New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-01-13
DIR. Hale's Lecture.


pearance eniss the interest and sympathetic accord
of the auditor.
s
DIR. Hale's Lecture.
DR.. Hale will lecture tomorrow night introducing,
among his experimental illustrations, the famous
dramatzed California experiment, acted by the sub
jects Of the evening" who will be involuntarily guided
through all the mazes Of the plot by the commanding
influence with which the Doctor possesses their minds
and directs their thoughts and doings. The expert
ment, or rather the play, is so long that it will oc-
cupy the entire evening, after the brief introduce
tory lecture It is extraordinary collection of the
most startling phenomena of experimental electro
biology, and must be of the bngly inter-
esting character from beginning to end, if we may
Judge of it from lengthy descriptive notice by the
editor Of Virginia paper, copy.of which is now
before us. .M .5
The Doctor first infames the passion of cupidty in
his subjects by picturing the golden gories Of Cali
forna and they determine at to make tracks for
the golden land; they make ready take an affection
ate adeu of their friends, start the cars for New
York suffer railroad accident, and have terrible
time, and finally reach that city knock round amid
the experiences of life in Gotham embark on
California steamer suffer the agonies Of seasickness
and have q " retched" time are beset by a storm,
are wrecked and left to drown in an imaginary sea
suffer hunger thirst and starvation of which one Of
them dies, and lies there the stage thinking he is
dead they rescued by chance steamer, and ar.
rive in San Francisco they depart for the diggings
arrive and fall to- scraping up nuggets from the stage
by the handfu and going half frantic in the intoxi-
eating realization Of their golden dreams having got
their piles they conclude to go home and spend it
like gentlemen, and, being very eager to return they
gladly avail themselves of the Doctors new line the
India Rubber Cable stretched from California to the
Atlantic, which, having straddled it, is cut behind
them and, presto! they erked across the conti-
nent in flash they meet their friends, but being
eated with their wealth, meanly give them the cold
shoulder, and swell round in very triumphant man.
ner on the strength of their moneyed merits but only
to be taken down" most lamentably, and reduced
to state of suicidal depression by the Doctors con-
vncing them that their gold is not gold but worthless
trash. -l-..-
The incidents of this series of experiments are all
such as appeal to violent natural passions and emo.
tions, which are excited in very and ener-
getc manner, probably because of the connection of
ALL which renders the subjects engrossingly alb.
sorbed and interested in the imaginary life to which
the Doctor introduces them, and through which they
conducted in succession of probable occurrences
The California drama will convince the skepical if
any such there are that there is that in the Doctors
science which can only accounted for by the Elec-
Psychological principles which he expounds.
ST. CHARLES THEATER,-Thomas Noon Talfourds
great tragedy of " Ion " was produced at the st.
Charles last night. This play is peculiar creation
play which in its fine poetic language, depth of feel
ing, and intensity Of tragic denouement, we have
od q onu IN Shakc
masterpiece Hamlet" The hero, Ion, the strip
pling YOUTH less than man in body but greater than
in SOUL is the popularity of the piece which has
excluded actors from its proper portrayal and left it
legacy to aspiring actresses
Ellen Tree brought the character out with success,
and stamped it with lasting fame. Since her time
almost every actress Of note has tried it. Whilst a
few have succeeded in doing it moderate degree of
justice, the greater number have attempted it only to
fail The appearance Of actress in this character
is therefore theatrical event which attracts rather
by the curiosity of seeing an experiment than by any
expectation of beholding and enjoying success It
curiosity, than anything else which tempted
US to go last night and how Avonia Jones would
succeed in this most difficult undertaking of Ion. 1t
was her second appearance in the character on any
stage.
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fell considerably short of perfect success we should
feel ourselves wanting in JUSTICE did we not award to
Miss Jones the highest praise for her success as far
it went. Difidence at the beginning weakened the
performances but despite this the evidences of care
full and laborious study were abundanty manifest As
the performance progressed and the plot began to
thcken upon the tragedy the actress seemed to for
get her identity, and feel and speak only as Ion In
the where the intended assassin and the kina
discover themselves to be father and son, and in the
subsequent scenes in which Ion conceas his resolve
Of self immoation under the stimulation of full en-
joyment of life, the acting was admirable.
In the look and movement, in the stage study, o.
Miss Avonias Ion, we had no fault to find. The
only perceptible fault was the lack of voice. which
common fancy must attribute to even Ion in his des
perate moods Miss Jones' voice is strong and sonor
ous enough, for any purely feminine character il
which she may appear but not up to what such
character as Ion may require The performance wa
evidently better than the audience expected for
was most enthusiastically applauded. Our verdict is
from what we saw last night, that few years NOR
of time and practice are all that Ion can ever reour
of Avonia Jones.
We must compliment Mr.. Pope for the eyiden
study he had bestowed upon Adrastus, and the tast
with which be portrayed the character. He SCENE
to have full appreciation Of his part, and to kno
who he was playing with.
Tonight Miss Jones appears as Syba Hardy, i
"The Sybil," for positively the last time the las
night but two OF her engagement.
YOUNG MAN who writes good hand and
quick figures desires situation wholesale
| store.