New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-11-22
CARPENTER and Cosfumefs

It is reported that favorite actor has
| withdrawn from one Of the leading thea
| tres Of this city on account OF a difference
| of opinion between himself and the mana
ger on question OF mustaches. The Iues
ton was this: Should the actor sacrifice his
lip establishment to the exigencies OF a
dramatic revival OF a time and place when
and where moustaches were not worn: OF
should the manager sacrifice his desire tor
theatrical accuracy! While there may be a
good deal of eymDathy with the actor. he
roically defending at the expense of a profit
able engagement his personal adornment
and resisting the first approach to an en-
forcement OF sumptuary laws on the stage,
it is impossible not to respect the manager
for taking bold stand tor the integrity OF
his art. II is hoped that SO much manly and
professional spirit as has been displayed on
each side may De saved to the theatre i'm NE.
liately concerned. If the mustache also
can be saved. satisfaction at the conclusion
of the controversy will be genera! and COM
plete.
Still. we should hardly have mentioned
the affair just here and now ii it were not
in certain sense typical. or. at all events.
if it did not set in motion a train OF per.
haps not untimely reflections. This was a
conflict between art and mus.aches. Has
not conflict very like that been long
pending on the stagel Mus:aches are-or
are supposed to be, it makes no difference
for the purpose Of this inquiry which state
ment ia cOrrect-a mark OF masculine
beauty. They ara worn. on the stage as
of. because they enhance the physical at.
tractiveness Of the wearer. They arc not
essentially intellectual, nor ara they a
symptom of intellectually. So far as they
pose il purely material. To that extent
they are in harmony with the dramatic age
in which we live. With rare exception the
theatre Of our time has given less attention
to the intellectual than to any other ele.
ment OF theatrical art. It has won great
spectacular successes.
Shakespeare and his contemporaries. ia.
miliar only with the shabby appointments
Of the Blackfriars playhouse. would be
dazzled by the splendor Of the modern the.
atre. That they would be powerfully i'm.
proposition. The stage Of this generation
is rich in realism of the mechanical sort.
Real locomotives, real waterfalls, real
horses, real dogs, in several cases a real
hanging, and other realities Of which
property man Of the last century never
dreamed. are every day features Of our
theatres. There is almost everything reai
with the works OF mechanical genius tina:
there seems TO be no room on i. to: works
OF intellectual genius.
The shrewd managers acknowledge the
reign Of the material. In making up their
companies they give beauty precedence of
talent. "How does she dress the part = is
the first question. How she acts IL is 200
often a matter OF minor concern. Il would
be surprising if the plays did no: suffer
from the materialism OF the stage. II the
play wright cuts his cloth according % the
pattern he will make the intellectual border
as narrow as possible. So long as he gives
the members OF the company chance to
put plenty Of dry goods OF the lates, fabric
and fashion on their backs, no matter what
words he puts into their mouth. Wha.
wonder that, as the result of all this. we
have no American drama! Or if, as the
result Of it, we have an American drama,
what must we :hink Of America
We are not finding fault with the man.
ayers or the actors for this exaitation OF the
material, this subordination Of the inteliec.
tual; We simply recognize the fact. 1t is
hardly fair to blame the managers and
actors tor taking what they can get. though
it be not very good. when there is nothing
better to be had. And are We sure that the
public really wants anything better. APP
plying the common rules of political econ.
Omy to art, it may be plausibly argued that
q positive demand of that kind would com.
pei supply. But however that may be.
the issue between art and mustaches goes
hitherto against art, and the popular voice
is for mustaches. Ner York. Ereuin9
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