New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-12
BRITISH GOSSIP.
NOTES FROM LONDON.

THE LORD CHAMBERLAIN TO THEATER MANA
GERs-A cATALocsOE OF THRATERs.
tYRoM TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRuUNE.l
LONDON. Dec. 2h-The Secretary Of Reuters News
company has cent two successive accounts to The
7yuss Of the passage about Cuba imputed to Presi-
dent Grant. The first gives the statement OF the
New-York agent who afirms that he received o syn
opss Of the message the evening previous 70 It's
delivery but that the paragraph relating TO CuDa
and Spain was changed by the President at the lsS.
mement;D and that he immediately teiegraphed
the altered version This is fatty contradicted oy
The Iines's own correspondent IN Philadelphia, 10
whom his employers applied. He says-and the facts
must surely be well known IN America-that the
supposed summary supplied by the Associated Press
distinctly stated that the President had shown the
message to nobody bat the Cabinet and copylsts,
and that the account of 1t telegraphed TO NewYork
was based ION the Presidents expressions to lnti-
mate friends" 1t here that the false Cuba pas
sage occurred. But, says The NEess correspondents
1.-THE President wrote such paragraph, II
being founded on hearsay in advance OF the deIv-
cry of the message" WHAT. then. are we to think
Of the excuse now put forward by Renters agent,
that the paragraph changed by the President
at the last mOmentf
The aitered-that is, the cOrreet-paragraph only
arrived says Reuters secretary, after publication OF
she erroneous summary in the second editions OF
Mondays London papers. 1t is to be regretted, ne
says that their New-YOrk correspondent did not
sleary explain the discrepancy, yet 1t cannot be
charged against him that he left the public under a
wrong impression TO what the President actually
said 1t is hard to make ont what this means Ii
Is certain that the public was left under wrong
impression for nearly fortnight. If Reuters New
York agent is not responsible his London Office is
The Times appends note to Mr.. Grithss first letter,
reminding him that he does not explain why
the corrected version not sent to 1t and
Its contemporaries. To this Mr. Griffiths responds
that it sent, and did appear next day, but that
e much regrets it was not clearly stated 20 be a
substitution for the original version. This leaves
eust where we were before. The original summary,
Anown by the NewYork agent to be based on hear
~, appears to have been forwarded by him to Lon
lJn as q summary of the actual message itself 1t
was at any rate received by the London papers from
Reuters London Office as such. No proper correction
was ever made. You may judge from what The
Times said ana from what some of the week.-Mrs. of
to-day say, how seriously the matter is regarded
here The Examiner remarks that the difference be-
tween the two passages cannot be explained as an
srror of transmission, and adds:
Why dld not Reuters agents, II they had been too
yrecipate at once correct their mistake Iney could
heir report and the message. on matter OF such i'm
portance would ESCAPE detection The affair Is alto
&c her rather mysterious, 10 would be serious
matter II great international agency should fa under
Exchange Spectators.
The Spectator SAYS:
The abstract of the American Presidents speech for
varded by Reuters agent from New York had 1t
appears no better foundation than the talk of the
President win some terSons about MIN ms was to
newspaper, aud sent over 10 England, paragraph
about Spain and Cuba in particular beng gwen as tne
sorry. bat has assurance of the immediate dis
missal OF his agent.
And The Saturday Reriec characterizes 1t an
"audacious hoax which happily failed to pro-
duoe the impression which might have been antici !
pated. The funds even of Spain were not affected
by menaces which, as it now appears were never
uttered
The circular of the Lord Chamberlain to the Lon
don theater managers. issued this week. came In |
good time 1t is a remonstrance against ndecency,
and the burlesQues and pantOmimes which open to-
night must have been specially aimed at They |
have been yearly growing wOrse-the dresses more
scanty the dances more immOdest. Lord Hartford
is frank enough to admit that the press had remind
ed him of his duty. That remark however. re-
ouires limitation fear 1t must be conceded that
Ahe London papers had done more TO encourage than
90 discourage worst displays that have been made
an the stage Seldom has there been protest
never anything ike vigorous or concerted effort
Oh the part OF the press to banisn mproprieties.
There can be no doubt that the defense of the re-
cent libel suit against Vanity Far was of more ser
vice to the cause of theatrical morals than all else
that has been said and done by the papers 1t came
nj a good time to reinforce Mr. Pig0tt's determine
tion TO clear the stage of the shows that dis
eracing it, presume he is the author of the Lord
Chamberlain's energetic manifesto. Whoever says
II il is true that "a feeling Of shame has been
aroused in the public MUD that the English stage
should have reached Its present degraded
state" Managers notified that democrat
izing exhibitions must come 10 an end, and
that indecent dances will be stopped even by per-
eulptoriiy closing a tbeater. should that strong step
be necessary One license has already been refused
Others will be- if occasion arise No effort will be
made to prescribe the dimensions of Dress or TO reg
ulatL the details of costume. Managers must do that
and they are invited to cooperate with the Lord
Chamberlain in good faith. If they acquiesce there
will be no trouble. The majority of them, to their
credit be it said have done it without being called
on AT no time within my recollection has there
been a great number of theaters which stood in
much need of the censure of the Lord Chamberlain.
The ID chasing performances so often exhibited"
have been exhibited in succession in a few well
known tbeaters. But they known to have
been extremely prOftable-hence the danger that
the evil example might prove infectious The pub
liza certain public-is responsible, and since in
their own interest they would not reform, the
snachronsm of a censorship may for once claim to
have indicated right TO exist. 1T has existed In
this case clearly for the public good.
Most of the theaters used to provide special atrac
tons for Boxing Night. New pantOmimes or bur
lesques are commonly brou ght out at those houses
winch depend many degree spectacle for drawing
their public Thus time-honored Drury-la takes
Aladdin once more for a subject and the delightful