The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-12-14

Alsrge and fashionable audience a,ssubred Last eyei
ming at Hope Chapel to listen B,urcicault his sub
ject was THE Story of the Stage Ats o'clock tho
speaker appeared before the audience and ssdLsdise
and gentlsmen-N not many years ago whom visit
% London, and while there, glad enough escaps
the smoke and art Of the town. and go out into the
try to catch nature a. her toilet. went among plants
and flowers and stopped to pick one, when voics b..
hind me ssked me II know the Of the flower and
apon answering ! did not, he repeated 8 long
Botanical Latin name, which puzzled me -
rsPsat. Who has not met my gardener? But
'hsn not consc you to the slower garden to night bus
take you among the gardens Of the muses. The speaker
then psoessded 10 disw picture OF young Arcadias
peasant Who is presented in his native village stAndin
wi his bow surrounded by the yns and In the midst
Of flowers Before him stands stssue which tAs youth
crowns. Th;s Ii the god BAcchus This young ardsat
poAsant Was cslsd Thesp snd from him comes tho woe-
ship OF Bacchur which here represented At hs
sound Of the bell che curtain Of the stag was withdrawn
ard presentsda panorama Of dancing multituds, tn,
picture OF comedy In opposition to this the spssks
gave the origin OF the word trs3sdy which foua
worshippI the goes The speaker then prossedsd to
give the origin of tho god Bacchus, which, he said was
nearly The same as repetition Of the history Of
Moses Ee called IN the Egyp ian language Mices =
pams somewhat similar The speaker then proceeded to
give history OF the drana. The mcnument erected 70
Thesps hathe date of rs erection blot out but there
was sufficient evidence to chow that the r representa-
q ristian Era sohus was the father OF the stage The
speaker then proceeded to speak Of the mysteries the
description the ss s1n ns n.o rt
drawn yevean5a large temple 6 cd with worshippsrs,
while the heavens horrible with dark clouds AID
lightning filing the votars OF Isis with awe Esohilus
introduced the sond speaker the stage
oy invented dialogue In theas days, tho contss wAs
Of improvement s,d emulation. What contrast WITH
the day whom people rush with greass zeal ana
ded TO give O. q visit Ne made with frsnA
to Athens in search Of the old Athsnian STAGE They
found the ruins ar seating themselves upon them they
copjured up in their Imagination the stempls - 4
once existed The curtain again withdrawn reprsssat
'ds ea wS 81 'sss sr T
full OF classical aluBiors. represent ing Prometheua
bound he PArthenon In the distance, and Of the
city OF Athens. (This yiow much spplauded) The
speaker here repeated the history OF Prometheus,
marty to the Athenisn religion and a. much part q
part OF the Christian faith In the first history of The
drama when play was presented for pleasure aad .o
must be remembered that play Witnessed BY 81
least thirty thousand opc, and could thsreoes
ont Of compliment to that author repeated ct pub
lie request Tragedies at this period not divided
subject from the mind They had trlcgy, triple
psy posed Of three Subjects but the same story
with tragedy Person little ss nsG being n
scrbed IN comedy In its earer day evasion Of this
law was made BY establishing what was called middle
lar topic. Such is the life Of the Greek stage Frst 70
saw ~, 5Sssps e. S with HI. garland snd have followed h
speaker then proceeded to show the corruption Of the
Esy ptan virtues by the Roman State They We Q mere
cOpysts OF the Greeks and while Greece has left us o
dels for admiration, Rome has left models 10 avoid.
They took Zues, the god whose nod shook the cloud
capped Olympus, and what did they make Of hlms why.
Jspiter. And VINO was he? Why good type Of . small
tyrant; and bad husband; nothing more. (Laughtse
ness of the Greeks In their hands the stage decned
They were people who sacrificed gods but =
victorious generals, and threw them in amid ap-
plauding multtudss to be slaughtered BY villa
beasts Such people as this deserved sueh
rulers Nero and Hilicgobalus. They were at Zoe
nothing more. To illustrate the Il o. the stage buf-
merry The curtain sgain withdrawn and present
ed multitude enjoy,as themselves in vitoessng hAx
squin performing the stage sith great
trast with the previous sim plclty OF the Athenians
(Ihis scene was spplauded) The next picture was
Woelseys celebrated entertainment given to Henry the
Eighth which brought the audience Shakespeare.
The speaker said the iron bolt prejudice began -
crasn his two heroes comedy and tragedy. The
spsaser then gave history OF the Black Frisrs Hecats
and withdrew the curtain giving the picture OF the and
on of the ay of Hamlet grotssque woodsa
spectators, and Lowell the modern plat
form playing Hamlet and Shakespeare was playing The
Ghost (Applauss After few remarks to the wanA
of appreciation Of in his me another picture
of poy In the time Of Queen Elizabeth shown The
play represented In Reubsns Of Windsor Caste
Elizabeth seated canopy and bsf Ore her, at tho
distance OF few feet temporary stage platform,
was Falstaf, performing his part. Tae 6llsA
With few Of the sataites Of the Queer. By way q
again withdrawn representing Queen Victoria Rsubeaa
room witnessing the performance o. one OF the COMEDIES
Of This bringing he tales Of tho stage to tho
present day, the subject here ended.