New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-21
.cademy of Music-The Thompson Troupe.

| No scandal against Queen Elizabeth, hope
| -tSbakespeare.
There is no such arrant partisan as your
HISTORIAN of the period" The "Great Re
belion," as described by Clarendon, was
an abominable conspiracy against the divine
| government of paternal monarch. The
same conflict, as painted by Rushworth or
| Ludlow, was a noble effort to throw off
| despotism. Leo and. Luther have been
| equally misre presented. The benignant
| vice gerent of God on one side, the artful
| and inplacable imposter on the other
| the impious Lucifer of one side, the
| fearless champion of truth on the other.
| Our own country has not been exempt
from the same evil. If the charges of each
side in our late civil contest be believed,
| each was deplorably in the wrong. and hui
manity has been ruthlessly afflicted In.
deed the truth OF history has been distilled
in other and impartial ages and countries
| from those in which the events were enc
| acted. Prescott, Motley, Botta. Carlyle.
Mrs. Strickland, Thackeray, Abbot. have
| done much for historical justice.
1t was the policy of kings and Inonarchs
to hedge themselves as divinties. Histo-
| rians exaggerated their deeds. Poets lauded
| the ami mirabileS of their reign. 'Thus,''
said Cardinal Wolsey, "'did I keep my
| presence ever new, my presence like a
| robe pontifcal near to- be seen but won.
| dered at"
in those days all was mystery and much
| was imposition. Scepticism was treason
and censure death. Safe. however. in the
| protection of time and distance, the histo-
rian may deal with the most formidable
events of ancient history as the naturalist
with the fossil remains of extinct monsters
Of geology
The reign Of Queen Elizabeth of Eng
laud has been subjected to rigid compari,
| sons with an authentic record. She was,
according to some; virgin Queen, but had
no claim to the appellation in the testimony
| of others Her court claimed TO be of
strict prOpriety, but her maids of honor
were said by her satirists of the period TO
be such ny honorary title only. She was as
fond of authority as her father. but exer.
cised no undue oppression over her subjects
She committed acts Of state cruelty in the
execution of Mary and Sussex, and treated
the great benefactor of her reign with signal
injustice. She kept up the pageantry of
royal display without regard To expense.
but was partner in the slave trade with
Drake and Hawkins. In word, she was
like other human beings and was no better
and no worse because she was Queen. 1t
is proper that the citizens of republic
should be taught truthful history. They
should Behold royalty stripped of its ;insci.
and religion clothed in her simple robe os
truth. If there be those who long for the
hereditary flesh pots, they should be shown
the gives and scourge of Pbaroah.
Perhaps Thackeray and Offenbach have
gone too far in their expression of royal in
tirmities, but this free inspection of other
forms of government have a tendency TO
increase our respect for our Ow.. !: is in
this spirit that Miss Thompson may render
service in the freedom with which she pre-.
sents tho court of Elizabeth. Il is very
probable that its state resembled good
deal the circus of "Old John Robinson
The atrocious Beckett is fortunate in repre-.
senting her majesty three centuries after its
date. Had he worn the gatb and hirted in
the same dscreditable manner in her reign
he would have been attainted of treason
and swung with shorter shrift than lis
arrogant namesake of Canterbury.
Miss Thompsons burlesque Of Leicester
and Miss Weathersby's Am3 Ro5sGrs are
protected by beauty and grace which al
ways disarms criticism. The courters are
as acceptable specimens of carmnso satin
and pink fleshings as can be found any.
where. OF course no one is expected 20
commont upon the dialogues and doggerei
with which the playwright has provided
them. The absurd buttoonery of EdOuin is
a misconception of the bravo of che low
countries and the Spanish main. The soui
en- Semble and mise en- scene are all that COS
tune and properties could effect The per.
formance is relieved at intervals by solo |
and chorus singing, and break-dowu by
the entire strength of the companS