The Morning herald., 1877-12-04
DRAMATIC IMPURITIES.

NVW ihas 'eCAADS Has suUoAuSO al ACai
the side isspe attempted by one or NOR
Of our evening contemporaries relative
Mr.. Baylis' management of the amuse
ments at the Opera House is at rest, W
may fully criticise the play, of 'Pin
Dominoes." ;
1t will be admitted, we trust, that a p'a
should represent fairly phase of life. q
Shakespeare hath "hold the mirror up t
nature" 1t will be further agreed to
that bad exemple is the most potent facto
of evil known to exist. In this light lie
US look At the play the best society o
Wilmington applauded," and Mr.. Baylis il
thanked for bringing to the city, for the
edifcation and amusemen, of our people.
What is the plot Of this "latest and
owest Parisian farce" as the "Uontem'
porary Review" calls it, the scene opens
in "the house of one Sir Percy Wagstaff
We are introduced to the following char
acters-Sir Percy himself and his lady,
and Miss GreythorEe and Mr.. and Mrs
Tubbs. Lady Wagstaffe is gay woman
Of the world. Mrs. Greythorne is simple
creature with a most implicit faith in her
husbands goodness, and Mrs. Tubbs is an
elderly lady with severe notions of moral
propriety. (Mr. Tubbs, by the way is a
grey-haired man Of some sixty possessed
With mania for gazing upon photographs
Of half nude woman.) Mr.. Greythorne is
perhaps Of all these the least Immaculate
inasmuch as he deliberately deceives a
young and charming wife, and to each Of
these three gentlemen lying comes SO easy
that it is by no means difficult to conceal
the secret Of 'vagrant amours' Things
being at this pass Lady Wagstaffs and
nn. Greythorne determined to test the
virtue Of their respective husbands, send
to each Of them letter supposed to be
written by an unknown lady, and contain
ing an invitation to supper at Cremorne
whore there is to be masked ball. The
real writer Of both letters is Rebecca,
Lady Wsgstaffe's maid. The gentlemen
receive the letters, fall into raptures at the
possibility Of un bonnie fortune and in
dividually invent excuses for not spending
the evening at home. At the same time,
in the absence Of Mr.. Tubbs, who has
gone to visit sick friend, Mrs. Tubbs de-
tsrnines to 90 to Cremorne.
"Act II, begins in the Cremorne restaur.
ant showing a coup Dell of doors open
ing into tiny supper rooms for private
parties. Here the ladies and the ladies
maid, all masked and wearing pink domi-
nos, make their appearance. Now begins
fast and furious what is called the fun of
the performance. Lady Wagstaffe is made
hot love to by Mr. Greythorne, Mrs. Grey
thorne is similarly wooed by Sir Percy
Wagstaffe, while Rebecca in her tnrn ia
pursued by an erraut nephew Of Mr..
Tubbs. Tubbs, himself, in a state of in
to1ication, is discovered Offering supper to
ayouug lady (?) who has come to Cremorne
with her mamma. Confusion follows on
esnfusion, in manner too pantomimic
for description.
"The III Act takes US again to the
Drawing Room of Sir Percy. The men
dacious gifts Of the husbands now come into
full living. IT'S explained that they had
from the beginning seen through the trick
and had been having hearty joke at the
expense Of their wives. All is forgiven
and Rebecca, the skittish maid, is taken
into the service Of the stern Mrs. Tubbs.
The curtain falls upon pretty picture Of
eoniugal bliss!v'
We have no desire to preach a homily
upon virtue or to get off any puritanical
cant, but ask the fathers, husbands and
brothers Of Wilmington if they approve
Of play the plot Of which is falsehood
and deception, the purpose adultery, the
action ulwomanly intrigue, which if one
of our matrons were detected in the doing,
she would be socially ostracised forever
and aye.
The moral effect Of such play is to
familiarize the virginia. mind of the young,
and the chaste emotions of the matron
with lying, adultery and intrigue. If any
one has ought to say 10 defence of such
miserable farces let them speak out, and
we will answer. Their ehluvia will pro-
ducs inevitable nausea, and the wrong
done to public morals, is chargeable to the
owners and managers of every place of