The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-05-22

t..efr carriages, at the things that were
going to be done in their name. When
the fun was at its toulest a little hairy
monster, mado up in tho likeness of u
blacksmith's bellows blower, flashed
an electric light on the internal scene.
At about one the theatres poured in
their troupes to tho reinforcement Of
society. Each sent It's contingent,
even tho Francois. Soon the Ambigu
company arrived in the costumes Of
the piece "Assomnoir." Gil-Naza
wore his blue cotton suit, as the work
ing Zincsmith Coupeau; Helene Petit,
the plain stuff frock in which Gervaise
is married. Big Virginie was in the
robes du iaUo1; Madame Bochc, in
an awful construction in Scotch plaid,
the concicrge's Sunday best, which
kills all the rest of the color on the
stage. The contrast between Helene
Petits makeup and the natural dis
tinction of her manner was most
striking. She looked none the worse
for her death in the snow al hour
before. Gil-Naza, too, had pisen from
the grave, and had lost ull traces Of
that awful attack of deityfUm tycD,cnS
which carries him Off Nt Il quarter past
eleven every night. lie was nervous
~ vivaciOuS, after his wont, and
seemed to be as much excited by the
scene rs Conpenu by his immodcratc
potations Of petit 6lcw. 1t may be
that in his moments of rcposo ho is
haunted by the scenes Of real life he
has studied in preparation for this
realistic drama. 1t is well known
that he went to the madhouscs to sec
how mon died Of the softcning Of the
brain. ...
For years there has been nothing on
the French or any other stage like his
rendering of COupcau's death agony.
1t may not be art, but it Is certainly
realism. II should be taken round The
Black Country in place OF that old
mirnclc play cart in which tic tcctotnl
societies used annually to exhibit their
ta6lcaU rir0nt of tho curse Of drunk
cnncss for tho cdiiicution of the
miners. The success OF tho play will
depend on the choice Of an actor for
this part. An old fashioned hand,
with the conventional reel and stug-
ger, will simply ruin II. 1t ia not
that. Gil-Naza shows you the whole
man melting away, as it were, into
an utter incptitudc of all tho faculties,
plAS ShSVh tIlNt I1lS " III
not serve him, his brain will not serve
him, his eye will not serve him; in his
last paroXysm he thinks he has "Hittle
beasts crawling all over his body,
and keeps combing himself down with
skinny fingers to keep them off his
tace in q manner sickening to see.
This is the new school--naturo in the
raw, the very truth, the actual cautcry !;
will it "makc fortunc2" We Shall
soc. According to Zola, it is to be
this or nothing. All the rest are dead !;
the romanticism Of Victor Hugo as
dead as the rest. The nineteenth con-
tury wants facts. In recent critical
notice Of "Ruy Bias" which is now
filling tho Francais, he talked Of it
exactly as if it belonged to the theatre
of the Middle Ages. 1t was good
thing In its day, but surely wo not to
DO told in ours that a lackcy and q
queen-that queen being presumably
Il woman-could see no other way out
Of love affair than drauyht OF
poison. ANonS donci we have grown
wiser, If over we were so foolish
things do not pass in that way. The
fcte ut tho Elsyco Montmartro was al,
advertisement Of the school to al
Paris, to all the world. 1t was the
sonS culotte revcl Of literary 'S9; its
dancing was also trampling down.
figures OF tho old dramas OF tlr1Varfy
and society were under its feet.
The French have always beon dc,
cidedly Frcncly. But in this assom.
moir craze they have out hcrodcd
1lorod. While San Francisco cnioycd
the spectacle Of q Passion PLAY, in
which the lite and death of the Saviou,
were portrayed nightly OH the boards
for two weeks, until an outraged peo.
PIC had the actor who personatcd the
Saviour put III prison and the play
abolished by the police. France goes
wild on another. tack and revels il
scenes that must tend to degrade
society to the lowest level. 1t is tc
be sincerely hoped that tho. Frcncl
will keep their new style of dram,
rcligiously to themselves. -