The herald., 1893-11-05

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5
The play Evans and Sontag was per
sistently ''roasted" by all the dramatic
commentators in the city, and deserved
ly SO, as far as it's presentation goes,
which was execrable, but l have my
doubts If the ethical view taken OF the
play by all of US can be sustained, which
brings up in turn the old query have
morality and art any bonds? The fact
that couple of train robbers and muir
derers were made the heroes OF the
drama called into play at once all our
Philistine as well as pharisaical impul-
ees and in obedience to conventionallty
the papers damned the production.
But the faulty construction of the al
fair and the wretched acting were the
only sins OF the production. If mod
ern Shakespeare had written the play,
and il a company of true artists had
PLAYED it, it would had been an artistic
triumph. Evans and Sontag differ only
in the degree of their crimes and their
social position from Macbeth, Richard
Ill, Richelieu and Louis NH. Their
characters have dramatic value, the
same as has any mans, when pictured
by competent person, and no one can
deny that their career was essentially
dramatic.
The only ground on which the play
can be Justly condemned is that of it's
consummate absurdity and the unspeak-
able badness of the company.
**x
A great amount of stuff is written
about the immortality of such plays, and
the stage generally. Unfortunately,
there is large amount of immortality
connected with the drama sometimes.
I doubt if the leg drama in any OF its
features, where the persons of women
are displayed for the sole purpose OF
pleasing the eye serve any purpose of
true art, and are therefore immoral to
greater or less extent. But it is mega
tive proposition. No play should be
immoral, neither should any play be
essentially moral. A moral play is like
Sandford and Merton in literature.
Any form OF art should not be debased
to immortality, nor should it be ham
pered by the coventionalities of what is
called morality, for art is essentially un-
moral. A picture, book, poem or
play, which appeals to ones baser in
stincts is bad, is violating one of the
first and highest principles of art, but so
does one which is painted or written
with the prime purpose of teaching a
lesson or preaching sermon. Art must
be truth, and the lesson the work con-
veys, if any, must be subordinated to it's
tach nical porfpction
**&
That play Of Evans and Sontag, how
ever, unconsciously presented some of
the most pathetic features imaginable.
Nothing more touching, more signif-
cant OF the self-immolation, the fidelity,
the tender, unswerving love of women
for their men was ever seen than as
presented by the appearance of Mrs.
Evans and her pink-cheeked, yellow
haired school girl of daughter.
The elder shows unmistakably that
che is type Of the ordinary, hardwork-
ing, kitchen-trsined woman, whose
mind has always been occupied with
the trivialities and toll of daily life, and
to whom the life of the world is as great
a mystery as it ia to child. The girl
has all the super6ciality and impreesibil-
ity OF school girl. She enunciates like
a scholar speaking her part" in
school exhibition dialogue. She would
be at home in farm house, or in a viii
lage; but the two are unspeakably
incongruous with theaters and their
surroundings.
Their act OF taking part in the
wretched play ia it's one dramatic feat
ure of value. Outlaw, bandit, murderer,
robber, as their husband and father is,
they are striving with all their energy
TO save his neck from the hangman's
moose. While good citizens must hope
that the poor women will fail in their
ultimate hope, their pluck and fidelity
are deserving of sympathetic mention.
#**
] see the opera house is advertized as
being to rent for concerts and similar
1t is strange how the value of theatri-
cal property huctuates. l am told that
before Manager Wyatt made his coup
and secured contract OF all the respect
able companies. theatrical man offered
$40, ,00O year for the opera house, but
found it impossible to conclude any ne
gotlations. He is probably very glad
now that his proposition was declined,
tor the trend of business is elsewhere.
Theater patrons are very dainty. They
cannot be forced to 90 to places of
amusements in an unfashionable de-
teriorating locality, nor to those OF
passee order.
The opera house was once q feature of
Los Angeles fashionable life and has
witnessed many glittering gathering
of the City's wealth, beauty and fash
ion, but-westward the star of fashion
always leads in cities, and the east side
here is no different from that Of any
other metropolis.
Wv
The Wolves of New York are now in
the clutches of the wolves of hunger and
want in this city, for the company is
Mr.. Grover last evening handed me
the following statement which shows
that he has been badly misrepreeented
EDITORS HERALD--A malicious libel
Gus statement published in an evening
paper, obliges me to break silence and
ssk OF you the courtesy of placing some
facts before such of your readers as may
have encountered the article TO which l
allude.
Briefly, Mr.. Jay Rial assumed the
and brought the company
The Wolves of New York from New
York to San Francisco. He did not
have the means he assumed to have and
gave up. Being the custodian of q
plant which had cost a small fortune,
what money l could and made
my best efforts to take the comnanv