Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-09-24
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TIE DRAMA.
Ths Cemfns season ~ the New Mem.
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Puritaus ia tho time Of Cromwell dis +
liked the drama. They hunted actors,
closed thestsrs aud burnt play-books 10
"ihe name Of the Lord They allowed
no sort of amusement except plotting
against other peoples peace, and in that
they excelled Satan. The illusirious
Milton. himself p Puritan. received their
cepsure because he wrote Comus, the
sweetest masque in the English language
aud tho melancholy Cowley they elected
| from Cambridge and afterward exiIed to
France because he wrote plays Their
intolerance was so strong that they pro-
hibited everything that caused men to
smile and 10 be In good humor viii each
other. Dullness and twaug they pro-
NOTED; and had not the Eoglish people
put stop to their nonsense by kicking
them out Of the country and quickly ac-
cepting tho Restoration, the jolly old
heart Of England would have been de-
stroyed, and John Bull made the cranki-
est mortal on earth. 5ss,f lfs~s,
The Puritans who in the May Flower
landed at Plymouth, however, had gone
through purifying process and lost
many of the prejudiees peculiar to
Roundheads of the Bridgenorth class
They were not heartless knaves Of the
| Ned Christian stamp, nor bullying cut
throats of the Burnley Of BaIfour order,
characters graphically portrayed by Sir
Walter Scott in PeperH ofthe Peak !;
but they we're simpIe-minded, sober,
whimsical set, who thought they'd 90 to
hell IL they drank q glass of beer, and
yet could sing psalms over the burning of
poor creature convicted of the absurd
crime Of witchcraft They've bequeathed
to the present generation of New Eng.
Ianders many curious notions about
"liberty," "tbe pursuit Of happi-
ness" and all that and yet we fndno
people so illibersl, so crotohety, so cross,
so snarling, so snappish, so much OPP
posed to other people pursuing happi-
ness, as the Puritans Of the present day.
We're not aware, however, of their dis.
like of the drama; but we've been told
they don't like keno. y 2 z " evN
Well, whether the iPurerTans, tan
ners and money rabbers like it or not,
we'll have Restoration of our own on
the 18th of October, when Chris. Stein
kuhl throws open the doors of the New
Memphis, and restores Thalia and Menus
to all their rights and privileges in
the Temple of the MUSES.. Politicians,
talented youths and poets, with large
crowd of the sober-sensible sort, and q
sprinkling of the would.be.gentsel folk,
will rush in helter-skelter to pit and gal
lery, eyes agape, to see the show; while
handsome ladies, escorted by gallant
gentlemen, will drop in gracefully in
merry groups to the dress circle. We
venture to say no Queens or Presidents
reception-room ever held such number
of beautiful bellies as will sdorn the New
Memphis on the first night of the COM
ing season. .1 E3i
The old faces promised to entertain us
are Mr.. Couldock, Mrs. Lander, Miss
Lolita, Mr.. and Mrs. flanagan, and Mr..
McWade. Mr.. Couldock ranks among
the most finished actors Of the age. His
" Luke Fielding" is unsurpassably
grand we never saw, and perhaps never
will see, any one approach it. There is
a character in Hard Times, by Dickens
=" Stephen Blackpool which many
play-goers, we presume, would like to see
Mr.. Couldock personify, as no man could
render it with greater artistic ability.
Mrs. Lander, better known among us.as
Miss Jane Davenport, is at the head of
her profession, ranking equal to Ristori.
Indeed, the great part of Elizabeth"
in which Ristori created quite filrore of
applause among critics, seems to receive
equal commentator when played by
Mrs. Lander. But we know her ability
from her delineations Of "Medea and
/" Charlotte Cordsy " at the New Mem
phis in 1858; and we are sure our old
play.goers will be glad to greet her. The
lively, sprightiy, sparkling Lolita, the most
versatile little creature on the stage
banjoist, singer, danseuse, pantomimist
aud coincidence -needs no praise. She
is now playing Little Nell" in New
York, and will come, we hope, with a
budget of new pieces for our amusement.
Mr.. and Mrs. flanagan won the good
opinion of our people two seasons.
Many will be glad to see them again.
With the exception of Charles Hale, who |
so amused everybody with his Worm.
wood" in the Lottery Ticket, and so
performed Triplet," in
Masks and Faces, to Miss Davenport's |
" Peg wofingten," the New Memphis |
has had no better comedian on its boards
than Robert McWade. His great recon-
mendatiop is his avoidance of smutty
language; and that's great deal, when
we consider the smutty powers who
reign over us in the thrones of politics.
The new faces will be Miss Couldock,
Miss Jean Hosmer. Marietta Ravel,
Mrs. Gladstsne and Joe Lsffingwell. We
never saw any Of those ladies before the