The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1864-01-21
THE THEATRE.

Some of the daily newspapers Of this
city have recently spoken plain words about
the "Sehoal of Morals" in Richmond. 1t
may be we'll to make few extracts to let
our readers know how the Synagogue Of
Satan" is judged oven 6y journals whose
pages have presented almost daily nausea
ging puff, to allure unstable souls,
The Examiner of December 31s;, after
denOuncing THE Angel of Death" play
so often performed of late, 50 "blasPhe.
NOUS" says:
"'Oi course the Theatre was fIled-flled
At the expense Of virtue and shame Why
do parents wonder st the vices Of their sons,
when this recruiting station of the Devil
for eli The vices prohibited in the holy deca-
Iogue, is ready at their hands for IA exp'a-
nation In Paris and Yankee New York
mauegers cater, as s speciality for the third
tier, and Iusiful population; buff it has
fallen TO that in Richmond, yirtuOus and
Christian authority should rise and put down
both Theatre aud manager, or else compel
return to morals in theatrical representa-
tons"
The Richmond Wig Of the 14sh inst. is
not less explicit:
I'VE have long since despaired of that
elevation Of the drama Of which we have
heard aod read 50 much in our day. The
thiag is impossible. TGo stage I've speak
generally, not speciality IS controlled by
porsoas whose primary object is 10 put
money in their purses. They occasionally
make a pretense Of 'elegstiDg the drama,
By presenting some standard play which
will afford intellectual entertainment 10
.iudicious' play-goers but the moral lessons
o. such performance are sure to be nea-
tralizsd BY a meretricioss dance, vulgar
farce or double eRtcadre.
The public know all this; and it may
be assumed, without offence, that at least
nins-ten.bs of every audience are not only
rot shocked by the airy pas seui nor did-
gusted st the farce, or squiyoke, but eUj0y
and applaud them As the spice Of tie en-
tertaiument. The managers are sarewd
enough to find out what class of plays ana
advertisements will draw tae largest houses
aud please the majority of their patrons.
and they viii cater 10 that taste, let the
press advocate ever 30 earnestly the 'eleys-
ton and publication of the drama Gen
orally speaking, people who frequent the
Theatre are not as nicely fastidiOus or puri-
taucal' If You please, in respect to what
81 hos "a 81
some Of our critics think they are; and the
structures cf the press upon any qlestiOaa-
bic D aY, will rather increase than diminish
the attendance at the PLAYHOUSE, where q
dramatic entertainment Of this character is
presented.
We despair, as We have said, OF any
elevation of the drama and we will not
cevse to do so until its opponents every
whore are better examplsrs Of morality in
their habits end associations until bars
and third tiers are closed or prevented
from being used as the rendezvous for the
dissolute-until short skirt and niger dan
cling, ribaldry, blasphemous mock piety,
gross bafoOnery and other 'piqDant' and
profsne attractions for the caraa-minded
and illiterste, are excluded from the stage
Then must we wait until doom's day In
the meantime, We vii not waste breath nor
sPaeein deolaiming against the GemOralizing
tendencies of the drama"
Il cannot be doubted that the friends Of
deceney and good morals viii everywhere
be gratifed at this plain dealing with what
all here know to be sink of iniquity. 1t
was most appropriately referred to last Sab
bath by one of our pastors, as "a place
where the rich and the poor meet together
AID they see corruption" Our secular
newspapers have an immense responsibility
in this matter. They have the power of
hie ana death over the theatre. If they
vii faithfully and consistently uge that