New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-20
4 CRYING ABUSE.
of chance.


ccncv rs OF public and private morIls-with
which members OF the dramatic profession court
the notoriety Of transactions for which they
should hide their heads in shame has come TO
be n publlc nuisance 1t may be unchar1taDle
to assume that II Is done for advertising pur
noses: that these people. conscious or their ina
bllitv 10 attract audiences by legitimate meth
obs. find IT necessary 10 appeal 10 the morbid
hunger Of a portion OF the public for salaclous
suggestions and sensational shows but what
other explanation for it can there be: Not long
ago M actrcss whose ripe charms and robust
nroportions have long constituted the chief em-
blazonry Of the billyards being about to IN
dulgc in her third or fourth matrimonial racket
each Of the preceding ones having been pro
duccd" with all the stage machinery and trade
tricks SO familiar 10 the pubc-arranged sort
Of Sunday morning clopcmcnt into NewrJerScy'
Tho tongjc I'm some Of her previous divorces max
Ing f. Il frinc risky to do IT again in Ncw-fork
For DAYS before and after the ceremony the
nublic was invited into the condolences Of both
nortl.s the lady having neither hesitation nor
delIcacy in rafting OF thr story Of her some
what multirudnous matrimonial experiences,
and th,. gentleman whom she had decorated
with transient passion being only too eager
"a disnlav fine rapfururs emotions that w"ll"d
m I'm him and set his ears tapping. The draw
inr mower Of that namboyant foolishness having
hccn exhausted. the next thing in the natural
order Of this system of advertising is to spur
the faded appetite for p1iricnt sensations with
n story of separation ard divorce.
Los than = wear ago n wrll-known leading
man In a travelling dramatic company aston
lshcd his friends and acquaintanccs by calmly
formulating the woman with whom he had lived
f,r wears whom he had recognized publicly,
and introduced wherever he himself was re-
cciycl ~ his wlf,.-and marrying m midnight
I'm Western city young woman who was
rlaying In the same company with him. his
was q cosc in which only one Of the three per-
son. concerned could appear in the court OF
nubllc opinion with clean hands. And she. poor
woman was the only one who kept silent. Inc
coldbloodcd brute who had thrown her OF did
not shrink from indeed. rather sought the OPP
portunity for saying In the newspapers that he
and th.. woman whom he had deserted had Tor
wears lived IN relations unsanction~l by law
and under the ban Of society; and that In intro
ducur her ~ his wifi, he had lied without "X-
ctisr and against hospitality and friendship
sinncd beyond PREPARATION or forgiveness. The
immature and haf-bakcl young fool who had
thrown herself M his head with no excuse eX-
cent The moral bcwldermcnt into which
silly. stagcstr1ick girl may be thrown by the
spell and sparkle Of dramatic art the glitter OF
stage pagcaniry and the destinations of the
fooilishis she too. assisted In the unconscious
advertisement Of her own scliislness ana shame
by contributing her ignorant pratilc concerning
marriage laws and current customs. The two
offenders against law and morality, having
sufficiently advertised themselves. have now
separated. and the young woman has with due
trumpet blowing in the press begun divorce
proceedings. Neither pity nor sympathy should
be- wasted on either of these. one or them
should be- I'm State prison. the other IN an asy-
lum for the predetermined.
These are single instances. but It Is current
comment that the columns Of the newspapers
contain every day some new scandal IN when
actors and actresses OF greater or less fame are
concerned and the commOnncss Of them leads
10 the belief that their circulation In the press
Is approved by the parties and encouraged by
managers because they enhance public interest.
attract audiences and swell the receipts OF the
box Office II does not need 10 be pointed out
that the frequency Of these things cXhausts the
uatlcnce of good citizens. who cherish some re-
sppct for the sanctty OF the marriage relation.
and hold IN something like reverence the obi
cations OF purity and uprghncss in social in
tcrcoursc: nor that II lends basis OF reason 10
the contention of the rigid morallss that the
influence Of the stage Is dem0ralizing and de-
grading The honorable and upright men and
tho Durc minded. ylruous women who are be-
licvcd to constitute the majority OF the dla-
matte profession suffer more than any one else
from thc disrepue which the antics Of the nOtO-
rjcty hunters and scandal breeders Of the sensa-
tional show business bring upon actors M IL
class No doubt they are painfully aware OF
IT, while unable to devise remedy. But the
abuse Is so fagrant. and so alarnngly on the
increase that It is n question for their serious
consideration whether they ought not i'll self
defence take some steps toward clcvatlng the
professional standards II not Of actual moral
ity. AT least Of dccorous regard for appearances
THE ISSUE ~ MODERN CHRISTIANITY.