The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1883-04-07
Our New York Letter.
Regular correspondence Of ADVOCATE.
NKw YoRK, April Sd, 1883.


Play before the public. The presenia.
tion on Friday night was marvellously
beautiful and impressive. There was
not the faiutest suggestion of making
play of religion, and when the curta II
fell the rounds Of applause testified 10
how we'll the work had been done. The
audience was remarkable. 1t consisted
Of professional men. theological students
aud men about town, the ladies present
being generally of the church attending
order. There were also number OF
clergymen and great many more would
have been there had not the senseless
hue and cry Of some Of the papers aUeo
them away. The pastor of fashionable
Episcopal Church on Filth Avenue told
me: Il should like very much to attenG.
but should be seen lam afraid it would
give rise to scandal" He sent his sol
however and could scarcely fiud words
to express how grand the rendition OF
the prediction had appeared to him.
l had little chat with Mr.. Morse OF
the afternoon before the production OF
his work. His conduct ever since tn,
agitation commenced has been such as
to stamp him either knave or an en-.
tau Iiast. think he is the latter. As
he spoke, il struck me that no actor, no
matter how we'll ur in his part could
speak and act in the way he did without
earnest sincerity to inspire him. think
it is his misfortuns that he is compelled
o live in an age which is so practical
that it despises everything which smacLs
Of sentiment. NJ. Morse said to mt,
"Ny principal idea in producing this
Passion Play is to inspire religious senti-
meut. We have too little of it, and the
churches and ministers instead Of stem.
ming the tide Of irreligiousness by en-
deavOring to arouse sentiment through
the senses, by sho wing Christ as He was,
and thus weaning man from excessive
worldl.uess, go with the tide and incnl.
cate species Of rationalism which la,
nothing of religion about it except IL,
garb. When this present feeling against
my work subsidies, the cltrgymen. yor
will see. will look upon it as valuabl,
all to their .fforis.'' -'.
The Spring exhibition Of the Natiopa
Academy of Design is no better and q,
worse than previous displays. The wall
are we'll covered with canvasses of IL
sizes, but there is nothing striking amonl
tho lot There are the same dull | nd
scapes the same m .aniDgless tree, tn
familiar conventional cattle gazing rum
inatively at well known Summer skies
In.GENRE there are some capital hits, In
the majority Of pictures Of tLis clas
show that fatal gift f cleverness ~hicl
substitutes tricks Of the trade for genuiu
observation, and true feeling for th
incongruities o life. p rtraiis abound
aud some of them are capital. 1t woul,
seem that the best artists are graduall
q
leaving higher art aside to indulge il
;hoi paying, pot-boilag occupati"u q
putting the faces of people on canva
who are atle to pay from one hnndre,
dollars to thousand for the satisfaction
Of seeing their faces gaze ont with puff
up importance from massive gold irtmes
Art has become business. It has nar
rowed down to the problem how can
scrape together with pen or pencil th
largest bank account in the shorte.
possible time. and never before has thi
become so spparent as at the present e2
hibition. Art critics and art writers ar
fond OF telling us that American art j
fast improving and will soon bs able I
take its place beside that Of Europea
countries. Tbi' is nonsense. We al
retrograding btcaus' We are extipguisl
ing all art feeling. We are clipping IT,
eagles wings in crlrr to have large bar
!, yard fowl.
The police have b Ell very uusy durin
=, the past week or so rAidiug Lottery d -
ers. closing up gambling houS s, cleli
ing e streets of abandoned won, II, an
otherwise making New York aS q Ii,l an
respectable a city as any Quaker tow
!. might he. met a gentleman the 9th,
ey ming who has the inside history
n everything that is going OH in town
~ his fingers ends aud asked him what
A all meant. ''simply this" said he. 9TH,
"a Police Commissioner Nichols wants
:. be rtappointed. and when the time comt
If he and his friends will be able to poil
a to the city and say, cuuld the moral COZ
a. dition Of the community be betttI? N,
,s q lottery shop or gambling. hous. opel
y tn Z, streets after midaisht quiet as villal
N thOIoughfares. As soon rs the reul
ir pointment has been made everytLiI
,e will resume its foIm shape Shoul
"a Nichols be reappoiuted old Superluten
a ent walling will probably be retired au
At Inspector Murray is to succeed him.
le But the worst den Of all In the cit
" MeGlOry's Infamous dance house Is y
is open. how do you explain thai2"
y. "Simply because certain Inspect
ID Of Police keeps It. He fnds it valunb
in when any crime is committed in tow
!, II the thief or other criminal is want,
a McGlory gets his orders TO find him. /
~ in turn puts the women at his place (
he the trail. They are worked as we'll as
st buntsman manages his hounds. In
to few days the women have the party.
is then brought down to McGlorS
m. marked by detective OF detectives. f
~ lowed to his house or stopping plaC
n. allowed to run for g day or two Al
=, eventually bagRed. Then the papt
~ come out with flaming stories of clev
!, detective work. Il is all very easy VII
you see how Il is done"