The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-11-30


VENAIIrY OF THE PRDss IN THEATRICAL AND
ARrIsToAL MATTERs.-The American press has
somehow got bad name amongst foreign ar
fists, who nine cases ont of ten have them
selves to blame for the grievances Of which
they have to complain. They suffer them
selves to be victimized on their arrival here
by set of literary loafers and outsiders who
have only sort of guerilla connection with the
newspapers The money which artists mis-
takingly pay to gentlemen who manage the
press" is, in the great majority Of cases, en-
tirely thrown away, for no one can now pre-
tend that it is possible to influence aug respect
able journal here by such means. The hungry
tribe Of jackalls who live by the false promises
of literary support which they hold out to
strangers, are so we'll known, and are 80 care
fully guarded against by the newspapers that
they have no chance of carrying out their I'M
dertakiDgs The process by which money is
extracted under this pretence from the pockets
Of artists, cannot therefore, BIO designated by
any milder term than that Of swindling. If,
however, people win bring their foreign habits
and prejudices 70 this country they must
expect to pay the penalty of them. The
idea that what obtains abroad necessarily
obtains here cannot be drummed ont Of the
heads Of strangers. 1t is especially difficult to
convince artists who have been accustomed to
purchase the swee. voices" Of the critics
abroad, that they cannot buy them by whole
sale in this country. They are but too ready
to pay their money to these rogOes, and have
not the good sense to hold their tongues when
they find themselves dnped.
To add to their modification they sometimes
find that the very course which they have taken
to shorten the road to fame, leads people to
set them down as pretenders in their art, and
creates for them greater obstacles than if they
had trusted solely to their own merits. Thus
the system works, but we are not to blame for
it. 1t was first introduced here by foreign ar
lists themselves, who did all they could to
corrupt cur press and to degrade the standard
of public judgment in theatrical matters.
1t is to the continental, and more especially
the Paris press, that we are indebted for the
source of the evil. Owing to the system of
placing the theatrical Jfs,allaon Of newspapers
in the hands of particular critic--generally
o man of some literary reputation-a wide
field has been opened to corruption. As all
these theatrical articles are signed by the
writer an artist has no difficulty in ascer-
tanning where the bait is to be offered. The
open and shameless manner in which this sys-
tenn Of bribery is carried Oh would astonish
any one not acquainted with the working Of
the social machinery Of France. Some Of these
critics, with only nominal salaries from the
Paris newspapers, make princely incomes, and
live in the most elegant and luxurious style.
1t is no wonder that they should be enabled to
do this, seeing the enormous sums which they
levy off the profession. They have got q regu-
lar tariff Of black mail to which an artist mus.
submit, or resign himself to be written down.
The amount OF praise is graduated, in
regular Grub street style, to certain scale of
fees, and even negative criticism has its price.
The tyro who would not be numerically cut
up is compelled to pay good round sum to
purchase the silence Of the fashionable censor.
In short, viler system of tyranny and cor
ruption was never before known in the annals
of the press.
And yet it is in the face Of facts like these
that foreign artists complain of the venality
of the American journals. They first try to
introduce amongst us their own corrupt habits,
and they then abuse US for our acquired profit
gacy. The real sting of their complaints, we
suspect, lies in the fact that like the judgments
OF Lord Chancellor Bacon, the accessibility
to a bride of these pretended critics is rare
ly followed by any published indication Of
the temptation. There is, in fact, no press in
the world that is more independent in these
respects than ours We may have our par
tialities and our favoritisms in the arts, but we
do not, like the French critics. sell ourselves
bodily to candidates for public favor. Be-
sides, owing to our policy of devolving the
duties of criticism upon several persons, in
stead of one, and giving to no individual
monopoly Of this department, we render it
difficult, if not impossible, for artists to offer
temptation in quarter where it would be
likely to be successful We trust that they
will for the future act upon the information
and spare their money.