, 1874-07-12

CONSTRUCTION
here was tho Absence of rCof, In that
soft, baluY clmato whcre the cicada
was perpetuallv making himself mu-
sically disngreeable, and the bees
we're spending their whole time gathering honey
on Eynlettus instead OF going to llcci, with d
Thermometer 20 deg. below zero. no root was
needed. Footliehts were dispensed with, and
ali the performances vero C1iyen in the day.
timo. So that, after lawyer had 90. through
his case, or while his opponent VAS making one
Fatos, out Of date he would stroll down to tbs
theatre, pay his little obolus and freely
criticise tho performance, II tho sun was
shining very brightly, his bare head would
be protected By curtain which shut II the solar
rays but let il the air. There, s1r. McvicEer.
could not have endured it otherwise No living
Greek could have sat through performance Of
ono of tho comedies Of Arisfophaaes with solid
roof above hun, and t swclterlug atmosphere
laugh in such an atmosphere .s our theatres in
close in summer, aud the auditor who
could eit through tho performance without
laughing ut tho light, racy hunor, and
applaud:ug the biting satire of some Of the hits.
It was great improvement, this open-air per-
formanco under movable roof
Then again there IVES
ANOTHER ADVANTAGE
those hard old hcathen enjoyed. It was un-
necessary to circulate programmes among them
h4l4A tAu A4A!AGSaA0 Al
arms not admitted" while children who ought
to havo been in bed are allowed to pass demuso-
~ III and deaten the audience With yolp1nI and
crying fears. They would not admit women to
these places except possibly to hear trago-
dies. Tie ladies' were at homo, spinning
and weaving aud darnins their husbands
Clothes or making choice dishes for tho DOOR
m2n to eat when he came home from the play.
These Were fine old times, when every theatre
allowed smoking and lager, like the Adelph1. OF
course the audience were too polite to indul gein
such luxur1es, but their abstinence was probably
owing to the scarcity OF beer and tobacco in the
city. It would never have done to let tho rot
tenMess Of AtAenlan society be exposed IN the
coarse jcs:s Of that day. 1t is only when the
same things ara sald in 4 6lishsly different way
that VIC take Our wlyes and daughters to thu
theat!e- There Was the same human
nature rehoct3d, except IN tho eracd
oil tragedies whero tue Ideal or supernatural
siicncrd OF onrapru1od the audience, aud lifted
them above mere matters OF costume 8: and scene
rv. But it il doubtful whether ladies wore al
lowed to hear the solemn lenDlcs rolled out upon
tie stage, full or deep philosophy and laden
with metaphysical speculation In those Cliser~
able Gays Of hca:hen depravity, seduction aud
adultery were not, considered improving topics
wives aud mothers OF the lepupEc. That highly
ingenious but shallow French rroverb, - uori
soft qui nal perso, lad not Eeen invented 10
excuse the dosiro for Witnessing degrading ex-
QfDlLt3Ub. G0 AU.4A h--S %A4EAs IL0 %A4o
poor Greeks we1o hoatheus, and their neglect Of
these aids to the preservation OF society acst be
parIo2ed.
But. after all, h1r. Hooley, and even alr.
Grover. would rebel against . revival OF these
Greek customs. ~ could not draw III audieuco
OF men
WITHOUT LEADING LADY,
oven With the mos. rucy of modcrn comedies"
SAYS tho first ''ycry good. indeed" says tbs
second but male bullet would not draw q
i. = -.
able than tho stae performances" So as We
must no. e.pect revival OF tho cid Greek thea
tre II, toto, let us insist upoa tic restoration II
QUO foatu:e OF it-coolness.
TIE nc,f.S THEATRE
did rot differ from that OF the G-ecks whom
tl,ese Joa,.uiu lliIlcrs copied fre.u IL almost
eycrytliut. good. They even stole toe Greek
mama for q theatre. and claimed it as original
just as .heg denied that the mama of their city
was Greex. When they found the Eemi-c;rcalar
t!,eatre leo small for t!cir imported g:adiatorial
exhibitions, they doubled them. pub another
theatre On the other sidc and called it anphi-
theatre.-. theatre OH both sides. Hero men,
and women, and children reat indlscri1a.nataly,
aud sat through the exhibitions. as Reno
grew older, these poor old pagans grew
moro cruel until as everybody knows,
tEeir anpni:heatrical exhibitions becano the
most atrocious things the. human Ingenuity TIL
aidcd could think about. Christians were tor
turcd, not by bad orcAcstt:s, L1it by burning
oni wild bc&sts; murders. 10: q tho {. ,.cu's
T,nr1isf. but Of l,onan 1nd -o.~.:s: l. ;::a.ors,
followed. Crusty old bachelors E:ay Hay that if
tia laGicd had been kept out tho Roman
theatres would hare re:aGinod ~ hiSll-:oaed as
those Of Greece, but tbs sketch il meant to be
,.o.eiud;ceu. OF course wo do not exac.l;
wish the Roman theatre revived, There is tao
much un,urder in lest j" on our stage already :;
what wo do want is comfort. Perlla;'s the old
Ko,rar,s suffered as much pain iron the Italian
sun cs VIC do from tie sas and bad ventilation
In 1raa