Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-03-15


wise, must ke addressed to
L. wHITmORE.
Publisher and Proprietor.
% ~ ..-,..
Pulpit and TheatAr in England.
NJ. D. Conway's Gin. Commercial Letter.
1t is a remarkable fact that we
never hear pulpit diatribes against
the theater in this country. Ihaye
never heard of a preacher Of any
denomination whatever proposing
to abolish the stage. One of the
consequences of this is that the
journals and critics connected with
the theaters are vigilant in watching
over IFS decorum. Latterly the
clergy have been interesting them
selves a good deal in theatrical sub
jeets, and the Bishop of Manchester
has been especially warm in his
appreciation Of its moral influence.
The journal called the Theater
having rebuked certain tendencies
of a somewhat doubtful kind on the
London stage, the bishop took it as
the text Of two important speeches.
which he delivered yesterday to the
members of the theatrical profes-
sion in two different theaters in
Manchester. 1t may be within the
memory Of some Of your readers
that some fifteen years ago the Rev.
DR.. Bellows having made some
kindly remarks concerning the
histrionic profession, was invited
to deliver an address to the actors
and actresses of New York in an
opera-house, and having done so,
with his usual eloquence, was con-
siderably berated by preachers of
other secis. The Manchester Bish-
op, on the other hand, has been
met with a round of applause for
uttering similar sentiments. He
adverted to Paul's being admon-
ished not to adventure himself into
the theater, but appeared to think
that such advice was not wiser then
than now, and he rather boasted
that he was the first English bishop
who had ever addressed a congrega-
tion in theater. lie spoke of the
proper dignity of the theatrical
profession, and showed that the
Puritan attempt to abolish the
theater altogether had resulted in
nothing but a violent reaction in
the shape of the immoral plays Of
the Restoration. The bishop de-
clared that it would be d great evil
to be without theaterS; that with
such illustrious names as Macready,
Charles Kean and Helen Faucet, no
one could truly say that the theater
was degrading; and he appealed to
the members Of the profession be-
fore him to make it more and more
harmless recreation for the peo-
pie. This address was delivered in
the Theater Royal. Afterwards Dr.
Fraser delivered a second address
in the same sense a. the Princes
Theater. In neither of these did
the bishop claim that the theater
ought to be made into a place for
specially moral or religious instruc-
ton. He simply desired that it
should be kept innocent, but for
the rest planted himself on the po-
sition that art and recreation, in
and for themselves, were of high
utility and benefit to mankind.
There is little doubt that in presery-
ing the decorum and harmlessness
of the stage the great mass of play
goers are with the bishop. At pres
ent there is not one instance of a
good success on the English stage
secured by any actor who departs
from such principles. Nobody ever
heard an indecent, or even coarse
thing, fall from the lips Of our most
eminent actors. This is especially
true in the direction of the art
where it might have been expected
| to occur, if there were a demand
for impropriety-that of comedy.
But the performances of Sothern,
Wigan, Toole, Brough and Bancroft
have never been objected to by the
most sensitive. The matter has re.
Gently been a subject of discussion,
because there seems TO be an in.
crease of the number of "upper.
class" play-goers this season. This
is probably due to singular dull
ness in private social entertain.
ments, which may be ascribed tc
combined influence of the wettest
season ever known and "rumors o.