The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-10-02

fxN IN VO4VOGxo -, AOVO
The New York Herald and the THEATRE
gH cal Managers.
Two or three Of the papers have stated that
some Of the theatrical managers Of this city
have withdrawn their advertisements from the
| HERALD in consequence Of our refusal to admit
to our columns the advertisements Of two OF
their number. This Is q matter Of very little
| consequence to us or to the public. The mana
gers have the same right to take away their adj
vertisemsnts as they have to bring them to this
Office. The only point about the affair that can
ct all interest our readers Is the attempt of the
theatrical managers to interfere with our bust
ness and to dictate to us what we shall or shall
not publish. or course we could not entertain
the idea Of submitting to any such imperti-
hence. We have always been ready to correct
any individual grievance from which the mana
gers might suffer; but when they come to us as
an association to force US to do as they like, in
stead of doing as we like, in our own business
and in the interest of the public, there is only
one course for us to pursue. We should have
been perfectly content to have their advertise
ments Withdrawn and nothing said about 1t; for
we omit every day, for want of room, more ad-
vertisements than would I'll the space the
managers occupy. But as 1t is evident that this
affair is to be the subject Of gossip we take the
trouble to mention the matter.
For some time past we have thought proper
to exclude the advertisements of the Opera and
the American Museum from the HERALD.
Every one understands why we excluded those
of the Opera. AS for the Museum advertise
ment, that comes under general rule. We
are obliged every day to refuse publication
to notices of quacks and charlatans. The
directors of the Opera and the Museum, having
their own tails thus cut of, proceeded, like the
fox in the fable, to induce the other managers
to submit to the same painful operation. The
other foxes in the fable we're wise and kept
their tails; but the associated managers of this
city were foolish, and held a secret meeting, at
which committee was appointed to wait upon
U.s. We received the committee. We ascer-
tanned that they were the representatives Of the
associated theatrical managers Of New York,
and also that, year or 80 ago, some of the
managers Of this city had leagued themselves
together to keep down the wages of the musi-
clans in their orchestras and the employees in
their theatres, and, in other words, to secure
cheap performers and cheap fddlers-the ad-
vantage of the association being that no poor
employe could leave one manager and engage
with another in order to better his condition,
during the season, except with his employers
permission. Very naturally, as we did not
fiddle in any orchestra, and were not employed
in any theatre, we did not see what the associa-
ton had to do with US This being an un-
answerable mode Of putting the case, we con-
cluded to let the managers mind their own
business and leave us to attend to ours; and SO
dismissed the affair. Whereupon. as we are In
formed, number of the managers have with
drawn their advertisements from our columns.
This matter is Of 30 little consequence to us,
and we care so little about it, that we should
not have referred to it had II not been men,
toned elsewhere; and we do not desire, new
that we have referred to it, to speculate as to
what will be the results Of the silly conduct of
the managers who are engaged in it. Those
who do not belong to the association of foxes
without tails will profit by this foOlishness Of
their rivals in business, and in any event the
HERALD will be the gamer by this novel move
ment. But without inquiring too infinitely as
to results, we shall be satisfied il one conse-
ouence of the affair is reformation in the tone
Of theatrical criticism in this city. We want to
see all the papers independent and all the
theatres independent, and no trucking by the
~ 80 al Of fn<
ought no.longer to be mere Bohemian puffery;
but they ought to be strictly and severely just
Let them be 80 and they will be respected, and
what they say will be conscientiouslJ observed
by the managers and the actors Hitherto the
press has been too lenient, and the Bohemian
buffers have given the managers too low an
opinion of the gentlemen with whom they will
have to deal, now that extraordinary attention
is attracted towards their performances. We
hope that, in future, the press will never err
upon the side Of too much charity. The public
are ready TO support the critics in such re-
form, and II some of them are not ready they
must be educated up to the proper standard.
Let MS accomplish this radical change In Ameri-
can criticism, and we shall feel that we have
done both the managers and the public an in
estimable service. II is in this spirit Of benev-
olence that we have alluded to this matter, and
in the same spirit we shall undertake the
theatrical reformation.
RETURN OF THE FOREIGN CAPrTALrsTs.-Sir
Morton Peto and party have returned to this city
after their rapid but extended tour through the
West. In every prominent place on their route
they were entertained by the public authori-
ties, Boards of Trade and prominent citizens