The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1857-10-17
The Immoral Drama.

Is Saul also among the Prophets? Hear
the n. Y. Herald discoursing on the i'm
moral drama
"At Wallack's the engagement of Miss
Heron has made a wretched failure; and it is
curious circumstance that the very same
critics who wrote her up so ferociously last
year, have now, almost to man, left her
among the breakers. This proves distinctly
the truth of what we have said before, that
the farore for the immoral drama was only a
momcntary spasm. People always come
back to first principles; in art, as in every
thing else, only the true, the good and the
beautiful can prevail to the end"
This is good and true to the letter: glad
to hear of it: hope we shall have the same
report from the other theatres till the dra-
matte millennium of DR.. Bellows and the
Herald shall be ushered in. If there is one
paper in the world that has done more than
another to rulgarize the taste of the people,
and prepare them for the support and en-
joyment of licentous plays, it is the Herald,
paper that represents the lower stratum
of the reading community, and lives by re-
hecting their wants. Now and then it breaks
out in pious strain as if it he'd been con-
verted over night, and the sentence we have
quoted above is taken from its last Sunday
morning issue, when it was evidently under
some concern of mind, and willing to be
good for day, for the sake of variety. And
the sentiments thus uttered is certainly wor-
thy of being repeated, it is better than any
sentiment we now recollect in that protract-
ed meeting of DIR. Bellows in which we list
ened to him with so much physical and
moral suffering for three mortal hours.
"People always come back to first princi-
ples," says the Herald: sin art as in every
thing else, only the true, the good and the
beautiful can prevail to the end" Amen.
And now let US apply this principle to the
New York Theatres, and see how many of
them will hold up their heads under the CEN
sorship of the Herald. Our word for it,
threc-fourths of the theatres would be shut
up instantly under the test of one-third of
the principles on which alone it afirms they
can be maintained. There is scarcely a
theatre in this city, we do not believe there
is one of which it is possible to affirm that it
. exhibits only "the true, the good and the
beautiful" If We differ as to the meaning
of the "beautiful," we shall not dispute
about "the good and the true" And who
expects to find these at the twelve theatres
advertised in the Heraldl Out of these
twelve several of them are filthy abomina-
tions, to which the attention of the police
may well be called. And not one of them,
not one, aims at a higher standard of mo-
! rality than Wallack's which even the n. Y.
r Herald reproaches for its immoral drama.
We are among those who believe that the
: stage, next to debauched cheap press, is
the great corrupting influence at work in
< great cities. 1t ministers to the sensual
never, never, never exalts the spiritual. 1t
has in all ages made men worse, and women
too: in no age has it made either better.
+: What has been, will be. And while we re-
: oice that circumstances now and then con-
1 spire to extOrt censure even from lips like
t Balaam's, we wish that the press would
: strike at the root of the disease, and drive
e the immoral drama out of town.
i n. y. OJserrer.