Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-06-13

1 Full aGel mia Times,
The American stage and the Ameri-
can school of actors were once the
pTOudest boasts OF our young country
| We had a Forrest, a Davenport, and g
younger Booth for actors, snd the
| Gladiator and "Brutus' (the eldeT)
| for specimens of our drama. The de-
cline OF our actors, and of the art OF con-
stTucting dramas, is within the remem-
bTance Of the present generation. We
chopped writing plays decades since and
of producing actors years ago. The first
bold invasion Of our stage was made
about ten years ago, when the "BLdck
Crook, =" in all its spectacular glory, its
reiuigence Of lights and effulgence of
limbs, made its appearance. 1t was sue
cessful and set an evil example. After
ii came the lsscivioUs troupe OF blonde
haired women, who called themselves
English buTlesquers. They had their
period, and then the opera boUffe people
invaded US, cOnquering all before them.
Then came the tribe Of pretty English
women, the Nelson's, Dyases and ROus-
| bys, TO win our hearts, and all Of whom
were eminently successful IN their as
saults. But our direst sffiiction was re-
| served for the last. The naked foreign
ballet had been exhausted; the beauti-
! fol, beautifully gifted in physical
charms women Of England had palled
upon cur taste, and opera bOuffe had
nearly gone out of fashion, when along
came-after these Venuses, and JunOs,
and Queens OF Sheba, Adonis himself
His name was Montague in the one in
stance, and RignOld in the other. In
the first case be played the elegant gen.
tIeman ofsociety, the listless, dawdling,
gOOd-fOT nothing, empty-headed lover,
and in the other rObustuOu5, cratic
and full-blooded young man OF the
'tClaude Melnotte" school. Both Of these
| geniuses have just been exposed. AS in
the case Of the blondes, who were as de-
sired As DRphene by the eager dsy-god,
so the bellies Of New York have only
| seized the laurel where they expected TO
clasp the man. One OF the objects of
| their affection and targets for their bOu-
/ quets turns out 10 be man of family,
with numerous progeny, and the other
tell II not in GOthsm-is gay de-
/ cgiveF, against whom suit for breach
| OF promise, the damages being fixed at
/ fifty thousand dollars, is now pending.
| There may or may not be a moral here,
/ bat we think there is. The wOr-
ship Of foreigners and foreign art has
! gone almost too far with US. The
nation pTOmises-Or rather threatens
to become a race Of MIR. and Mrs. and
! Misses Norrisses, who, while they re-
Ijoioe ia being natives of this free country,
are always willing to bow down az the
feet OF the pGTUeHUs they meet abroad,
and who ostentatlOusly hasten to an
| nounce their recognition by the nobility
/ "On coaching day in Hyde Psrk, ," writes
/ one Of this class, al met so aIfLiisO." OF
I course che did she met them as bhe used
10 meet Shocks and Smith in OF sreet J,
. without them recognizing h43@& she
/ them. The truth is, Americans are, az
yet, very far from conquering their rude.
ness and ignorance, and from holding
! their proper place in the worlds society
! Elijah POgrsms still abound in our poll.
tics, and represent us abroad, and Mrs
HOminys and their daughters court the
| young nobility Of the old world. II
Italy, Mir. joaquin Miller tells US, the
/ poverty-stricken counts and dukes KEEP
a list ofAmerican heiresses, and gamble
for them among themselves as they dc
Tor so many coins Of the realm; and SIS
long as the American people continue tC
discard their native talents and disTe.
| gard their own children for the brazeD-
ness OF foreigners and the adventures Of
the old world, they will deserve all the
reproaches ever cast upon them.