The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-05
SPIRIT OF rHn PRESS.
Editorial Opinions Of the Leading Journals
upon Current Topics-Compiled Every
Day for the Evening Telegraph.
"THE DAUN OF LIBERTY"

We have been Tor a long tlhe expecting u
distinctly American playa new one, we
mean-for such used to be written in those
early days of our drama, which are popularly
known as ''pslmy, being most of them bat
tle-pieces, both terrene and nautical, and
terminating in blaze of fire works and bad
smell which foated into the pit or even set
the gallery gods to coughing. There was
The T'Battle of Bunker Hill, and "The Bat
tie of Yorktown" and 'The American Tar.
Then there came the Stage Yankee, like no
Yankee ever seen on this continent or any
other; and, upon the whole, it is quite re-
freshing to find how bad our dramatic
literature has generally been-partly upon
the principle that when things are at the
worst they are soonest mended; and
this appears to be the self-sacrifcing opinion
of the author of "7He Dam Of Liberty; an
original drama in three acts, for he has
written O play after no rules that we are ac-
quainted with, and so inexpressibly absurd
that we thank him for the most genuine en-
ioyment This little performance, printed in
Chicago, the author has sent to us, inclosing
a letter which, in its turn, contained small
sum of money, which we have judiciously ex-
pended in advertising his production for him.
Now let us do him further kindness by
pointing out some of the beauties of ''IHe
Dam Of LIBERTY"
And first, we may observe this gentleman's
sublime disregard of the unities The first
scene of the first act is flat view of royal
residence, with q mill sin the second groove,
left side" In what country this king and the
miller lived and reigned and ground, we have
been unable to discover; but we find the
highly intelligent miller stating that he has
chad dread epistle from the king" COM
planning that 'the rattlipg of the wheels are
unpleasant to the subtle, anointed auricles"
of the monarch, who is observed to be ap-
preaching in the distance with ''scorn flash
ing from the pupils of his eyes" ''You are
the miller" says the king. 81 am, my lord"
says the miller-for it would have been of no
use to deny it, with the flour upon his dusty
garments. Then the king opens upon him
in the following fine style:-
aSerf! how dares thou annoy aud disturb
Each morn my dreams and gentle sleep
With the clatter of this griuding wheeI?"
But the serf is noti the least frightened.
He observes to the King that he has to pay
his debts, and support his wife and children
but the wicked potentate responds
"No further parley-.tis our sovereign will;
Tear thou down thy tottering mill,
Or else my soldiers WILL" (E1iL)
But the miller does not mean to submit to
the demolition until he hears that liberty is
progressing, and he resolves "to emigrate to
America" All of q sudden the scene changes
to the chemical labatorium of DR.. Faustus,"
who is called upon by the Emperor of France.
His Majesty says, ''What seeat thou, master
of the magic art?' The doctor kindly an
swers that he sees the overthrow of all sove-
reigns, upon which Louis Napoleon says that
he must go home and see about that.
(M0ndrch eI5tS)
Act ii opens in New York harbor. A steam
boat is about to start, with an army of fill
busters, for Europe. The captain makes a
speech from the quarterback, and concludes
with ''Now, boys, let's have song!" and the
chorus replies with
'Then let's away, away, hurrah
Wen make them free and happy nation,
And put the ballOt-boX In notion"
Scene II is rather indefinitely described as
'Forest," but there is our old friend, the
Miller, on guard, for he has not emigrated
after all, having been pressed into the Kings
service; vet within he is still ''votarist at
the shrine of liberty" He deserts, and then
comes tremendous revolution, the Miller
going over to the insurgents, to whom Bel
Iona in person makes the following speech
comrades {! / see freedoms day is dawning;
Fortunes womb is ripe to give bilth
To liberty's 'cherubin"
Then all the soldiers desert to the intense
disgust of the Emperor of France, who says:
-"DSa5Iei hell! and fury, ye slaves" But
they don't mind him at all, and are soon seen
''dimly fighting" with somebody Sin the dis
tance." Louis Napoleon calls loudly for ga
horse my kingdom for horse !" Then all
the kings and emperors condole with each
other They are overheard by an omnipresent
''Yankee, who promises them an asylum if
they will come to America and ''behave them
selves" In Act III it is announced that ''our
royal masters ALL without exception, have
been defeated in the battlefield" and then
the monarchs all center in travelling dress
and go off somewhere ''on a steamboat.
''A general announces that he will ''see the
prize money paid" more steamers go of
with the American flag unfurled and waving
in the breeze" and everybody sings ''Ihe
Star Spangled Banner" Then "a queen
says:-''Let those in bonds be free. Hence
nothing mar your liberty" She is "a Queen
of FAIRIES" and ought to know.
We cannot hope that we have given the
reader any clear idea of this wonderful play
for the truth is that, although we have reaC
it through, we have but an indistinct concep
ton of It ourselves We have no objection
to The Daatn Of Liberty, but we wish that sh
could have dawned in a manner somewha
mere luminous. We trust, however, tina
many copies of this production may reacl
Europe to make monarchs tremble; we hav
already mailed our own to the address of tn
Emperor of Frances and very much we shoul
like to see him when he reads it. That h
will become pale and apprehensive upon tn
perusal, we cannot doubt but we fear tha
he will hardly at once abdicate. That make
no difference. This play is prophecy; lt
Sacred Majesty believe and tremble.
PROTECTION OF THE MINORITY L
NEW YORK.
From the NJ y. Times.
One Of the most important political topic
to which the best minds in America shoul