Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-09-09
BURLINGTON FREE PRESS, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1853.
tconnEsroSDEScE OF rur FREE rnEss.l

lCoItEsrUSDESCE OF TIrr FREE PRESs.l
New YORk, Aug. %, 1853.
Uncle Toms Cabin, dramatiscd, has been PLAYED
to crowded houses at the National theatre in this
city every night for a month and over.
The National theatre is in Chatham street, and is
one of the lower class theatres. / hardly know of
anything except Uncle Tom, that would have carried
me there, but | was glad | went, The house wa.
crowded from pit to third tier. Admission into the
pit was only twelve and a half cents. 1t was divided
10y It slight Partition in halves, and one side was
especially reserved for respectable colorcd people,
no women being admitted alone. This side as veil
as the other was crammed, which msie u rather
particolored foor, The other half of the pit wa
filled with journeymcn, appreciates, n~cwsboys, &c.
dirty and ragged many of,nem, and inclined to sit
in their shirtslccycs. CHOSE who hnd any shirts, that
is) as were those in the upper tiers. The first tier
was filled wyn II respectable, well dressed COMPANY.
All wcr. we'll behaved. I heard no swearing or bad
Language, and the only difference between the
audience and that of other theatres was a tendency
to whistle shrilly, and now and then between the
acts, II loud call to some 1" Bill' or " Mike" They
were attentive and apprcciativc, far beyond INV
expectations of an audience east of the Bowery. II
is true however that the play attracts n rather more
respectable audience than usual there.
The play was Il very effective one, as Of course it
must be, I'll followed the book in the least, and the
acting much better that | expected. Uncle Tom was
very well played. The actor seemed to feel the
character, and did not once dcrogatc from its
nobility and christian dignity. Little Eva was
beautifully played by Il little girl, my admiration
for whom grew every minute. Topsy. also wa, we'll
done, although rather too large for my idea of the
girl that " never was made" The actor too, who
performed It. Clair, succeeded in REPRESENTING very
well the " Southern gcntlcman"-not such Il one AS
a friend of mine was telling me of. whom he saw
conb hs h'td at the dinner table of the Mctroun1itnn
Hotel. There was some changes made in thc
characters and incidents. Lcgrcc was made tn L,
the murderer Of It. Clair, and to be killed hy officers
attempting to arrest him for it, some new character.
were put ina specializing Yankee and a Deacon
WIN" marricS Miss Ophclia ON her return to Vermont.
"c. | regretted to see these changes, not only
because they were changes, but because their spirit
was not in harmony with the rest. Still in spite Of
them all, the Influence of the play was and uu.t IN,
cnnobling, clcyuting, nay, even iuin,
more true preaching than many of the audience hear
''N'h 'N' N'dl = 'li " III blltT. was p-fIgl1lN
struck with this. In no play that ever saw j..
there to he found any such true religion and 50
openly displayed, not in the form of mere morality.
but in the very words and spirit of the New
Testament. In this respect the character of Uncle
Tom wa. fully preserved in the play. WAS pleased
too, much pleased, t, see how the audience took
these sentiments and seemed to receive them heartily
and h%ulnhly. Not that they always called down
applause, though they often did, but they touched
the hearts of the audience. The pathetic place,
were very well received, and | saw many moistcncI
eyes, even among the toughest of the audience,
when little Eva first finds the way to 1oISy', heart.
by the power of lovc-and at Eya's death. at st.
Glars death, and again at Uncle Toms death. All
these were we'll acted, the latter bcin. quite operate.
the band playing Plcyel's Lynn. The music ofthc
piece was quit. Il fcaturc-lnclc Toms sin ;in,
"Old folk. at home was cmincntly appropriate.
and the other pieces, prepared cx prcs.ly for the play,
were good.
1t is not many year. sine, Abolition meeting, in
this city were broken up by rowdic.. and speaker,
against slavery are still denounced by the e Cotton
press of the city As disunionist, and traitors. But
here six evenings in the week, 4 large and
promiscuouS audience gather and listen to and
applaud the condensed expression Of anti-slaycry
sentiments, and no one even raise, an objection
nor lo | believe that when such au audience nightly
arrItndS' voriicrou'll and heartily, George Harris
determination To earn at least e six feet of free
SOIL or the cpntcmptuou, disgust of the good
rIturcd kcntuckian ON seeing the reward offered
for hi rccoNcry-nightIy sees the representation of
slave auctions and the crueltics of ~Icgrcc'> plantation
and nightly inhalcs The noble upright christian
atmosphere of Uncle Toms Cabin, it can all be
without effect upon the anti->lavcry sentiment of
this most Cotton" of all our Northern Citic>-au
effect which will be felt when the time comes.
Yours &c, ALPHA.