The New York herald., 1869-02-17

Charles Il, when the pendulum swung back again
One Of the carcatures Of that age represents e ne
re-goers sitting In the pit with umbrellas over tnelI
heads TO shelter them from the shower Of tears tnat
fell rom the seats above as the spectators Wltnessea
e 81 one ,6 q esrn enye
ing drama-was introduced by Goldsmith AS MiF
ton made his great success with sampson Agonistes,
so Goldsmith made his great success IN working up
a little incident in his own life. He mlstook the
residence of an English artstocrat Tor puohc
house. The Joke was at once taken up by those IN
SIDE and the incident he made use Of in his enIiven
ing and clever drama ''She Sto0ps TO Conquer
which lives among the few living dramas OF today.
There others who followed IN the same school,
There was fight between the solemn school and
the enliventng school, between tragedy and comedy
me opera came In at lepgth 70 enivsn dramatic
representation, and step by step tragedy was pushed
TO the WALL and to-day we lind IL has almost disap-
peared from the stage. There are woes enough
with umbrellas 70 shelter ourselves from the
tears OF those sitting above US weeping
over % IMAGINARY Swo ~ " w ow
keeping well in mind that this tight was going on all
the time between tragedy and comedy-and by
that let me come down to the modern DRAMA which
had its birth IN the year 1887 That was the year OF
the panic The word panic came from the god Pan,
OF those tabled beings OF the anclenls-half man
and half beast When the people saw him they lled
away from the god Pan in Panic. 1t was in the
panic OF that memorable year that the sensation
drama had its origin. Now let me here ask you, as
part Of the argument to bear IN mind that you must
always Judge the drama by the age In which II .ap-
ancient drama 10 the age represented The time or
Milton was the heroic age or the age OF the
ne heroic drama Il was IT that 1t should 6e So %
its fitting age-in the age ready for 1t,
and the enlivenlng drama was presented to an age
ready for it, and so at the present time the sensation
DRAMA the sensation plays and specacle5 presented
to the public only come to us at q time and age
that is prepared for it, 1t is not true that the age Of
the drama or OF actors is running out no more than
the race Of statesmen or the Of politicians Of
diplomats, Of writer's, or the race OF great men
this countrys This for all Of them the sensation
age by which we are all anected-the lawyer, the
physician, the divine, the business man, the dtplo-
mat, the statesman-a in fact we all require for our
amusement high kind Of sensation, and we get 1t.
Are tine $4,000 people who tonight attend the
tningss No; say that those who ally politics to
religion and thus degrade religion are to blame for
It, II blame is to attach to any, ZAP
blame than the actors or managers, for the
newspapers and the actors are no more
Sae 'e er eSes q as s u es say are 20
politics; they are TO blame Tor great deal OF the
generalization that exists In the drama. II the
than any other institution OF the ageS Is 1t more de-
moralized than some religions Oftne age? tApplause.)
Is II any more demoralzed than is part OF the bar
OF this age or some OF the newspapers OF the age,
or some OF the politicians Of the age OF the
business people OF the agei Is not the demoraliza
which extends all over the country Is it not now
as It was at the time OF the restoration OF Charles
the Second-the Generalization complained or re-
sulting from the alliance OF politics and religion in
the State. religion and politics in the pulpit ZAP
plausel 1t is this unholy alliance that is to blame
for q great deal OF the decentralization that exists
II Is this conmingin2 Of religion and politics that Is
TO blame for ell che lcentousness and revery that
exists not only In the drama, but among all classes,
occupations, business and social relations We have
passed through the conflict between roundheads and
cavaliers during the civil war, and now we have
gloom and storm Of war. we have now the
sensation age, which wonderful climax
over the age Of Charles the Second when the people
Ia the pulpit preached against the drama and in
Weighed against the wonderful decentralization Of the
drama. But now the dramatist the actor and the
manager has only to turn over the leaf and say to
the minister:-Look You to your teachings and your
preachings for all the decentralization uf which you
complain. The lecturer in concluding referred to the
great advantages derived, and acknowledged to have
been derived by eminent men IRON their attendance
al representations on the stage and on closing was
appiauded by the audience, which had listened with
rapt attention TO his beautiful alluslons quotations
and cOmmeufs on the drama as IL was and is.