The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-02-03
Divorces of the Stage.

Divorces Of the Stage.
The opponents of the stage Lave
grown accustomed to the charge of
being fanatics. Permit the support
ers of the stage to fully express them
selves, and little more need be added
to make apparent the fact that the
theater is not Christian institution,
or safe school of morals.
Ina New York Sunday paper"
sent me some time ago, there appeared
an article having the same caption as
that at the head of this article, writ
ten evidently by one who had given a
great deal of attention to the domestic
life of actors and actresses. Actuated
by the wish to contribute very read
able sketch, and yet not to appear to
decry the profession, he apologies for
his subject with the remark: Don't
think that I libel the profession. I'll
give you the cold, hard facts to prove
that almost every actress of note OF the
day has been separated or divorced
from a sometime lord and master.
Tragediennes, comediennes, ingenues,
soubrettes, chorus girls, balletine, few
have escaped the contagious, unconnu-
bial conditions of stage life. 1t has al
WAYS been thus" Then follow con-
firmatory facts concerning about one
hundred and twenty actresses of the
several classes above given. Inciden-
tally, the above writer, referring to
the city Of London, says, that lit is
tie home of two or three hundred
more Divorces" ....
If there be any other occupation,
profession or calling, claiming to be
respectable, that can exhibit longer
record of marital looseness and infelic-
ity than this, have not met with it..
And yet, in some of the Churches
large majority of the members or
communicants will be found to be
such as have no scruples against en-
tertaining themselves aad their famif-
lies by restorting to the theater. The
noted actor, W. g. Macready, said !:
None of my children shall ever,
with my consent, or Oh any pretense,
enter theater, or have any visiting
connection with actors or actress.
es.
Dumas's outspoken view Of the
matter is pretty we'll known "You
do not take your daughter to see my
play. You ale right: Let me say
once for all, you must not take your
daughter to the theater. 1t is not
merely the work that is immoral, it is
the place. The theater being the pic
ture or satire of the passions and So
cial manners, it must be immoral
the passions and social manners them.
selves being immoral"
Lately, we had in Philadelphia, a
noted and notorious French actress,
claimed by her admirers to be unrival-
led in the business of dramatic imper-
seemed 10 satisfy the cOnsciences of
the reporters of the daily press. The
plays in which she appeared were of a
low cast, depicting the immoral pas
ions which even Dumas.-a master de-
lineator in that line-felt called in q
moment of frankness to strongly rep
rebate. Yet, the stage critic of the
daily often spoken of as our best fam
lily paper, in its unstinted praise of
this woman's acting, only stopped
short of calling it "divine."
In seeking for the reasons why the
number of divorces should have so
greatly increased in this country dur.
Ing the last quarter of century, the
investigator needs to give attention 10
the influence upon our social life OF
the drama, and of the sensational fic-
ton dealing IN the connubial infideli-
| ty, falseness, abductiOns, ETC., which
''society" loves so well. A young man
| in q mercantile house was lately eX-
postulated with for displaying over
his desk the picture of an actress, clad
in all immodest, decellete costume.
He apologized by saying that it was
the attire frequently met with at socie-
ty balls, and of course at the theater
no one need look for anything bet
ter.
Now, the accepted fashions of wom-
ans apparel are known to have their
origin on the stage. Society accepts
these modes without scruple, aud as
the line of separation betw cen the
world and the Church appears to be
somewhat uncertainty defined in these
latter days, and as there is repug
nance to making ones appearance in
simple or questionable dress, the
influence of the stage and its divorces
as makers and directors of the mode
continues nearly unchallenged. A de-
vout Methodist woman, single eyed in
the service of her Lord, wrote several
years ago: "In nothing have l taken
step that has called forth the hatred
of the enemy, like showing liberty in
dress" Christian women hardly real
ize the depth of this bondage. Look
ing askance at the unmodish er "pecu-
liarn attire of one who is in this, as in
other things, is concerned not to Of
fend the Master, they nevertheless re-
ceive joyfully the dicta concerning
dress from women of sCandalous lives,
whose ardent epdeavOr is to please the
world and not the worlds Maker
Josiah w. Leeds, in Christian
Statesman.
A Yale student recently handed in a
paper to his professors, and was SUR
prised the next day to have it returned
with a note scrawled on the margin.
He studied it diligently, but was un-
able to decipher the note, and so he
brought his paper back to the profess
or. 81 can't quite make out what this
is, if you please" said the student.
| turbot cir ~ said the professor