National Republican., 1881-11-26
STAGE MORALITY.
a FANolED BARRIER OF SEPARATION.
Asiory to Point Moral from tho Times Of George
Iy.-The Life Of "Perdita" Robin.
son-Adelina Patti and Her
Noted Frailty.

daring spirit who ventures TO defend the dramatic
profession az whole invites contumoly. So
surely as one candid mind initiates the charity Of
the One who meekly accepted and acknowledged
the good in the Jewish publican ten fanatical
rnountebanks Of Christianity obscure the thought
under an ocean OF phariseeism. To what extent
truth warrants the condemnation. to what degree
the condemnation Is undcserved, II would be pre-
sumptuous TO attempt 10 say. But in that wide
tolerance which best becomes our day there is Il
promise Of justice heretofore unknown.
IN THE HISTORY OF TIE STAGE
there Is @ singular exception 10 the almost uni
Versal rule Of progress. theoretically, the drama
follows or leads the culture Of the time; prnc-
tlcaly, 1t does either to only limited extent. IL
has outgrown the period of mystery and miracle
plays and the circumscribcd limits Of the church
a. play. house. II has Outgrown the exclusion Of
women from It's boards. But this change ofcircum.
siancc aud sex is only II change that transforms at
times tho proper theatre to a school Of moral SEN
timcnt where the old truths are presented with
new iaces to satisfy the public that has been
sacd with novelty and returns like the epicurc
10 tho simples. We may be sure that what the
time demands will not be long forthcoming.
Whether tawdry miss IN scene or unaffected sim
plcity he presented they come from the properties
OF the past hastily furbi,hed for present use. In
this fact lies the suggestion Of fruitful source Of
trouble and misconccption. In the suggested fact
propricty and condemns the dramatic profession
ns whole when the dissatisfied
Public sICRESs OF "PINAFoRE"
81 Is fed on the legitimate, as eNemplihcd In the
masier.works OF Shakespeare or some other writer
ofa time when manners made men and morals
were the property Of the few. No sane person
would question Shakcspearcs fnmc for genius,
but would 1t be- presumptuous to suggest that the
moral tone of his plays might be altered for the
better2 Would II be prcsumpluous to sliggestsuch
n change Of language ms would ilt his drnmas for
the mouths and ear ofmodcst men and women of
TO- day? The tric udHgc that contact with vice
destroys the keen perception ofits cnorInity Is no.
where more fully verified than in the realm of
dramatic art. As We recur 10 the notable names
ofHctors and actresses whose performances have
enshrincd them in our memories VIC eau but see
that with few exceptions they have been intensely
passionate in temperament swift TO feel and
quick TO yield 10 the impulses Of their natures To
preserve such natures from evil. evil must not be
permitted 10 present itself too strongly and TOO per-
sislently The story of Pcrdita and Florizcl, Mrs
Robinson and George ", when the latter was yet
Prince OF Wales, may not he fresh In our minds.
but II will serve as well more recent event to
point our moral It's the threndbarc tale Of
ONSLAUGHT AND REPUlsE REPEATED
That n time came when the repulse weakened
and ceased need not destroy our faith In success
ful resistance. The glamour Of royalty was too
powerful for vanity, abettCd by the same intimacy
with evil, whose destructive tendency we have
noted. By her own hand Perdia recorded the de.
scent from purity 10 the abyss. The lingering and
disappearing doubt was the tribute to virtue Of the
Overtempted nature. Without the extenuating
circumstances OF her stage life Pcrdita would not
have trod the primrose pathway" without the
licensed latitude of the plays Of the Elizabethan
dramatists that naturally weak and vain nature
might have safely passed the ordeal of life. No
aF 1Its ~
crate the unalterable fact that tn zen and now the
strong natures have withstood the temptations of
the same life under the same circumstances. For
one weakling who suCcumbs n thousand walk up.
rightly in that shaded valley. Names without
number arc upon the pens tip to justify us in say
ing that virtue, even under the most unfavorable
circumstances, finds reserved power Of resistance
The injustice that would condemn all men as
thieves because one man is n thief would not be
less logical than that which would spurn the dra.
matte profession ms n whole because one poorsinner
has exceptional need for charity. With the fore.
going concession TO the
PHILOSOPHY or ENVIRONMENT
we may be ready to regard indulgently few ex.
amplcs Of the unfortunate victims Of natural ar.
dor and unproptiOus circumstances.
Since we have already pointed our moral with
"Pcrdita" Robinson. itmay not be amiss to adorn
our tale with the story of hCrlife This victim Of the
iirt gentleman OF Europe" was endowed with
not only most beautiful and expressive fuCe,
but In addition, exquisite taste and infinite tact in
utilizing the embellishments art. She had been
married TO an adyenturer ut the nge of sixteen,
aud before she had entered her nineteenth year
had experienced the vicissitudes Of IL lifetime.
She made her first stage appearance as Juliet at
Dury Lane, in l776. After n season OF doubtful
success she left London for the provinces, but re-
turned TO increase her popularity Oh the boards
and to become the lion Of metropolitan society
Fame and homage were the public tributes TO hel
beauty and talent. but domestic infelicity sad
dened her private life. The worthless adventure
who had beguied her into II secret marriage un
dor false prGtcnses now squandered her earning
IN not. It was in this unhappy state of affair
that she was found by her royal ndmirer. In tn,
winter of 1879 she was cast for that part In 9TH,
Winters Tale" whose name has since beeI
coupled with her own.
THE FRINGE OF WALES SAW HER
then for the hrst time. The history of their init
macy has become public property. The Prince
although scarcely out of his teens, had alrrud
developed that caddlsh trait which made hin
aflcrward forsake Beau BrummCll, and, in fact
every one else who ceHscd TO be profitable to him
"Perdita" went tho way Of ull the rest, but, b.
force Of her own wit and the good offices o
Charles Fox she secured an annuity that kept he
from paupcrism through the years of her life tim
remained. But what n life hers wasl HaTasse
the Continent, and while travelling contracted
violent cold that produced rheumatism md iinull
deprived her OF all use of her limbs. This Caani
ity occurred when she was but twenty four yeal
old, and she fingered through almost inolcrabl
suffering for seventeen years. She was one Of tn
few trangressoR who ever received synpatheli
word from aus,erity pcrsoniiled-Sarah Siddon
wise saws may be coupled with modern in
stances /" in this article as elsewhere, and one
ready TO our hand Adelna Fatti possesses Il
common with Pcrdita " Robinson but one trait
fraity
SELFISH AND UHLovELY IN ALL RESPECTS
save those of voice and face, she has little clar
" our sympathy, but much need for our charity
The woman who could leave her sister to perish 4
Rpest-hOuse and never send kindly message ha
forfeited all claim TO our kindly regard, aud W
can but shudder at the inevitable fate that seems
close about her. Already the bird Of Paradise
envelOped in the dun hues of the domestic iow
aud retrospective glory is poor solace for Creepln
decay. By the ties of early artistic associations an
of indulgent patronage Adelina Patti should
attached to this the land Of her earliest conquest
but she Is beyond, abUve-beneath, shall say 2
such sentimental considerations rs do not bear III
impress Of pecmIary value, So have We seen N
proof Of tmmorality upon the stage To Justify III
cCnsure ofthe critic; but these are two against tc
thousand instances OF purity and virtue, who's
nlmben conceal their true signihcance.-EOr n
Republican, By H. NJ Wright
---S---
LOngatreet or Mah0ne.
40 tho Editor OF THE REPUBLICAN,;
The Republicans Of this section of tn
country would be pleased to have Longstreet