The weekly Columbian., 1857-01-17
Camille.

WIittch, upon the ground that its tenden-
cies are OF nature well adapted to guild
the criminality ofprostitution, with charms
and virtues not its own, and thereby
form cloak under which vice NAV hide
the deformity of its crime! We beo
leave however, to protest against premi-
ses of the above character, and first: be.
cause it is reasonable to believe that there
may have been characters in life precise
ly analogous to that represented in the
touching drama of "Cami1le," and Sec
ondly; because if truthful to nature, the
sympathy, and not the condemnation of
community should be brought to bear in
favor of one SO unfortunate, and yet so
noble in her degradation.
See yon beautiful little girl with gol-
den ringfets, fair forehead and sparkling
eyes, as she bounds along the path of fife,
pure and beautiful as the blush of early
morning Now she is young and inno-
cent, buoyant in spirit and warm in the
impulses Of pure and affectionate heart!
That child is destined to meet misfor-
tunes, deep and crushing. AS time in
creases with her years, without father.
mother or friends, she is left prey to
penury and the SCOTS and insults IF a
heartless world. Ambitious, she is foiled
in every hope affectionate in DISPOSE
ton. her poverty places her beneath the
would claim as equals! Sensitive per-
haps to fault. her poor wounded feel
ings smart under the blghtlng taunts and
neglect of, even those who are called the
deciples of Christ. Humiliated, crush
ed in soul and spirit, bleeding at every
fibre of her affections, she meets with one
who recognizes her beauty and plots for
her destruction! Unacquainted with the
licentiousness of fashionable manhood
God forgive us for the use of this last
words it strange that her ear is open
to the soothing tale of love, which the ac-
complished libertine is ingeniously ponr-
ing in her ear? In an unfortunate hour
she yields to folly, and is only aroused to
a sense other guilt and shame, by the re-
alization that, she has become the duped
instrument to the qualification of a heart
less passion! Camille! Camille shall
the world condemn you! No! 1t should
condemn your folly, but the noble and the
good, will extend to you that charity
which belongs to humanity, and is ap-
proved by heaven.
Such, in our estimation is the moral
which gives character to the drama of
"Camille" personated in undying
eloquence by Mrs. Julia Dean Hayne.-
1t is impossible otherwise than to feel in-
terested with the misfortunes of Camille,
when represented by action as well as
words that she possesses noble qualities
and would willingly, gladly redeem the
lost Jewels of her fair fame. This inter
est proves two things; the worth of the
unfortunate, and the talents of the artistic !;
the first, we would redeem from her deg
relation, the last we admire for her ge-
nious.
When reduced to science like this,
the theater becomes means OF useful
ness, and the actor can be justly classed
among the benefactors of mankind and
at the highest point of perfection, justly
ranks in genious with our Raphaels and
Angellos of deathless fame. Raphael
for picturing the imagry of life on the
cold canvass, will live through time =
and Parrhasius, for reducing the death
struggle to oils and paints, will not be
forgotten until literature is no more =
Why then shall not she in whose veins
the life blood of existence flows freely,
against the intelligence of an audience,
making them realize for the time, that
the cold hand of death has seized upon its
prey live immortal with them?
In personating the final parting of
fiiends--the agonies Of death, as repre-
sented in the fifth act of Camille, Mrs.
Julia Dean Hayne in our opinion has no
superior; and in the moral which she