New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-25

answer might be YES but in England 1t would
TO be Christmas pantomime does not mean 50
much here as it does In England and there 1t VIII
have to be granted that much Of tie appropriateness
of this kind of entertainment to Christmas IS In their
long association
But thus much being granted and settled few more
questions present themselves which may possibly
nnger in the minds OF the children Of from fifteen 10
fifty after their temporary and seasonabe apses INTO
the child of five are over. Why all this sameness IN
tie pantommel Why is there always d clown with
a chalky facel why is Pantaoon always the dupe
and the butt Of jokes Why does the lover who has
The magic wand always affect this party colored garb
Why does this good and beautiful and much wrOnsed
yet light-heartel girl always wear such short skirts
and love the young man With the diainond-slaped
patchcsl Why is there always po
iicemsn In the play Why baby Why
should Satan spend all his time deluding
and annoying the Gown and the long suffering Pan
taloon? Why are all the women 50 fond Of ironing
and all the fond of troubling shopkeepers ana
writing letters Perhaps the enduring character OF
the entertainment whole coHM be best accounted
for by saying that it is due to the causes, what
ever they may be- that have made the tragic story OF
"Punch and Judy" the only that could hold per
manent place on the stage Of puppets. When tbs
IL an swered a great question yet remains: How
have these conventional characters grown up to de-
ught generation after generation Of old and young
children. and how have they become crysallHed
into these unvarying formsl
They come then from italy, land Of mlmicry and
nirth and music. They have been long on the way
and they have had many adventures and have changed
much I'm spite of their conservatism In names. dresses
and characteristics. between the Tber ana the ihaiht
and between the Roman and the American republics.
At first there were certain dancers who came from
Ftruria to Rom. and were much admired there. This
was about 364 L. G.. and their speech was not
well understood at they had to express whatever
they expressed at all by motions. or, In short, by
pontom,lnc There was another form Of entertain
uent called the Atellane fables named from AlcIIa'
in Campana, and these came TO Rom" too lhey
were comic incidents OF life IN small towns ana tley
had a set Of conventional characters. There was an
odd father or husband and anybody who wants 10
think that he was the original OF Pantaloon at lib
crty 10 do so; there foolish glutton. and any
reader who likes may bear him in mind In reading
whatever may be said later Of Harlequin; there WAS
a hungry and takative person and there was one VINO
lived by his wits These being established ard known
a. comic characters the audcnc edd not have to expcnd
its mental energy in finding ont who ana what 'hey
were whenever IL saw a new play.
These entertainments survived and fourished and
developed. according to the laws whereunto such
things are subject Till about the early part Of the
fourth century OF the Christian era and then the
drama was crushed and practically destroyed under
the rule Of the Christians enncr'is. Gdt wandcrns
hands OF actors still stroled about and led probably
even harder lives than wandering actors lead today.
and PLAYED at fairs and gatherings OF the country
people. and formed weak connecting link In the
history OF dramatic performances. Carnval> ana
masauerades also served to kccp up the figures at
least OF some OF the entertaining personageS who
had played and were yet to play In popular spec
tacles and that tcy still lad an exstence-or would
II be better TO say that they already had Ills
shown BY the pictures here given. copied from old
Italian paintings But after the renaissance some
survivals Of the old Atcllane fables were clearly
visible and the connection is not at all hard TO trace
These were designated as imprOvised comedy ana
masked comedy. The former was. rs It's name I'm
niles An entertainment only partially written. and In 1t
was a performer called Arlechno. name whose like
ness TO HARLEQUIN scarcely needs TO be pointed out
The masked comedy. its olso implies. was