Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-02-12

| fights Of Spain, he might as well 60 q
| little further and bring into the category
the bloody diversions that celebrate the
birthday drRma Of the King OF D2hc-
mey.
This comparison would be quite Rs sp-
| posite as that he had Instituted. THe
| Bible has its horrors, we all know ae
well as Shakspesreis plays. Yet, with q
volume of each in his hand, man may
see mirrored-clearly, and not, as In q
glass, darkly-his own soul not more in
Jacob than in Richard not more in Saul
than In Hamlet; not more in David and
Solomon than Ia Oshello and King Lssr!
Nor does it take q sage TO demonstrate
either book, if men would but believe It.
/" All that run may read"
The preacher or the player of genius Is
but the torch-besrer who goes with the
procession to illuminate the letters in
scribed on the banner! Such are not
Peter Bells
Was that the stuff Of which Peter the
Hermit was made when he reused Eu'
rope with the cry OF the Crusades?
That was great drama in which the
whole world took part. No need OF the
aters then !
CONGRESS REVOLUTION - Bo-
NAPARTE.
Our Continental Congress-referred to
as opposed TO theaters-had their own
special and stern performance to attend
70. They needed to concentrate on one
great purpose, all energy, all feeling, all
Imagination. No record exists of any
mere sensational period
When the French revolution was pro-
crossing, actors were at q discount. We
read OF professions, festivals, executions,
oruelties and reverses that surpGss even
the horrors Of the Old Testament.
M. TslmR came later
Napoleon BonRparte knew that his
people must be amused In an innocent
wsy-to be kept out of mlschief. He
PatrOnized the drama freely. This not
being sufficient TO sllsy that tsint OF cru
city inherent In our natures-lying
perdu like an assassin he ipsugurated
war
He saved his head but lost his empire!p
AN INNOCENT SAFETY VALVE.
One word more, and We have done
with q subject which arouses every feel
ing Of pride and self-assertion in those so
universally condemned in the distribe of
Sunday night-smoug whom, 1 doubt
not, are numbered many IaosE noble and
Christian spirits.
"The cruelty inherent In our nature,
the passion for the trsgicsl,n must, it
seems, be gratified in some shape.
Surely no more innocent safety valve
than the drama for suoh malignant, yet,
il natural, irrepressible passions could be
devised by priest or philanthropist, and,
in contrast to the grim amusement of
burning unfortunately ugly old women
al tho Gfo tya nc sz5Sfa 4
ligious martyrs, or later in the day,
firing Southern cities it may be con-
sidered profitable to the moral natures of
mankind.
THE THIRD POWER TO CHURCH AND
STATE.
England has always sustained the dra.
ma tacitly as the third power to Church
and State. The virtuOUs Queen fire.
quents the thesters, ana encourages the
people to do SO by her example, there
by undoubtedly, lifting the tone OF the
stage and the social status Of the actor.
Sac thinks, perhaps, with Napoleon,
that thsatsf-going is preferable to mobs
and riots, believing il the natural tragic
tendency OF human nature, and on the
same principle probably, (for We can
scarcely suspect the Guelph or more than
practical sympathy with genius) encour-
ages Mr.. TennysOn, sings his songs, ex-
cuses his "Enoch Arden" and finds
beauty in its morality, dubious at least
Gs laid down by Law.
LINC0LN-NEPENTHE
By the by, was there not q strange
touch of Illustrative sarcasm in the fact,
that the universal joker Abraham Lin
coin, (Who, no doubt, extracted ss much
fun out of the suffering South ss did Ju-
piter-from the bird's-eye view he had
of it in heaven from the vultureIs
gnawing the liver Of Prometheua,) after
that long ride OF his to and from Rich
mond, through desolsted cOuntry mile
stoned with toBabs, came back weary,
and perhaps with little too much full
ness in the region of the conscience, (let
US give him the benefit OF the doubt, at
least,) and took at the Washington The
ster, at the hands OF an actor, his last
cup OF nepenthe
There was little remnant Of the old
witeh-burning amusement In that trag.
edy, il touch Of poetiosl justice. May
1t never be repeated. c, A,w,