New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-12
4 LETTER IYDEFENSE OF THE STAGE.

To the Rer. Henry Ward Bessher.
SIR: 1t would be scarcely reasonable to look in you
for any judgment beyond passionate exclamation of
your intolerance of any set of opinions not your own
To propose patient calm investigation of any evil
would l fear be an insult to your rampant virtue,
for You seem to understand remedy but extermina
tion-no cure but kill. How then, hope to find
in you an unguarded moment Of gentleness, when |
can ask you why, with one sweeping anathema, you
declared the Stage to be not only essentially vile, but
outside the pale of regeneraonan institution by lis
nature confirmed a. the Arch Minister of Vice and the
stronghold of Evil
May ask on what grounds you founded this belief
Twill not call opinion Did you investigate this mat
ter upon which you, minister Of our Saviour, decided
so vehementlyl Have you visited the scene you go
strongly condemn Have You studied the lives of
theatrical people aud made yourself acquainted with
the history of the stage And if you have expert
ence, have you moderate share of data on
which to establish your conclusion
Or do YOU the vice of the stage 10 be social
axiom in fact, question on which from lack OF intor-
nation you would rather decide than debate Yet
the social degradation the wrongs borne with patience,
and the slavery prejudice endured by those whose
you assign lower than that OF the slave
subjects as interesting to Christian mind a. that
which has engaged your sympathy for many years. IL
true the actor cannot ike the slave show the letters
on his wrist he cannot exhibit the stripes his back
and therefore his case is less succulent in the mouth
of an orator; il ia not pictorial profitable. But
wrong wrong and the physical well-being pf class
is no plea that their wrongs should be set aside,
leisurey regarded or their injuries aggravated with
inpunity.
iou have said that the Theater is calculated to de-
mOralize and do mischief That il is radiaing
ter If vice and dissipation and reform could
| make il otherwise.
| To these sweeping assertions based on no facts
| whatever, submit to the world this reply:
u. ;,,o md ~ In
their admission with the sole object of causing the we'll
Of emotion in the heart sealed by the strife for dali
bread, TO be opened up. In assemblage OF human
beings is selfshness less dominant all thought Is ban
ished save hatred of vice. sympathy with virtue pity
for the tempted. and woe for the fallen.
History has been deiaced with falsehOOd poetry
| With atheism, romance with debauchery and hbldnous
| works. The press has been dehled by every means
to which bad men could apply it. The drama alone
by its very can live only BY one means that is
by showing virtue the loveness of her form and vice
the ldeous outline OF her feature. Iii its former
ages contained expressions that coarse 10 our
ears, these belong TO those times aud being
| common To the Church, the Legislature, the Court,
| were simply reflected from them on the stage.
There is LEES evil thought in the minds Of an au-
dience assembled 10 witness good play than Ia the
same number OF persons occupied in any other KIND OF
| known entertainment. The drunkenness and de-
banchery attendant on fairs, agricultural meetings,
elections, balls and parties, excursions and assem-
bages OF all kinds, VIGOROUSLY exceed any such evils
attendant on theaters.
The drinking saloons attached TO theaters TO my
knowledge nearly invariably failures speculations.
BY the rules Of all thestes prostitutes banished
| from them by every means ingenuity devise. No
female Is admitted without gentleman, and the audi
forum is 80 constructed that the privacy which vice
| seeks is practically and purposely defeated
There is more bissphemy uttered ia a single railway
in one hour than have heard on the stage in al
nv life.
There is more liquor drank on Sunday than in soy