The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-11-10


with the conservative republicans of Congress,
In this view Of the situation, may still WELD o
controlling influence In establishing the party
Of the succession.
The Modern SodOm and GOmsrrah ON It's
Good Behavior.
Country editors and country parsons are
waxing fas and happy over the wickedness
and the folly of this doomed city Of New York.
They pull very long faces and preach very
long sermons and condemn us to death and
destruction. Nothing less than shower Of
fire and birthstone from heaven to bury this
modern Sodom and Gomorrah in ashes will
content these rural philosophers. We are 80
very bad and 80 very fond of enjoyment and
30 very democratic that new Dead Sea must
cover MS Our theatres are 80 immoral, par
ticularls that Of Manager Wheatley; our
Broadway is 80 very like that broad road
which leads to death, because thousands walk
therein our ladies are so wickedly fashionable
and have such sinful good taste and dress so
much better than their pious country cousins ;
and worse than all, our democratic minority Of
fifty thousand is so very large and 50 very
hard to overcome except upon some such for
tunate issue as the constitutional amendment
that really our rural critics have no hope for
us. That great democratic majority, they say,
is enough TO damn any city.
Now, we might reply to oil this, II we had not
better answer at hand, that 1t Ii the country
people who make New York so wicked. They
come here and encourage al the immoraiiies
Of the metropolis. Whenever anybody in the
country wants to do wrong be visits New
York TO do it. These rural saints and angels
fad their way into places In this city which
native or resident New Workers have never
even seen. II il no wonder thai they preach
80 much about our criminality; for they come
in contact with more Of it during their brief
sojourns than we can meet with in all our
lives. The fact that some Of the most disre-
putable haunts in the metropolis are supported
entirely by the patronage Of our rural censors
Is beyond dispute The police never make q
descent upon some den Of vice without captur-
ing at least half dozen John Smiths from the
interior. IL theatrical manager discsrds
the legitimate drama and permits exhihi-
lions Of an immoral character the New
Workers blush, frown and stay away;
but the country people crowd the house.
IL is the country folks who sustain our
thieves, pickpockets, baggage smashen and
other ruiisns, who would soon stsrve or join
the church il they had only our shrewd citizens
10 deal with. In a word, II there Ia to be
~. 0-o acd l. ~, -
rural friends to provide themselves with fire.
proof umbrellas; for q thousand or two Of
them will certainly be here at the time and In
localities where even the Paid Fire Department
cannot save them.
But we hope that this beautiful and splen-
mercy. Sodom and Gomorrah would have
been saved had they contained ten righteous
men, and we hope TO be able 10 muster that
number by the time that the rcd hot Goals are
ready for us. Miles O'Rsilly, about whose
righteousness there cannot be the slightest
shadow Of doubt, will do well to start with,
and Thurlow Weed and Comptroller Brennan
are already on tho anxious seat, as the Metho-
li.ts say, and in fair way TO be converted by
the power OF saving grace Besides this, We
observe upon every hand earnest efforts to-
wards Improvement. Ristori has been here,
laboring to reform the drama, and will resume
her very successful missionary work next
week. Dawson, the greatest German actor
living has taught the east slde of town tho
principles OF high art. An English actor,
Mr. Charles Dillon, whose friends claim
that he is the hereditary successor OF
Kcan aud Cooke and the originator Of
the colloquial school, has inst arrived al
the Broadway 10 aid Rhtori and Dawson
in their reform movement When Mr.. Dillon
frat came 10 New York he was crowded out
Of the theatres 10y the Forrest and Booth
monopoly but now he has fair field before
him and can achieve a magnificent reputation,
II he have the power and tho genius. There
lie no great American tragedian 10 compete
with him. Booth is only an iinitator Of his
father, who was an imitator OF Kean.
and Forrest 10 by no means 90 good
o representative OF the Black Hawk
school as he wac thirty years ego, having
simply degenerated from q wild Indian 10 =
tame Indian. II Dillon can reform the stage,
we viii give him the credit for II, just az We
have given the American Jockey Club credit
for reforming our racing. The spectators ~
Jerome Park are now the best, most elegant
and most refined ladies and gentlemen Of the
city, and since gamblers and gambling have
been bsniahed from the race course We surely
do not deserve fire and birthstone upon that
account The late elections were also in our
favor. II is true that we gave an overwhelm-
ing majority for Hoffman but the city and
county Offices are very acceptably nlled. II