The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-12

There are great number OF theatrical
companies composed Of amateurs in New
York, and this season they have given an
unusually large number of performances,
most Of which have been in. aid Of benevo-
lent institutions. If in all cases the anna
teur actors have not pleased their audiences,
they may well be compensated by the
knowledge that they have relieved the dis
tresses Of the unfortunate, from the found
ling who has but just stepped upon the
worlds stage to the centennial veteran who
is about to make his exit from the footlights
forever Charity is a cloak which covers q
multitude of sins, and the poorer the actor
is the richer will be his reward hereafter
not now-when he consents to exhibit his
poverty for the benefit of poor man. Such
an actor may properly soliloquize, II know
that have panied my friends and grieved
my godmother; but then have relieved the
widow with nine children and fed the
orphan who has not even one widow to con-
sole him."
This charitable usefulness Of amateur
theatrical companies is very great, and in
that respect they stand upon the same high
ground as soup societies and the New Eng
land Dorcas. We seriously believe that
amateur theatricals have higher value than
their ostensible objects of benevolence to the
unfortunate. Actors, like barbers must be-
gin somewhere. The youthful barber gener-
ally begins by dexterously shaving off the
corner of an ear or the side Of the face, and
when the bloody subject, starting up from
his chair, like Banquos ghost, ''with twenty
mortal murders on his brow" exclaims,
THAT boy can't shave !" the polite proprietor
of the shop replies, II know that he can't
shave, but he's learning" ''Confound it."
says the man, IL don't want him to learn on
me-" But this is very unjust for it is
clear that the boy must learn on somebody.
1t is SO with actors. They cannot spring
forth, like Minerva, s'full statured in an
hour" AT some period Of their lives they
must experiment with Shakespeare and pay
rude court to the MUSES.. But thcatre-goers
have an advantage over the customers Of
barber shops. There is no school for the
young barber but the shop; but the am
bilious young amateur may murder his first
character in garnet, kill the next in par
lor, and so come down from murder in the
first degree to murder in the second degree,
from that to manslaughtcr, from manslaugh-
ter to assault and battery with intent to kill,
and finally 60 upon the public stage acquit-
ted of everything but justifable homicide
Amateur companies render the profess
sional stage valuable services. They are the
material from which the regular comp anies
are recruited, and some of the best actors
We have seen were once only 'Thespians"
or .'Forrestonians' or members of similaras-
sociations. From the amateur To the artist
is frequently but step, and there are now
amateurs in this city who might rival in ac-
complishments some of the best professional
performers. The standard of private theat-
ricals has been raised Of late, and, though il
is proper to blame or ridicule the pretensions
Of the incompetent, it would be unpardon-
able to disparage honorable ambition when
united with real merit