The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-10-01
Olive Logan.
The spicy and spirited Olive contributes to the
New York Sun the following pslpable bet in

The spicy and spirited Olive contributes to the
New York Sun the following palpable bet in
LETTER TO JEREMIAH.
Ny Dear Je7Ty-l heard about You the other
| day through friend of mine, William Winter by
name and poet by nature, also dramatic editor by
| profession and wise Young judge by education.
dramatic Jeremishsl I"
All l kiss my fingers at the word Cest par.
| fat IL will sail at once; it is excellent; il
needs no trimming; down the popular current il
goes gaily. along with Reades Prurient Prude,"
| and fellows of that sort.
1--WE owe you much W. W.
That in parenthesis, because I am addressing
| you now, Jeremiah, and wouldn't be dlsrespect.
full. OF course. You are scholar, generay-a
gentleman often-and your only fault is that you
are jeremiah.
Well and what do You do it forl You ought
to know better. You ought to know that the hu-
man heart is always seeing the best things in the
past. Youth was there. Love was there. One
was not bldse once.
The stage is not falling into slough. Its
boards are not being covered with frivolity.
Histrionlc genius has not gone behind the vail for
ever. Modern plays are not mere trash.
It's all q mistake, Jerry.
That's what Jeremiahs have said of their con-
Temperatures in all ages. IL is not q new thing.
To the Biblical phrase. "a prophet is not without
HONOR etc., should be added another An &C tor
is not great till he Is under the sod. Neither is a
poet. Neither is playwright
What botcher Boucicault is isn't he JerrvS
After he dies Boucy will be all right.
How your descendants, Jerry, will lift up their
voices and weep because there is no Que to write
them Colleen Bswns and Acknowledges.
They needn't weep for London Assurance"
that was service copy of the old comedy model,
and no one cares for il now.
That rummy old Sir Harcourt was well enough
in his day, no doubt far be it from me to deny
that there may have been a day when Sir Hsr.
courts existed but that was long ago at least and
let us be thankful that there are none of his kid
ney in the world of to-day.
Surely, Jerry, yen wouldn't like 10 see society
Invaded with such mummes as Sir Harcourt
Courtley; you wouldn't permit your wife to asso.
clate with such rip roysterer "a Lady Cav
Spenker nor would you care to hobnob with gen.
teel swndlers like Mr.. Dazzle.
The mission OF the stage is to-day lust what IL
was of old--to hold the mirror up to nature-to
picture the passing life of our age.
III there were no railroad trains, no burning
houses, no roaring surf. in word, no "a sensation
effects" such as you sneer at so Extensively On
the stage when you were boy, why, there were
good reasons for it,
II we can represent these things in our day
sttuactiyely,it is no proof that they not ex-
celent, but that the scenic artists OF other times
were inefficient.
Therefore, be so obliging as to allow Mr.. Bouci
CT ut 10 have house burn up, Mr.. DAILY to let a |
railroad train catter, and your humble servant TO
make the sad waves dash noisy on the beach, in |
their respective plays.
wonder, while you are bemoaning the deca |
dence OF the stage, you don't groan this re-
constructed English language we speaking.
Why don't you dear, pop into DeImonico's, rap |
with your oldfasbioned gold. headed cane on one |
Of me tables, and cry, Hillihiho what no there,
Or hiss ont to the waiter, "Berone. yarlet, ere
crack Thy sconce with me cudgel.u because Won |
think you are overcharged?
You have tried your best to make rs believe
mat Snat mere s no good IN present literature. But
sterne ana hmollett are not agreeable reading TO
most OF rs, and even dear Sir Walter makes ma
yswn sometimes.