The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-09-10
From the CormhiH MaqaEine.

THE BURLESQUE SCHOOL OF THE DRAMA.
Mr.. Planche was the pioneer Of the burlesuue
school, and his sole purpose to divert holiday
audiences (chieAy composed of boys and girls home
for the Christmas and Easter vacations) with ap
nroprlate dramatic versions of pretty fairy tales
His compositions were rather extravaganzas than
burleSoues, and depended for their success mare
up0n the romantic interest of the story and the wit
OF the dialogue than upon their satire Mr. Pla1cbe
may claim the merit-f merit it be-of having
first introduced the pun into these compositions.
and it must be allowed that he punned with dis
cretion, which is certainly more than we can say
OF his younger successors in the craft of Joke
making. When Mr.. Planche was at the height of
his tame burlesque writer, these pieces y ere
brought out only at holiday time; in some cases as
substitute for the pantomime, which, in certain
quarters, was beginning to be voted low and vu-
gar. 1t suiiccd then to tell the dramatic story in
sprightly rhymes, slightly sprinkled with puns and
illusions to the events of the day. Ballet glitter
ing fairy scenery psrcdes set to popular airs and
red and blue fire, did the rest. The satire contain.
ed IN these pieces was of a very harmless kind,
and rarely aimed at any game higher than the
Thames Tunnel or tie Lord Mayors show.
Of late years, however, pieces of this class have
asserted much more extended sway. They are
now played in season ard out of season, and at one
if not two theatres they bold the stage all the wear
| round, and constitute the chief attraction. The
| young school OF buresque writers follow method
| peculiarly their owD though of course, they are
largely indebted to the traditions of their imme.
diate predecessors The chief elements which enter
|
scenery, negro melodies, "breakdown" dances
and outrageous puus. 1t is also necessary condi
tion to their success that or more saucy ac
| tresses with good legs should be EMPLOYED ir
their performance. The music and the scener,
| go for much, the puns go for more but the conf,
lnance goes tor most of all. The literature which
enters into the composition of the more successful
pieces OF this description is not by any means to bt
despised as an intellectual effort. The young me,
who can so industriousiy torture the English Ian
guage into such strange and startling meanings
through thousand lines of rhyme, evidently pos
sess an amount of talent and application which,
properly directed, might be of real service to let
ters; or, ii not to letters, to industrial pur
suit. Tom Hood, who considered the prime
of punsters in his day, could have had no concep
tion of the height to which punning has attaine
(or, perhaps, we ought to say the death to whic
it has tallen) in time. A pun a day would
perhaps, have been the extent of the iudulgenc
which Hood would have allowed himself; but thes
hurlesgue writers fire them off in voeys and glor
in starting the English language from its propri,
ty.
The South-the fifteen Southern States-contai
now almost precisely much population as tt
whole Union contained by the census of $780, Th
South, therefore, is only about one generation b.
hind all the United States by the census of 1860.
There is only about three of the civilized nation
that exceed it in territory, probably ak in popu
: tion, and about one in wealth-and none so free.