The Progress., 1893-04-29

he live it out? They denounced the play
as an utter failure because of its moral
motive That il TO say, the men VINO
are doing the dramatic writing for our
great papers are incapable of concelv-
ing a moral idea.
The consequence is that there IS lrtilr
Influence bong brought from the realm
of public opinion TO bear upon dramatic
representations in America today. !
am told by those who know that there
are men of brains and capacity IN most
of our newspaper offices IN charg" oi the
dramatic departments, but That thelr
criticism and opinions are thrown INT"
the wastebasket again and again II th'N
do not tally with the interests OF the al
vertising department.
There are some exceptions to the char
acter of the plays that are produced to-
dav that are noteworthy. There ar"
some which teach the SanCtity and purity
of home. There are those who are CIV
ing us sketches of real life in the sout n
and in the west that are in every way
worthy of encouragement and support.
But taking the theatcr as a whole, and
taking nine thcaters ont of ten and nino
performances out of ten. the character
of the plays is simply IA moral and intel
lcctual abominatiOn.
Third-The reflex of character from
the stage is most damaging upon the
character and ideals of the audience.
Say what we please about the impersonal
81, Of M Rf
behind words is character, the power be
hind an action Is character. II Is efil-
Cient for good or evil as that character IL
good or evil. The character of the peO-
pie who today are admitted to the stage
Hs actors and actresses calls for the
righteous Indignation of all who have the
interest of society at heart or who have
any pride or interest in the stage itself.
Let a man or a woman become notOri-
ouslyinfamous. aud the doors of a certain
class of thcaters today Immediately
spring wide open with offers of enormous
salary.
Let there be scandal IN society with
an exposure aud divorce, and if the
woman in the case is proved guilty and
the scandal is of enough dimensions her
fortune is made on the stage. The dis
reputable woman connected with the
tragic life and death of Robert Ray
Hamilton was invited TO enter the dra-
matte profession by those who are called
managers, and the attempt was actually
made TO expose this parsonage for n con
sideratiOn TO the American people. She
was bounded off the stage by the de
terminod effort of two or three reputa-
ble newspapers. When John l.. Sulli-
van or his triumphant rival finishes his
brutal prize fight, he goes upon the stage.
The success of these people has its in
fuence not simply in inducing other dis
reputable characters 10 crowd the stage,
but it is a moral object lesson whose in
fuence is utterly danning upon the
minds of the young who witness the per
fOrmance.
THE LIFE OF A DOG.
The stage as conducted today, broadly
speaking. is the easiest road to great
power and success open to a woman of
evil disposition. 1t is the best possible
market for exhibition. 1t is the best pos
sible pedestal for the exploiting of person,
for the formation of criminal intimacies.
for dissipation, and it is this fact which
attracts an army of disreputable char
acters to the stage The stage of today
as it is conducted is the hardest and sad
dest of all fields for honesty TO enter and
succeed. especially if the aspirant be
womap. 1t is the life of a dog. Tho
hours kept are irregular, the work fever
ish. fitful. The normal conditions of a
sane life are violated and the results and
the work done practically nothing. Only
a few succeed in earning a competence
The majority of the women on the stage
today get nothing.
A woman of character and force, who /
is now playing one of the leading parts |
in one of the best theaters in New York. /
said recently to friend that she trav-
eled n whole season with this stock com
pany, played the leading role and re-
ceived salary of 500 week. She said /
that on her return to the city she was in
debt $400. She had paid out $500 before
starting for dresses alone. She was told
that if she was not willing to dress the /
part there were others who would. The
salaries paid on the stage today are ut
terly inadequate to clothe the women
who play the parts. Those who receive
a salary large enough to do this and moro
are exceedingly rare.
A distinguished dramatic critic, who
has had an experience of a quarter of
century with the stage in America, re-
Gently said: Il have taken special pains
to talk with eminent actors like Edwin
Forrest, Fanny Kemble Butler, Ristori
Janauschek, John Gilbert and Nine
Ponisi, and while most of them frankly
acknowledged that an arduous and hon
est life of work as actors left an aching
void all of them betrayed in their refiec-
tions upon the subject their conscious
ness of having produced little or nothing
that remained in evidence. One esteemed
caf1 t, hot