The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-07-02
BALTIMORE.
FRIDAY, JULY 2, 1858.

c,o,barc about the year of Grace 1871, the
.Iltno,od nointcr DAVID, undertook TO reform the
,,,t,r,o If tbe French Republicans and, as 1t was
ho c,sbon during the Reign of Terror, to affect
an unbounded admiration OF the CLASSICAL ana
Of bc heroic after due Sarorial reflection, Citlzen
Dawn succeeded in compromising costume OF
m;ycd Greek and Roman elements, with here ana
,bcre 4 touch of Gallo imaglnatlveness, ana
which, from an inspection OF It's ton e"Se"'o'e' I'LL
orcbitect would have described as OF the .oiii-
nosite order. 1t was quite graceful affair, ana
took for brief season, amazingly. but II
was soon found that the tunic ana Inc
toga. though very well suited to the clliii'e
Of Italy, were by no means the most co'il-
Portable garments that could be worn IN the litl-
tude of Paris Coughs, colds, anu rheuma'ic
complaints abounded; and as the love OF lie,
even in that reckless age, was yet stronger IMAM
the passion for notoriety, the classic hablllmentS
were speediv exchanged for velvet and broadcloth
coats with ample skirts and enormous flaps; fol
Ioose neckcoths in which the whole of the under jaw
miobt have been immersed, and for knee breeches,
silk stockings, square-toed Shoes and three-cornered
cooked hats Such was the disastrous termination
of the attempt to revive the old classic costume
during the bloody period of the French revolution
An equally foolish effort has recently been made
in New York city to resuScitate the old Greek
Drama. Under the auspices of a new Institution
STYLED the Academy of the Drama, the first of ;
series of dramatic representations, Invested of al
adiunctive attractions, was given in that city OF
Wednesday last The great feature Of the evening
LII I'm
DIV. founded on the old Greek models, and pre-
serving a strict regard for the writers, we may
infer, without any very great violation of proba
bilitv, to be the production of Mr.. ISAAC C. PRAY
who signs himself ''Drector Of the Academy.
But what we chiefly desire to note is, this odd
attempt to restore the purity of Dramatic repre-
sensations by resorting TO first principles. Ali
but the simplest scenic accessories are to be
abandoned, orchestral music is to be dis
pensed with, as far as possible, and the success
of the author is to be made to depend wholly upon
the literary excellence of his production and upon
the skill evinced by the actors in portraying the
characters he has drawn Mr. Pray in his an
nouncement of this novel exhibition invites the
serious attention of the Press and the public tC
this effort 10 inaugurate ''regn of the Drama,
often conceived but never yet practically cxem-
pfed." This, however, is mistake. The West
minister scholars in London, at their annual exhibi-
tons, have long been in the habit of performing
some one or more of the old Roman or Greek
plays-with this simple difference-that their per-
formances were in the Greek or Roman tongue.
The French have also sought more than once to
revive the ancient Greek Drama, and though they
failed in acclimatng so tender an exotic they have
constructed their finest native tragedies by clas-
steal rules What is called the Romantic Drama
was scarcely known in France until it was POPULAR
lied by VIcToR HUGO But whether the Dramatic
Representations announced by Mr.. Pray, be origi-
nal or not, we are perfectly satisfied that the ven
ture will not succeed. The severe simplicity Of
the old Greek Tragedy was adapted to the taste OF
the age in which it flourshed but it can never be
rendered palaable to q modern audience In
Athens it was native to the soil, and elected tht
applause of the audience, by appealing to the re-
ligious sentiment or by its historical associa
tons. If in the ELECTRA rs performed at tn,
Academy Of the Drama, the old Greek Chorusse
are retained, the aid of music is also requisite, an,
the tragedy thus becomes crossed with the opera
If there are no chOrusses, what remains hut solemn
defamation, and those statuesque groupings wit
which the public has already been famariZeC
through the better appointed taJleaur yicants o
the Keller troupe? Clearly, the whole project ha
been engendered in folly, and must inevitabl,
submit to finale as foolish as its origin An ole
play tells US that it is "a mad world my masters
and that the Bedamites are occasionally in thu
ascendant. But we scarcely needed this informa
ton, to be satisfied of the fact, that in all age
of the world wisdom and folly have been strange
ly commnged, and that the Fools bauble ha
sometimes won more respect than the Marshall
baton. In spite, however, of the contest that ha!
been carried on from time immemorial, the prac
teal has always gained, in the long rum the adj
vantage over the merely theoretical and we have
been enabled TO advance to high point of civil
cation, though we have still much to learn and
perhaps, yet more to unearn But the crisis O
the attempt to inaugurate new reign of the
Drama has been reached earlier even than We
anticipated. We learn by the New York Journals
OF last evening, that the first representation Of
ELECTRA sealed its fate. The Tribune saws that
experience of last night shows that the dispcns-
ing with the orchestra and scenery, and what
''Mr Pray calls the 'adjunctive attractions of the
drama, includes also the dispensing with the
audience, modern adjunct which Mr. PRAY
must also make up his mind to do without, if he
persists in his Greek deluson. The performance
us as dreary as can be well imagined; and the
constant falling away last night of the originally
sporadic audience left the public at the last in q
"bare majority over the actors''