New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-04-19

nation accept the grand creations Of his. For
there are passages in Milton AS absurd az absurd
can be, "a mere common sense. Now don't CRY
ont hcresy on me; change their rhetorical form,
and try them on your neighbor Jenkins whose or
thodoxy of common sense is out of dispute. See
what he says Ia them.
For the rest Messrs. Debnery e. Dugue do
not aim closely to follow Milton They wisely ley
out road of their own The piece is not yet
published. ] have attended but one performance
and shall therefore not attempt connected out
line or critiquc Of it. Indeed, it is Ike to be
dull enough in the reading unless it could BIO illus
uAted by Martin, much Of its deserved sue
Gee. depends on the tableaux and the quite extra
ordinary acting of Satan Dumaine, EvePeriga,
Came este and tho rest.
The tableau of the Internal council in Pandemo-
MUM, when the war upon our newborn race is
planned, was very Martinesque in its effects Of
coloring. Tricky, false mel0- dramatic, II you WILL
but very impressive for all that This is less to
the credit of Martins style than to the scene
painters Of the theater, where it is much more IN
place than ON the canvas or engraved paper. Sa-
tans temptation of Eve and Ewes temptation of
Adam were scenes where authors aud actors
combined produced IN admirably truthful picture
OF human nature, let the accuracy of the devils
portraiture be what il might His serpentine Inca
mepts transformed into the singularly fine person
of Dumane, he easily makes bis way through the
ever open doors OF female curiosity and vanity (his
passions supposed not 10 hold place IN the natures
Of the male readers of THE TRIBUNE.) Eve then
leads her spouse TO ruin along the rssy path OF
love. pouting and caressing aud really loving so
prettiy, bewitchingly, so devotediy. that Adam
iced be more than man to resist such temptation;
20 down he gees in such sweet companlVnship
knowing the right but pursuing the wrong in glad,
riotOus uxOriOus madness. " Ibou hast not de-
"ceiyed me- love; thou cOnqueFest me and he
Al 20 fha Drnftared truit Thar
opened aid on swift angels wings their sentence
of Punishment and SORROW is borne to them from
heaven. Satan rejOices his still noble form seems
to swell with triumph; an exultant smile llghtens
up the dark shades Of demoniac hate aud rage and
pain thst had shrouded his fair cOunten7nce
Poor devil The victory was but another defeat
Not only shall this frail Eve De the mother OF thy
final conoueror; she herself has already conquered
thee beautiful the angels OF thy native heaven
she has inspired thee, dnwittiDgly, with the mad
best passion of loves and the Interest tOrments OF
that unre9uited, hopeless passion, added to all thy
other torments, shall accompany thee through all
eternity. Thou hast created Tor tnyself q new
hell.
As q piece of acting, and for the moral les
son it bears with it, the death of Abel was surpass
inply fire. Satan wOrksup Cain, rude, uncOmbed,
violent nature to his great crime, through the pas
sion Of jealousy. 1t is but too true; II is part OF
the consequences OF the first fall from periectlon
The parents do love the delicate, gentle good, al
frctioDate last-born child better than his rOugher
elder brother. He, broOding over and exaggerat-
ing every slight mark OF preference, growing
fercer and heTcer In the solitude of the fields, in
his bodT struggles with savage beasts IN the still
more desperate wTestlings of his own emotions,
comes in one day still more enbittered by the III
success Of his bunting. Just as he enters on the
sceIe the mother is caressing her younger son.
Cain complains of this with brutal unreason; re-
fha Gin IF tlisl he caste hack
upon his parents the Iepreach of their first dlsObe
dience to their first parent, whence comes his and
oil other sin. Adam threatens him with punish
he folds his nervous arms over his brawny
breast aud defes him. The rebellion is open.
I've intercedes with wemans genteness and self
sscrifice-" Curse him not driye him not into the
wilderness and turning her first born-"Re-
''proa ch him not mile the sin the hrst the only
"sn be and you all suffer through me alone" After
this, at her persuasion, Adam aud Abel retire, and
she approaches Cain, who sits moody and sullen,
hate and anger swelling above shame and remorse.
che reasons with him, she entrcats him, she ca
Iesses him, che winds her fair arms about his
rough neck her delicate fingers tWne IN his shaggy
beard. His eurly face at fret betrays no change;
little by little YOU see the rude features working
panfuiy-he tries not to yield-he struggle not to
1ield-but the rich full food Of mothers love at
last overwhelming, turns the current OF his angry
feelings; he Yields his brOnzed forehead to his
mothers kiss, and they fall weeping in each others
aims.
The scene was free from false sentiment, and the
weeping was gious this side Of the foot lights.
But soon the old Jealousy reyiyes. Satan then
iterferts in person. When the brothers make
their several sacrifices, Cain finds that God takes
sides against him, and the first murder ensues
Then comes the punishment-not by retallatOry
death, but by an everything rem0rse. lie kneels
over the mOtiODless corpse IN astOIshnenf, IN
fear in an agony Of horror; he beats his forehead
with his cleDched hands, that uncOnsciously he
bad dabbed in his brothers blood, and leaves
there the murderers sign. He feels strange
moisture Oh his brow on his hands; it is not drops
Of sweat He doubts, breads, dares not see what
this strange moisture. Slowly, convusively, as if
s, NE demon forced them up he raises his stained
Lands, until his retreating vision must rest on
them; and when his troubled gaze lights upon this
livery Of hell, and he Knows that all this strange
moisture Oh hands and brow and on bis brothers
coIpse is blood, and his frame is all conyulsed
with terror, and he whispers hoarseIy u" Blood
eyeryw here" YOU feel an infinite pity for the
wretched man, aud are ready TO leave vengeance
where il belOngs-with God.
s The next act opens, long centuries after, when
Noah is building his ark with q festival and bal
let by the sons ard daughters of Cain.--Per
haps, Sir, the congregation had better retire.
Though | ought to tell you, and If l had but time
and room before the mail closed and in this letter,
/ would tell you how that this ballet is as decent
a. a ballet possibly can be, aud that new defeat
of Satan in this act is worked out with an ingenuity
and profound tTuthfulness that does great credit to
the author of the play and harm TO the sternest
morality. The Deluge is rather atailure-weak
ard watery. compared with the earlier parts OF
the drama Ii has its merits, however, aud there
is not the slightest objection to the congregations
returning. But l may have already given too