The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-28

punk legS ana their yellow hair, to Philadelphia. BY
dnt OF unparalleled exertons OF the most undignned
Kind, they succeeded in measure, and as a conse-
quence, the house was crammed every night. It can
not be denied that their audiences were made up of
the most enthusiastic material, OF men-and must
we not add OF women ?-who professed, with a
show OF sincerity, TO believe that the legs
OF Miss Lydia Thompson were wonderful to
behold; that they were more shapely, more nimble,
more dazzling than the ordinary run of legs; and
that Miss Lydia Thompson, by virtue of the possess
sion OF these legs was entitled to front rank in the
profession with which she claimed to be allied. The
fact that Miss Lydia Thompson leaves behind her o
host Of friends in tears is of no more significance
however, than the fact that the return of Jimmy
Haggerty to the Eastern Penitentary will be fol-
lowed by a scene equally as achrymose. 1t is abso-
lutey true, beyond all cav that there is account
ing for some peoples tastes.
And now "Jenny Boxer" alias ''Formosa," enters
the arena, and is greeted by crowded house. sim
ply and solely because Dion Boucicault whose crea-
ton she is, has contrived to get into grand row
with the virtuous London press Boucicault has
made a bold stroke. 81 have broken down." says he
in his letter to the London Times, ga barrier which
prejudice had established. l have proclaimed a
literary thoroughfare with the full appreciation OF
the public. And" he adds, in conclusion, T mean to
keep 1t OPEN" SO he rakes 'Formosa" out of her
gilded slums, and parades her upon the stage,
rounded by all the accessories of her ignoble life
He touches up her vices from the virtuous
standpoint, drags her through the mre again
and again, in all her dazzling spendor, and
brings her to grief, in q measure, at
the end, by not rewardlng her lack of virtue with
the prize which justice and decency award to it's
possession; and having so done, imaglnes that he
has contributed something towards making vice OBJ
noxous and virtue attractive that he has strength
ened the propreties and delicate sentiments which
form the bases Of society," and which, according to
his claim, 'are engendered by knowledge OF wrong
a M
parted "a true knowledge Of the world to the young
and pure, and thereby "purged" them Of ''much of
perilous stuff, the growth of curiosity and gno-
rance y and finally in case all these apologies and
excuses avail not asserts that "Jenny Boxer" alias
"Formosa, is no worse than If as bad as 'Norma,"
"Don Giovanni" "Rigoletto," 'Vioetta," 'Lucrc-
zia Borgia," 'sMarguerita," "Amina," and sundry
other heroes and heroines of the Italian
stage. But the newspapers not appeased;
the quarrel is transferred to the United
States; "Formosa" is cried down by the press as
"unsavory" in the New World as well in the Old;
the public demand a sight of her in every
leading city, in order that they may judge
of her for themselves; and in the
highly virtuous town of Chicago, espe-
ciay, she drives even the Blondes from the
stage and monopolizes the three theatres at and
the same time. 1t is not surprising that she draws
and pays. But it is surprising that Bouccaut should
claim, in the letter from which we have already
quoted, that the great public differ in opinion from
the critics, simply because she does draw and pay
The people whose curiosity perverted tastes lead
them to crowd the theatres where Formosa' regns
supreme during her ephemeral career, which will be
limited at best to two seasons, are one thing
''the great public" which has decreed immortality
to Shakespeares mastery creations, and whose
approving voice has kept The School for Scandal The
RjUals She StoopS to Conquer, The Honeymoon, The
Hunchbock, and works OF this class, upon the stage
for half century and more, is quite another. But
to this great public" Boucicault has seldom
appealed.
AS to the plot Of Mr.. Bouccault's effusion, it may
be summarized thus, with the cast of Characters
its first presentation at the Arch Street Theatre
last night:-"FOrmosa," alias ''Jenny Boxer"
[Nirs. John Drew is the daughter of "Sam Boxer"
(Mr. Hemple), retired pugilist, who is acting as
coach" to the Oxford crew. in their training for the
approaching University race. She has saved up
some money-how she did it is made quite apparent
has set her father up in business. and is in love
with Tom Burroughs" (Mr. j. +. Cathcart), the cap
tain and stroke-oar of the oxford crew. "Compton
Kerr" and 'Major Jorum" (Messrs. L. L. James and
D. Il. Ralston), TWO heavy villains who wish to get
''Tom into their clutches encounter Jenny" at the
'Old Swan" boat-house, which is Kept by her mother
(rs Thayer), penetrate her disguise, and recognize
in her the notorious 'tFOrmosa' OF London.
Threatening to expose her evil ways to
her parents, who yet regard her as
being something very different from what
she is, they secure in her an ally in the conspiracy
against '"Tom," into which she enters with some
ZEAL which has its in the jealousy entertained
of "Nellie" Miss Lizzie Price, the ward of the old
college tutor, with whom "Tom" thinks himself in
love, and against whom "Bob Saunders" (Mr. Crag),
professional vagabond, puts in a claim to pater-
nity just the curtain descends for the first time.
In the second act "Tom,' led on by the two heavy
villains and ''Formosa, plunges headlong into the
gay and festive sports of which the latters London
villa is the scene. The "Earl of Eden (Mr G.. w.
Stoddart the coxswain of the oxford crew. endea-
vors divert him from the 'railroad to ruin but is
frustrated by the wes of the enchantress. In the
third act "Nele," who has now become the COM
panion of her vagabond ancestor discovers
that ''Tom's" affections are centred upon
'Formosa," ascertains the danger in which he
is involved, and makes known the state or the
case to old "Mrs. Boxer" But vice is again
triumphant over virtue, and the unhappy "stroke'
of the Oxfords the very evening before the race,
is arrested for debt and placed in the durance vile OF
a spongng-house, and "Formosa," at last repentant
but unable to avert this calamity, returns to her pa
rents in deep distress of mind. But in the fourth
and last act virtue gets the advantage in measure
The sponging-house is stormed by the magnanimous
Cambridge crew, ''Tom" is released from his impri-
sonment the University race transpres and Oxford
wins the day. the two heavy villains are nabbed by
the police on the charge of forgery, and, by way OF
making the account square with virtue, 'Tom" is
supposed to marry 'Nelie' despite her disreputable
parentage.
Into this outline Is crammed a vast amount Of
detail a labored effort being made to bring out in
the boldest relief the character Of Formosa" and
| her associates But in this respect BIr. Bouccault
| has made signal failure. Taken as whole,
Eoy,nosa is weak, nimsy, and trashy; but when we
view IL from the immoral standpoint, it dwindles
into a downright 6zzle. II the author had drawn
more liberally on Onenbachs vile medley, La We