doors for u
naughty child; and forbid it, under pain Of worse
than whipping, 10 come any nearer than Abing-
don and Bicester. Taking into consideration
the style of some Of the performances, in which
Undergraduates of some three hundred years
ago were the actors, the Oxford Theatre Of
those days, if it had more wit in i. than the pre-
sent, had somewhat less decency: the ancient
'moralities' were not over moral, and the 'mys-
Iteres' rather Babyonish. So far we have had
mo great loss. Whether the nldicious getting
up Of a tragedy of Sophocles or Eschylus, or
even a comedy of Terence-classic ically managed
-as it could be done in Oxford-and well act
led, would be more unbecoming the gravity Of
our collected wisdom, or more derogatory TO the
dignity of our noble theatre than the squalling
- -;-,sers, masculine, feminine and neu-
II shall certainly pr0puse uI'oo" F"N"''~,-: s.
I,nmch am sure of, If classical play-bill were
Idnlv announced for the next grand commenora-
Iio1 il would draw almost as well as the Duke;
~ 1rossos riobt be cutie as snowy, the action
hardly less graceful, than those o the oad look
;nc, c..entlemen who are dubbed doctors oil CIV
n &c, on such occasions; and the speeches oi
prometheus, Gdipus or Antigone' wouiu DC
more ineligible to the learned, and more anu
sine TO the ladies, than those Latin essays or Ih'
Creweian oration.
However. until am vice chancellor, the le
oitimhe drama, Greek, Roman, or Engllsh
: seems hrle likely TO revive in Oxford. Ou
: branch of that great family, confess, bore IN
= Nbarsinister. Tie offspring OF our lhea'rica' "i
.fections was mrecognized by college au'l'orl'!
4 The fellows of --- would hayG We, uo"e "''y
;, thing but smile upon its birth Inc oeah % =
% pecially would have Burked 1t at once hau li y
suspected its existence. Nor was 49, I;nt
ITke the former Oxford theatricals to when
La,,o ,undcd. by roval patronage; we could no
y consistently with dccorum, request her h1Je'
>' tv to encourage an llcgilimate NeVerlhees
= .nite of its being thus born under the rose
" grcw and pros pcred. Our plan OF rehearsai y"
q. 0orioinal. We used to adjourn from dinner
@ the rooms of one or other or the coinpahyi :"
|,hcre. over our wine and dessert, lhsIeau
=, 'onizzing freshmen and abusing tutors open ca
"a "a Our cony. and, with all due emphasis ana lH
''' nation, 90 regularly through the scenes oil .
!. stems 10 Conquer This was all the study
,ro ever gave TO our parts and even ""S -
'io Tnfcnlt 70 get muster of all the perlorme
~ and we generally had to play dummy LOT SO
I Il"t one or more of the characters or double tl'
& &t;', as The professionals call it. The excuses
.bsenteeism were various. Mrs. Haraca'
l. and Tony were gone to Woodstock WIN te
eo and were not TO be waited for; DIggery Ia
,,o. command to dine with the prlnclpal; anu o'c'
III. interesting dialogue was cut snort oy 'ir0 y"
,at ward event of Miss Neville's being 'cohhheu
aor in consequence Of some indisereiioh OF o'ne
ist. to chapel 1t was necessary IN our man
= ment as much as in Mr. Bum 5 or MT.
-, ready's TO kumor the caprices oi me s'nl
ar, the company; but the lesser hgh,s' ny
"i" NJ, oaoe eccentric at all in their orbits, were
iSe ,;n,u;shed without mercy. Their place wa
you ne ;o s,nrl;ed. for the moment il became kn
?, rIoy was in contemplation, there were P'
Of Candidates for dramatic fame, espec
han! omonc the freshmen: and though we moi
colao oGended one or two aspiring genlusGs oy
Wa Tor;no, them the yueant situations oil haiPn
'ase Gov 81 Co.. in Mr. Hardcastle's househo
N"s vi Condition of having their respective oiue
= u Lo coats turned up with yellow 10 repreSen
le he E,H,, liysrv there were others TO VINO
Sori in hoino admitted behind the scenes, even III
~. IN humble characters, was subject oil "u
Loro- ambition Nay, unimportant as were sD"r0
Ii in themselves, they were quite enough -
1T histrionic talent of some OF some oil Out IL
Tiobt Till became manager myself "'"ay
E. 10 lose patience at the wretched manner III
,ou W sone of the underlings on the stage went II
il'a! ;! the little they had 20 say and do; there
u = P,So mo reason why the sticks should be so
: :, rts a kingly sticky; and it surprised me ihat
in,p plicd who could accost one huenuy enoIsn