Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-04-14

/ years to cross the ocean, no matter wheth-
/ er il concerns a pasttime OF garment.
/ They wore the bell crown beaver hat five
/ years in London before it got the mold
here, and just about the time that we
/ adopted it it went out OF fashion on the
/ other side. Hstheuclsm was born, rose,
| tiourished, and was IN its death throes
/ when Du Maurier began TO carcature it.
/ Not till then did we get over here. ANA
! teur theatricals have been the pet partic-
/ ularf ad OF LondOners for many years.
/ The craze had a firm toothold in New
/ York now, and it grows more violent ev-
cry day."
'Isit purely matter of fashlon?7
The face Of sOciety's factOtum took on
a shrewd and self-satisded look. lie nod
ded his head sagely several times and
then said:
'lt Is my own opinion that a large num-
Der of the young men and women who
| plunge so violently into amateur theatre
Gals do 1t for avery substantial aud selfish
| sort OF a reason"
! do you mean money ?"
"By no means. A much greater incen-
| tive than money is the prospect OF social
! position TO the average young man or
! woman on the outskirts of society. 1t is
/ this prospect that, to my mind, urges
| fully two-thirds Of the amateurs on. Who
| would ever have heard of a dozen of the
] young leading amateur actors if it had
not been for this particular craze? They
/ give up their time and attention wholly to
the matter, and as a result they are asked
everywhere; their names get into the So
clety columns of the papers, and they
pose as bowling swells. The extent to
which the thing is carried can be i'm
agined when you reflect that thereis reg
ular travelling company of amateur ac-
tors. They 90 to Washington, Philadel-
phia, Baltimore, Orange, etc, and play
! almost as well as professionals do. They
are in demand everywhere, because they
are IN the fashion. But what an astOnish-
ing thing il is, when you consider that la
dies and gentlemen should 20 about the
country playing in this way. Last week
no less than five performances were given
in New York, including the presentation
OF a new play by a lady who is well
known in amateur circles. Everybody in
society is talking about the elaborate
tableauX which Mr.. Harry Cannon is su-
| perYisng, and which are to be given at
the Metropolitan Opera House shortly.
| The women who are to pose as all SORTS of
characters. from q peasant woman to the
Duchess OF DeYonshire, eXpend hundreds
OF dollars on their costumes, and are the
heroes Of the hour. Nearly all of these
| amateur dramatic companies have some
convenient and mOneyed fool to act as
Secretary and Treasurer, and he makes
up any deficiency that may arise from his
own purse, as humble return for be-
ing recognized by people who have achieV-
ed social success.
'"There are. of course, a number of
stage-struck girls in consequence of all
this, but the most striking result of it all
is the sudden prominence which it has
given to professional actors. There is a
great deal of talk abOu the injustice with
which the average actor is treated by So
ciety. Men Of the world don't weep BIT
ter tears over it, though, for it needs a
very cursOry acquaintance with the men
on the stage to convince anybody Of av-
erage shrewdness Of the total undesira-
bility of actors as companions or guests
in private families. AS a rule they are
eaten up with cOnceIt, their origin is
unknown, and all the finer and more hon
arabic points iE their character have been
worn of by their contact with the world ;
and yet the instances are growing more
and more frequent every day OF actors
who are received by really decent people
in New York, and it is not an uncommon
sight to see one of these stage peacOcks
struttng about the drawing-rOOms of fam
lies who twenty years ago would have
abhOrTed the idea OF entertaining a pro-
fessional glare. There are stages in sta
bles, in back parlors, and in cOnservato-
ries all over New York, and the rage for
everything that is dramatic goes on
among ladies' and gentlemen in New York
with asmuch of howl as it does in Lon
don.
docs any man really believe that the
atricals have an eunObling aud elevating
effect? ! know there is lot of cant of
that sort, but | honestly doubt if even the
men who indulge in it the most really be-
lieve in it even to the slightest extent.
Servants aud maids could tell some queer
stories Of the frOlics that occur at rehear-
sails, and the love making of a married
woman to a man other than her husband.
The dancing, the tender passage between
the soubrette and the comedian, the quiet
and confidential talks in the wings during
the waits, the final supper, and the gen.
eral dispersion toward homes at / or , in
the morning may all be conducive to a
closer attention to the domestic duties
and a more earnest affection for home
ties. but doubt it. So | count the dra-
matte craze, as it is at present carried on,
as one more evidence of the fastness OF
New York women. That they play poker
is indubtable, but their losses and the
size Of the game are unknown except to
q limited number Of confidential friends.
In general way il may be said that the
former rigid and severe notions concern
ing what was and what was not proper
for a woman in good society to 40 IN New
York have been stretched and extended
until society mere is to-day utterly unlike
what il was 20 wears ago"