New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-04
THE DRAMA.
1.-THE BROKEN SEAL,

full. and appreCiatve audience viewed WITH
sudious interest, and with a udiclOus and sometimes
enthusiastic acceptance Of its many melodramatio
points, one of the most ceverly constructed and al
the time Of the most sOphistcal and pain.
| lul pieces that Ingenuity has vet woven cut OF the
meshes OF personal sin social complication. tho
caprice Of chance and the irony Of fate.
In the consideration Of this play the observer Is
compelled TO consider first of ALL its moral drift Tho
element Of dldacticism Is obviously and Intentionally
| present in IL and carnOt be ignored The piece is a
| doctrlnal piece and il must either be commended or
condemned upon its creed. The doctrine OF The
Broken Sca'-denocd in Us title and enforced in the
conduct Of It's stOryis the doctrine that there are
circumstances under which IL would be right for q
priest OF the Roman Catholic Church to disclose
secret conded 10 him I'm deathbed revelation and In
the sancy of the confessional Nor is this ALL Tie
doctrine is pushed still furtherfor, by implicaton
IL de, ,arcs that under seine circumstances any per-
sOr, ecocsistic othe may be justhed in disclosing
q secret by the violation OF q volCrtary oath No
dot: lie could be more reprehensDie or more per
nlcous. 4 secret is often a dangerous thing, and
prudence will gcnerally-perlaps always-refuse TO
accept it but when once secret has been accepted ID
must be kept. No circumstances that can possibly
arise can ever jnsy the betrayal OF confidence that
Won have promised TO keep. The person to whom
secret has been entrusted. who has accepted II
such and has agreed to keep H. + rrevocsbly bound 10
silence 20 far % all The icSt Of the world is con-
cerlcd that secret Is. TO him. unknown. II does not
exist re may ntrench himself in ignorance Of II.
and he may avouch that Ignorance and he will he with
guilt Ills lips sealed forever There should be
loose thinking and TO dubious conclusion with REFER
ence to such question that. Avoid secrets. Keep
YOU? mind clear aud Your life free. But
garc youref to keep secret sacrifice yOur life rather
than break your word The whole fabric Of human
society crumbles Into pieces the moment sophisosi
expcdienCy is permitted 10 cXtinguish personal honor.
The priest Of The Roman Catholic Church who should
tleaH the seal OF the confessional would commit a
crime not )ny against his sacred Office. but against
something still more sacred-tbc elemental principle OF
honor i'm the human soul. This play either directly
teaches or by Implication ntmates. that under certain
circumstances the priest take that course and
yet may be doing right. The most imaginative and
romantic scene IN the " Broken scalp is a scene In
which the Able DubOis-ai)ne, at night, in his
mOonlt OratOry prayerfully striving 10 see the true
wsy.-at last accepts what he believes TO be sign
rro,u Heaven commanding him to disclose the truth.
The Imagination and the heart can always work upon
the Intellect TO persuade any man II hne sensi-
biliiy that Heaven wishes him Ia have his own way:
and that IS why adamanne principles are safer guides
Of human conduct than supersth,0us vagary ard I'M
pcuous and vaiable impulse. For It's wrong teach
ing II for Other reason. accordingly The Broken
seal" will rejected by all persons wh' are able TO
maintain their reason against access Of benevolent
emotion.
The piece is bighted. furthermore not onlv by IL
nernicou, ddacticlsm but BY It's noxious atmospher
OF Illicit love- carna sin, and odlous intrigue. Thee
things. indeed, not contemporary and progress
fl IT, but these things at the basis OF its Tuoi
and they are shown in retrospect. IL Is 'ho,in.
picture OF of the consequences OF the ori"e y
adultery and the mind OF the spectator is lireo' "
that crime. The relations that its various persons oe
to each other are displayed rs having been n"'o "
less affected u adultery-compicated Win huf'ers
The adulterer and murderer. Judge DArcay' Is o''
in the odor Of sanctity-snd the posture OF sequene
affairs and about his domestic circle Is SHOWN a.
appear, nineteen years after his DEATH During hi"e
yeats Jean TOrquenie, gamekeeper-an innocent '"s
umIusy accused OF the murder-has toed ana su"e,os
in prison. All the persons concerped, including MY
daughter Jeanne believe him 10 be gliy-ah Per'
sons that H. except the priest Able Dubois. who naa
received the COMES sion of the Judge when upon Ds
death-bed and who knows the truth. Inc daus"c'
OF the murdered and the son OF the mnruefer~
uncon sclois OF she horror that envrons them-haVo
become plighted lovers. S more, the sou OF tho
murderer is Interested in the fate of poor Jean Tor
auenie is persuaded OF his innocence and dedicates
himself 20 the task OF indicating this persecuted
victim, and OF setting the brand OF guilt and shame
upon the forehead OF culprit yet to lie discovered
This young DArcay is brilliant advocate, sinceres
pui.Sant. aspcous, inevitable-and 1t felt that hs
must succeed Far of, but with audible footstep,
the spectre advances in the dark Little by little tho
frictful truth viii creep into the light. son, un-
knowing where his righteous efforts must end. Will un-
mask the nfmy Of his dead father and In proving tat
father 10 have been a centous asSassn and corrupt
and cruel magistrate, will also blast as an aduitereSs
tie mother OF his promised bride. The dramatic posi-
bIlIties of that situation undenabe, and 1t was
for the sake OF those dramatic possibilities that the
subject was Electrically explored. To the French
dramatic mind, whatever Will yield an effect Is tte
suitable material for play, and IN building ine
Broken seal" Nr. Grundy has reared IDS Eng
l,h structure upon the basis OF French original
1t seems a plty-for the sake of his melodranauo
effect, 10 less than for the sake of rigt principlethas
he could not have devised some better means Of OBJ
aining A dramatic climax than the eXpsdient OF
priests violation Of the confessional OATH Upon th"s
rock his play must split, even for those VINO DO hos
mind II pretty strong dose OF the feud anguish OF
connubIa nfdelty. some snch eecen'rlc peop'
there are who think that appetite Is passion ana ae
lrium /, power. who smell no odor less posltNe
than that of the onion aud to whom the idea tuas
is either grand or noble, gentle or humorous or
romantic beautiful. Is fantastic folly To many , .,
all the same. who have long looked upon, nc Wor d
and thought OF 1t, this ancient iheme-the niquN ar.
the possible egueni a.e" Ssaa "PS e sase has
Of Late years m nS ie na mos nsed its deGep,
lneaments. become very tedious. All plays that
necesSitae analytical di,quston upon inconunenoe ~
not always do hsrm but it is certain that they never
do good. They are intrinslcally indehcae, ana ts,
which Wholesome lesson is taught and ssluary
wasning impaired they are inerectual-becaIse usy
reach tie Hpnt aduItss' 10 mo- IA
Palmer, respectable theatre in MIR. Days, or W
Mr.. Frohman's. or In Mr. Fields that you must loo.
for the bald headed nbcrtine lie sits In the front row
quite a different house. The audience that Is dellgeo
with this meptc sam, the audience that mus: inhaie
this bad Odor of decayed morals and m0udy precept Is
an audience mostly composed Of young, hopefui ana
Happy people who 20 to the theatre tor enjoyment
4 few q them know the art Of acting and love IL.
Most OF them are In sympathy with kindness, humol,
pictures refined thoughts. and good Ideals. Az
of tnen are impIcssblc by me night means lhere Is
great injustice done 10 such people WHEN the garbage
OF the lower French stagcOv Thing savoring OF 1t
Is unloaded into their minds Mr.. Gundy's piece 10
pure as Intention irreproachable a 10 Cleanliness
and fruug with technical merits but IL Is not plets
of the right sort. and after the lovely play OF Ma
bama" IL comss like FOX upon II field Of yioets
II was acted. In several principal parts, with r~
marlSable ability Frederic Robinson presented the
rlns L1mr. IL siNddart the lninrol prisOncr. who