Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-27
THE UNREAL IN THE MODERN DRAMA

The New York Times comments at some
length upon the false pictures of life and
the deceitful models of "chivalry" and of
morals " that the modern drama deals in
so largely. As an instance, it cites the
plot of the new play called the Burglar"
A burglar is caught in the act by house
holder, who discovers in the fellow one he
once called friend and whom he had re-
spected as honest. The burglar at the
same time discovers that the child in the
house, whom the citizen is sheltering, is
his own long-lost daughter. He pleads for
the privilege of embracing the child, and
to establish his sincerity and contrition,
hands to the householder whose dwelling
he has burglariously entered the pistol
with which he had armed himself, and
with which but few moments before he
had threatened to do murder. The in
tended victim, thereupon, with unheard of
magnanimity, hands back to the burglar
the deadly weapon and calls the child to
embrace its father This is the great
scene in the play; the situation that
q brings down the house" and wins for the
piece all the fame it has, and it is by no
means small We concur with the Times
moralizing to right sentiment. That there
is anything chivalrous, manly or commend
able in giving the rascal his weapon, we
fail to discover What is there in human
nature that would prompt such an action?
Why should audiences be taught that
there is something noble ard great-hearted
in the surrender of weapon TO man des-
perate, discovered, and to whom the doors
of hope are apparently closed, and from
whom there is every reason to expect vio-
lence, and yielding to rage against society
Yet the action referred to is sounded in
the bills and on the programme as the
one touch of nature, of all others, noble
and worthy of emulation" The act is
unnatural; it is one that no sensible
householder would be guilty of; it is a
travesty upon ordinary prudence, and if
real would be an outrage upon the rights
of the family over whom It's head is bound
to extend protection.
Such scenes as these on the stage are
damaging, because they are false symbols,
and tend to elevate crime to a level that it
never can reach. They are damaging
because in the youthful mind they stimu-
late false ideas of life, and present danger
Gus models of what is assumed to be the
,chiyalric. Yet it is over that scene, and
such as that, that the multitude goes
wild with delight" and "cheers itself
hoarse." 1t actually leads itself to believe
that.in handing'a discovered burglar the
weapon with which he can COW the giver
there is something fearless, courageous and
distinctively manly, when in fact it is the
type of foolhardiness, recklessness, and, to
put it in very plain English, stupidity.
But the illustration the Times uses is
probably the very weakest one that could
have been selected from the whole range
of the modern drama. With here and
there few exceptions-and they are very
few-the modern play is unreal, unnatural,
false in doctrine weak in sentiment, and
when not weak, vicious in tone. Let our
readers calmly recall the effective or
q" sensational dramas they have recently
seen, and for themselves examine their
teachings. and ask themselves cooliy, if
these are the sermons they would preach
to their sons and daughters in prepar-
tory course for the attrition with the world
in the daily struggle for life?
We are by no means condemning the
modern drama as whole; there are whole
some, instructive modern plays plays that
touch life on the quick, and that are useful
agencies in reaching the sensibilities of
very large class, whose attention can be
gained and whose intelligence can be
reached in no other way; there are mod
ern plays that are powerful and direct
for good, and the virtues of which suff-
GENTLY predominate to atone for the weak
nesses and evils of their construction. But
the great mass of modern dramas present
false ideals and draw untrue pictures of life,
that are not wise or pure as teachers, and
have no other influence than such as the
bad book or the bad companion exercises.
We are told that modern play to be sue
oessful must appeal to the sympathies, and