Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-06-05
HOME TALENT-DRAMATIc AND
MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENTS.

1 epltMpCE-aA SAe
can-ard it is only required to go back a
few years in memory, when a community
almost anywhere on the Atlantic coast
would be Mortified with the suggestion
:. Let father and mother and all hands
pe, IN An exhibition and act in it.
Such a suggestion ras made only twenty
years ago, in a small city OF New Eng
land, BY a distinguished and reputed con-
sentative minister of the Congregational
church and for such n profane piece of
advice, given at q boys exhibition"
he had q council called on his case, and
was duly invited to take a walk from
that cody community. Wehave changed
all that, as the French say. Probably it
was through singing school "exhibi-
tons" Handel and Hayden society con
cer,s, that the first distinct innovation
was made in our country in the direction
signiied. Talk Of prejudice against
color, etc. Nothing 10 the foolishnes,
and deep seatedness Of former American
prejudice against anything tina, ap-
preached the theatre or opera, when it
involved the ~disapproved participationin
the performance off "respectable" per-
son. Why 80 years ago, theprerGiiing re-
gard for an actor or actress, in this u
try-all over the Uniou-was that it was
a disgrace for a respectable person to
iutermarry with one of them. We are
only stating what is within the bounds
OF truth when we say that q stage
artist" was considered out of the pale
Of thoroughly respectable society.
Ii q boy or girl showed disposition to
make the stage" the arena for profess
sional ambition, they awoke in the fond
PARENTS breast sentiments akin 10 those
that might be presumed TO be excited
on learning that the fixed, announced
life programme of the child was to so
the shortest cut TO the devil. And
though the boy might indulge in ''cxhi-
bi,ion' dialogue, for the amusement Of
the home neighborhood, once or twice
a year, the girl must not speak Il piece,
and for sober, staid, church member
Smith or Jones, of thirty years Of age
and upward. 10 dream Of making . stage
entrance and exit, was to have q CHASTITY
night fancy of the DEVILS dominious.
We are confident we do not over state
the queer condition Of American society,
in general, in relation TO al important
mode of recreation and entertainment
only a few years ago. Indeed, we dis
,inctly recollect that in 1856, IN a town
in the interior Of Ohio a Young lady
was e1communicated from an orthodox
church for yielding to the solicitations
of Julia Dean Hayne, and appearing in
her supper, at Cincinnati IN a standard
play of the English drama" And
even on our own coast-it is in
the mind of many Of our readers
when a distinguished lady actress
was received into the communion
Of the Episcopal Church, there were
not wanting sneers at both her and the
confirming church-against the lady as
. "hypocrise" and the church as out
~rageously lax in its discipline-such
sneers even proceeding from papers that
have lately come very close to denying
that there is any God. And only a few
years ago a paper was circulated among
members in a certain church in San
Francisco, protesting against an sold
Folks Concert" for the benefit Of the
church treasury, on the single ground
that it was Improper and unchristian
for grown men and women to indulge in
such frivolities, or to engage in any pub
lie performance not of An entirely seri-
Gus and cody character"-assuming
that amusement and the creation Of it in
the mode titled, was ~''ungodly." The
Jigoty-nothiug short of it-that has
stood up against the right Of any per-
son 10 maintain or assume a social ''re-
spectability," entire and uuquestioned,
aud ye. utter dialogue from q theatre
stage or sing a song according to pro-
gramme, in q stated public entertain
ment, is wonderful. Its character and
its former hold in the minds Of really re-
ligious people is a wonderful record.
That bigotry has passed away. We, of
many communities, have reason to
know and rejoice at this. Amateur
Dramatic companies are organizations
that can be numbered BY the dozen on
this coast. All readers Of Charles Lamb
remember his charming story Of a din
ner party that was suddenly meta
morphosed into a Dramatic Company
adjourning TO the drawing room for
an extemporaneous rehearsal. And
how true his remark: that there is
higher dramatic talent existing OF the
stage and not cultivated, as it should be,
for the good Of society, than is shown
BY those who professionally strut on it.
How much have our communities been
indebted TO the "Silver Star Dramatic
Club" of Virginia, first organized for a
Benefit performance in behalf Of the
Odd Fellows Library? How far above
the average of actors is Colonel Taylor?
4 frst-rate comedian has been de-
veloped in Prescott. Geo. T. Finn has
shown that he can "act a part" with
true appreciation of the right voice,
manner, "business." And We may re-
collect that the very pleasing actress,
Sue Robinson Getzler, found her voca-
ton in a high school Amateur Dramatic
Club. This, of theatricals. Now, to-
night we have a concert given princi-
pally by those whom we may term
musical amateurs. Attend. Encourage
the performers. If Curt. Hillyer can
L. 80