, 1874-08-23
REVIEW OF 'A1rUSESrEx,ro

1
! "ho support our theatres? Firrt'
GUS press,-7hut let that pa.s, Tha ,-ssa Aug.
bound to encourage everything good ~ 1s -
denim everything bad. wherefore lat H. ~ eoa
1sona ald gwen to theatrea BY the press be A.
missed IS matter Of duty. us
1t Is not debatab BILE question who ,nnno..-
the theatres OF city. The asthetic pnbjie m
instantly reply that the aesthetic public ennno.ta
the theatres. and in making that rsn,S
WILL display an amount Of vanity and .;sae
rance quite astonishing but qrite partfon,h,.
1he 9athetic element usually he,7u ~
the general public very small. pronor.;os ~
80 small, indeed, that, IT, managers dsnan,., ;,
On it for support, one week would be snf;e,as!
to close every theatre in tho city. It in mt ~
the lovers Of art that the theatre ia indehtoa
its existence II it wcre thus, fo.tunatc -
frivoilty would be banished, and good actino
not "aahy, clap-trap sentiment stolen frnr,
tho ocopy-book-would win round Of ann,,ns.
The contrary is actually tbs case; therefore ~
audience ls not composed entirely Of peraon. -
culture and sense Nor is it likely. or ~"
desirable, that it should be. Actors gontd 49,
their occupation gone, for not mora than -. .a
fifty would be pa1atable. Whatever Is ,ha,.
fore. is mora or less right. Boston has the most
Intelligent audiences, but they are notaItoreths.
1a'orltes with the majority Of actors ba can.a
they see anu know too much
THE AVERAGE AUDIENCE
then, 1s not Intelligent This is p|,titn5o h,,4
has place IN those ro1narAs. There ia na.s
centaSo OF . critical people; 8 percentage of ~
tell9ent people, unaccustomed TO crit1cize hn.
not ANXIOUS to mar tho pleasure Of an eTeninr
oy SO DONG and percentage absolutely in
~ If
adequacy to form any opinion on anvtuin, Int
poz@, or tape or patterns, or styles. Tie LIST "
very large percentage. Its tendency il moder.
ately in the direction OF what is good
but tho scope is not beyond tia
copy-book. This is, however, ncarly 'ao ~
it should bo. We can no more live on Liehie;,
extract OF beef than On sawdust There il n
vast amount of useless matter in our dn,iy fool
in the air no breathe. There must be a cor.
responding amount of negative material in a
theatrical audience We arc sufferers only in
tue excess Of the material, that is all But th;,
s apart from the subject
viewed Ill another way. a theatrical audiencs Is
composed OF two classes Of pcoplc-includipc
1ead-heads, thrce-resldcnts aud
STRANGERS,
Ind it is to the latter clement in metropolitan
'1tY like Chicago that tho managers look for
'uppors. Cut off tho means, Of approach to
he city, and the audience would dwind|a
[own very perceptibly. We might, with
no.e local self. compiacency than accuracy, co.,
lude that tie negative element would be re-
uced, and that the average intelligence drum
4 tho audience would be raised. But ACCURACY
! the main point, aud we fosbcar to draw an1
uch conclusion.
THE FIRST THING
rational animal does IL choosing the site of
'is habltation is to look to the proximity Of his
~ rhSS.+&n <1t,
ho manager, in selecting 4 site for a theatre,
hooses one within easy distancc-uut Of
he centre Of TIE dwelling house district
ut of the hotels. Tie hotels feed
he theatres. and the hotels are primarily
or the accommodation Of strangers Thess
OF theatrical audieucc. Among
ae strangers who cone to town there arc Of
curse all classes, grades, aud conditions ol
'on. The farmor, who sells his produce or
;ock, finds the evening hang heaviy on his
ands, and drops into the theatre merely to pasa
me, and ho able to say ha has seen the Ela.
THE TRAVELLING NAN,
he is not engaged In less improyios aunse-
ente. drops into tho theatre to SEQ Joe Jesfer-
u or Edwin Adams, or, it the fatea arc aind 10
m, the more congenial sisht Of naked teSspf
omen, and neutrality-suspicious. twaddfe Of
l1lesquo. The man OF family, atoppln,oEs
y or two to take in all tho marvels OF t1:a
uci- admired city, must sec tho theatre aiEo.
THE GOOD OLD DEACON
,m the country, or even from some big city,
dug himself alone without friends, thinks of
, theatre. In his Own town or city he shuns
ne pastor, unconscious OF tho prevailing scan-
|, condemns tue stage AZ the gateway to he'll,
d assails the reputation of yirtuous men and
men who play upon it, he ap2tauds 1.-THE cour-
9 OF the preacher in attacking this tremendous
L." In his own town or city. the
rJ "a h.
} consequences of being seen in the.teo.
t in some other town or city hls ehancea
detection in visiting the playhouse aro not
eat; and, after all, ho begins to argue, Why
ould he not drop in and see what 1t is Iks,
own CONSCIOUSNESS Of purity protecting him
Satan. And chance or chance,
his Part, worthy man-may place him in tbs
It ad jnininG the travelling man who is admir-
! the naked legs Of women.
t may oven be that
THE SAME GOOD PASTOR
0 on Sunday shoa cd tho depth OF his chari.
and tho lof,incss OF his chirairr. uy aspe;aing
neil on the stage, will lind hlmself TuesJay
sntl7 watching those whom ho has nspcrsed
tlng, perhaps the majestic beauty Of
IkspeaEo'a thought read with new meaning
lis unaccustomed ear. He may absolutely
ately learn something from the lips OF tho
egraded" woman before him, who is playing
zen katherine. He may not, Of course, but
,e fails ho must take the responsibility OF op-
tuuity thrown away, along with less rose1ed Z
lers. Il
fter all, then, the hotels may be contribut- /
valuable intellectual material to tho
atEical audience. Tint fine head with the 4
4 set feasures usually-but not now-sot Oh
white choker. certainly contains thought
21mony with the line:
Oh what rogue and peasant a1ave an /.
lust have occurred to him at one time in his i
It has to NIL of 11s, for Hazlett Eaya: "1t 1
e who are uautfet." Ho had read human I
lre,-not his OWL, perhaps. but that pf some
er.-and must marvel greatly at the projcc-
Of it before his senses in some Of the fro 4
1T lines Of tile peerless bard 1t may STRIKE
that vague impression has taken form,
he mayIeaye the playhouse With a ncwidea,
deed such thing be possible But he has
pied already, perhaps, moro attention than
ouid bestow on Shakespeare on tbs Eta5e.
LET Us rsss TO THE SE1T.
s strnnger, commonplace; poor in brains,
ii IN clothes His diamond pin and gorgeous
that his ATTENTION wns no:
60 firmly on the, etaeo as on the 1
Is OF the audience. lie applards nothing. /
use he hears nothing. II ho does gaze a.
hing in front Of the footiShts, 1t is femi-
He fhinEs he is observed; has n1ads n
ession; and ttcreupon ~caries his massive ]
Icct in speculation az to how be can convey
at adorable being who 30 obseryably appre-
s him, the depth Of hi. passion. It would
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