The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-12-05

answered the purpose Of the negro worship
pers, and helped to feed the flame Of dis
union.
The effect of abolition doctrines upon the
rostrum, in the pulpit, and in the light litera-
ture of the day, is seen In the recent political
events of the day, and the morbid sympathy
for men whose lives were justly forfeit to che
laws of State which they had outraged. On
the one hand the abolitionists excite the
people of the North to interfere with the rights
of the South, and on the other they stir up the
hot blooded Southerners to that point where,
as they believe, forbearance ceases to be vir-
tue. The result will inevitably be disunion
and civil war.
But this is not all. Abolition is the realiza-
ton of the tabled hydra, and the latest of the
hundred heads appears at the theatre in the
shape of play to be presented at the Winter
Garden this week, and called ''The Octoroon,
or Life in Louisiana" According to all ac-
counts, this piece purports to give view Of
the lights and shades of the institution Of
slavery. The heroine, the Octoroon, has been
bern in slavery, but has seven-eighths white
blood in her veins She is tenderly reared,
given all the accomplishments, airs and graces
of young lady of the best society, but
through the extravaganza and carelessness OF
her white father and owner she is compelled to
descend to the condition of her quadroon
mother. The slaves of the estate are sold ut
auction (of which scene there is to be an exact
representation; the delicately bred and highly
accomplished chattel is sold to wicked over
seer, who ruined her father. In order to escape
suicide.
The author of this play, Mr.. Bourcicault, is
undeniably clever man, and we have no
doubt that he has made the courteous, gene
rous and chiyalrous traits of our Southern
brethren very prominent; but that is of but
little consequence. The play will carry with it
the abolition aroma, and must be classed with
the sermons of Beecher and Cheever and the
novels of Mrs. Stowe. II will tend still further
to excite the feeling which now threatens to
destroy the Union of the States and ruin the
republic. The theatre has had no more earnest
defender from the attacks of bigots and narrow
minded fanatics than the HERALD; but when
the stage is prostituted to the work of disunion
and treason it will find in us bitter and deter
mined enemy. We say now-and we believe
that all the friends of the theatre, as place of
harmless and innocent recreation, combined
sometimes with instruction, will agree with us
we say that the question of slavery should
not be touched by the dramatic author
In any way. Neither pro-slavery nor an anti
slavery play ought to be performed, and half
way affair is quite as bad, perhaps worse, as it
would displease everybody. The effect of the
new play upon the public mind, just
now in such an excited state, must
be irritating, and it is certainly dis
graceful that the people of this metropolis
and they are conservative and sound in their
hearts-cannot even 60 to the theatre without
having the almighty niger thrust under their
noses Abolition doctrines on or off the stage
should receive the severest denunciation from
every citizen who has the good Of the republic
at heart. We are now standing upon mine,
which may explode and scatter the confederacy
in fragments at any moment. Every abolition
book, sermon or play tends to add fuel to the
fire which has been increasing slowly but sure
~ these last twenty years. For these reasons
we wage war against the 'Octoroon," and de-
clare, in the name of the good citizens of the
metropolis, that neither that nor any other
play of the same character should be per-
formed. The manager may take refuge in
Virgil, and say that to him Trojan and Tyrian
are alike, but the irrepressible conflict has
now gone SO far, that the motto of both sides
is, He that is not with me is against me-