The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-03-04
OUR NEW YORK LETTER,

New York Amusements. What They Cost
, Where the Millions Go. and What The,
, Pay-What We Owe to Gilbert and Sullf
, van-Trouble In Baptist Church-Th,
Bottom Dropped Out Of Wall street, Etc
New YORK, February 25, 1882
l EDITOR CHIEF:
: What shall I do to be saved? was tn,
enquiry of q young man almost tive
thousand years ago. Had he lived il
New York or Brooklyn he would have
found 1873 ministers of the gospel rep
resenting 322 different denominations te
point the way to the straight and narrow
path. No matter from what source he
drew his spiritual inspiration-from the
Vedas, the Sanslirit, the Koran or the
Pentateuch, from the philosophy of Plato
or the 1noralities Of Confucius in these
two cities, he weuld find plenty of disci-
pies to keep him company ill his devo-
tions. There is no difficulty about being
saved, if good advice will do it. We
have plenty of ministers here who know
all about the world to come; they tell
you exactly how it looks and are as
familiar with its geographical aspects as
they are with Long Branch or Coney
Island.
"A much more difficult question with
the mass is, What shall we do to be
amused! /! Shall it be italian Opera, OF a
church post-office and lucky bag shall
it be concert and reading, OF French
opera bouffef Shall it be amateur theat-
rieals or Sunday school picnic, or what
shall we do to be amused Vanderbilt,
Jay Gould, and Walton the "plunger,"
who Won 100000 on the English turf
last year, Jim Keene and Ed Stokes, can
easily solve the question but when it
costs S7 seat to hear Patti, and at least
IS to hear Gerster-no chance for the
million there. A man or woman may
like music ever 30 much, but at the gates
of the Harmonial Paradise stands an
angel with a flaming sword guarding its
portal forever.
| For ages the theatre has been de-
nounced by men who never set foot
| within its doors. Actors and actresses
have been consigned in body to Gahenna
| by individuals who were not worthy to
unloose the latchets Of their shoes; but
notwithstanding all this demonstration,
fume and froth, in which one told US we
could not sing, and another that we
must not dance, and third assured rs
| that a certain destruction awaited rs if
We visited the theatre or the opera, the
| question kept coming up, What shall We
| do to be amuseds There were plenty of
people who could tell US what not to do,
| but not great many who could tell us
what we might do. With certain class
of people they may vary serious objee
tions, even to a well-regulated theatre.
The wit of the old comedies has fire.
quently a gamely flavor about it which
can only make it enjoyable to those
| whose hides are case-lardened against
religious conservatism. Even the finest
| Shakespearean tragedies admit of a little
jns!ieious pruning, and the original text
Of Romeo and Juliet or Twelfth Night
would sound rather harshly to ears
polite.
| The man or men wha srappled with
this difficult problem and conquered it
deserve we'll of mankind and foremost
among the benefactors of their time are
| Gilbert and Sullivan-or I should have
said Sullivan aud Gilbert, for it is to the
sweet musician that we are indebted for
one Of the greatest pleasures of these
latter days. It is only a short time since
we were nearly swampsd with Opera
| Bouffe French indeceney was the vogue
and the man or woman who dared to
protest against it was voted prude or a
boor. Italian Opera has got to be too
expensive luxury for ordinary people :
hence I say that he should be regarded as
| a benefaetor of his kind who invents an
amusement which is cheap, clean and
wholesome. This Sullivan and Gilbert
have done, and to-day, as you pass along
| the streets, you eau hear hundreds Of
men and women, boys aud girls, whist
| ling and hummins I" Pinafore and &c Pa
| tieuce" who never knew note of
| Norma or Lucia, and who could not tell
the difference between Lohengrin or
Aida, and the Stabat Mater or the Ora
toria Of Elijah.
| Much as the public are indebted to
| Sullivan and Gilbert, they are no less
indebted to Manager VIM. H. Henderson
of the Standard Theatre, whose enter
prise in placing these operas properly
| before the public deserves the highest
and most emphatic eonlmendation. The
Standard Theatre has, for many mouths,
been devoted tn Sullivan and Gilberts
works, aud it speaks we'll for the good
taste of New York and its visitors that,
| Notwithstanding the fact that tisst-class
| amusements are abundant, the Standard
Theatre has been crowded nightly for
months, and their shows not the slightest
abatement in it's attraction, though it
has never changed its bill. Night after
night the very best people are found
crowding it's doors for the entertain
ment is one to which man can take his
wife or his daughter with the absolute
aarfa;ntr fhaG what h.a saas or haars IA