The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-11-01

J. G. ABsE, Secretary.
UNCLE TOMS CABIN, drama founded on Mrs 81 r
novel of that name, has upwards Of hun e.
nights at the National theatre The fact is worth or
attention. If the unusual success of the play be &c
the sentiments and tendency of the novel, then a.
Seward and his party have been more successful lar
people imagine in discriminating among citizens III Il
aboftionist principles H. the other hand this -
hundred nights be clearly traced to other causes
wholly independent Of the great chmera 1t is well that
the public be guarded against ascrbng to the progress
of abotons and that good citizens be spared the GRIEF
Of supposing that treason is rampant in our midst
If to attempt to describe succnctly the mate
rails of which the drama Is composed, we should say
that stale jokes and vulgar balderdash comprised abou
half, and very sad mimcry of religion the other
half of the six acts in which it is represented. Slavery
is oply incidentally alluded to. The strong points made
by Mrs Stowe in the argumentave portion of her work.
are judciously avoided the word Slavery is
Toned seldom possible and except at the close
when Uncle Tom is killed by blow of Legrees fs the
drama contains situation which could not have taken
place in society where slavery was unknown This dis.
creon so far as we can judge was not SO much due TO
the spontaneous prudence of author and Manager to
the well ascertaned temper of the audience We noticed
many passages where George Uncle Tom exclaimed
that she free man." that he stood FREQ
land, that :" he would be free in the grave" Now,
any who knows anything Of theatres will sec at
once that,7 in orc mary drama, as, for instance,
if George and Uncle Tom had been workmen in British
factory, Iegree yrannca ufacture and the slave
catchers policemen these ordinations would have been
"hits" and would have brought down the house. In
stead Of this being the at the National they all fell
dead, after the other. few caps, probably from
friends of the actor were promptly silenced BY the
audience. Nothing was palmer than the determination
the part of the latter not to applaud counenance
the anavery portions Of the play but rather TO regard
them incidental matters which well to tolerate
for the sake Of what followed The acu:es analyst o.
feeling could not have detected any liking for abolition,
or any dislike to slavery in the interest aroused for 1e
she crossed the ice with her babe in her arms in tho
pleasure with which Georges escape Witnessed in
the sympathy aroused by the despairing wall Of poor
Classy, the dying groans Of Uncle Tom. The ISSUE
it appeared to the people assembled at the National lay
between suffering innocence the sde and hidsous
loathsome vice and tyranny the other Slavery had
no more to Go with it than Methodsm. Thus far then,
we think may safely conclude that William H. Seward
and his theatrical friends have lost their time.
We said that there were two main elements in tho
pece-buoonery suited to the atmosphere Of Chatham
street. and stage religion The former il undertaken by
Marks the lawyer Herber Phineas Fletcher the Quaker,
Fox), neither of whom bear any resemblance to tho
D
clown originated by the dramatic author and baptized
Gumption Cute H. Stone); Aunt OpheliA (Mrs Myers),
who knows but epthet "shiftless" which ia ndis.
crminately applied to men, women, dumb creatures and
nsnmate Objects and Topsy, the most amusing charac-
ter in the piece who is really admirably rendered BY
Mrs. Mack These various personages occupy the stage
during half of the representation and cut poor jokes
to make the Bowery boys laugh.
The remaining portion of the play resembles the old
Moralties in which the gospel history used to be acted
with stout ferociously bearded to play Pontius
Plate and lady of light character to do Mary Nagda-
en The Seward organs have asserted that the patience
with which the disquistons religion heard BY
the audience cheering evidence of the progress OF
pety among the poorer classes We fear that they arc
as far from the truth here in their other deductions
from the play So far could Judge, the religious
element only rendered supporable by the acting OF
little Cordeia Howard. When that infant phenomenon
told her father and Uncle Tom that he going die,
all the tender hearted ia the boxes and parquetto
straghtway melted into tears and it, under these eircum
Stances che had dscoured geology spiritual rap.
pings instead of religion the effect Of emotion would have
been the The truth of this view Of the matter ia
shown by the conduct of the audience when the pey was
done Uncle Tom and St. Clare There was no crying no
beahess attention mute emotion depicted the facea
Of the audience then. On the onrary, every side
ladies removing with the aid of their HANDKERCHIEF
the traces of the feelings that Eva had aroused
blowing their noes-others shifting their pc.
stions to addition comfor-and Others nearly
all the men, commenting in audible tones the
previous Yet the sentiments put in Toms mouth
were even more true and forcibe than those
preset by Eva We do not think that the of true
religtn will gain proseyte by the production OF
'Uncle Toms Cabin ut the National; and only
trust that the reverent in which sacred things
therein spoken Of will not lead who believe
to scott Ispoke well for the audience that in the many
portions of the performance where ludcrous faults Of
grammar mingled with solemn sentiments, the re-
spec due to the latter prevailed over the rh which
the former doubtless calculated to provoke.
CITY Intelligence.
ARRIVAL OF EMIGRANTs DURING THE LAST MONTH, At
THIS PORT.
The following table comprises the FOREIGN tn