Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-05-14


the Vicious Tendencies OF tho News
>apsr, Theater and Modern Novel
jcoPYRroHT. 1851
do not attend theaters. horse
races, dances, clubs or card par
ties. never enter saloon, or
a gambling hell, and I never read
modern novel, yet know what
Is going on. am In constant contact
with all classes of mankind, and talk
with those who go all the gaits. When
find fellow with brains who has
seen anything, or read anything, can
gather from him In an hour the sub
stance of what he sees or reads in q
year.
This is an age of newspapers. Every
enterprising paper in this country has
set of sleuthhounds on the track of
the churches, society, politics and busi-
ness, and when anything is going on I
find 1t fully reported in the papers.
They never reported car standing on
the side track or an old engine just blow
ing off steam. Having travelled over
the United States from ocean to ocean
and from lake to gulf; having made a
talk with some of the most scholarly
characters; having also had poured
into my ear the life of some of
the most wicked and debased char
actees this country has seen; and
having kept my eye constantly on
the daily press Of this country,
have had ample opportunity to
gather some facts. In the main l am
an optimist. l stay in a good humor
with the world, and look on the bright
side; but l must confess that, after a
careful investigation of the entertain
ment furnished to the world to-day in
the way Of literature and amusements,
which l may call "Society's Bill OF
Fare" am alarmed.
In the st. Louis Republic of March 25,
l note the following from Mr.. William
IL. Crane, who has produced many
original American plays and who has a
right to speak: II believe that the
actors as well as the spectators should
revolt against the character of the plays
that are now filling the stage. 1t seems
to me that the time has come for the
actors themselves to refuse any longer
to act in such pieces. Tho only explain.
alton of the fact that managers con-
tinue to produce them must be that the
season has been hard one and they
will do anything to bring the public to
their theatcrs."
This unfortunate taste seems to exist
among theater-goers, and managers
think it must be appealed to, although
its duration is bound to be brief. The
most encouraging thing about the dirt
that is reaching the stage is that mono OF
it is of native origin. Most of it is coming
to us from England. Our own dram
atists are showing no disposition to imi
tate what the Englishmen are writing
When what was called the adulterous
drama that was translated from the
French first became popular in New
York there was a great outcry against
it, but do not remember anything In
the plays of that time that compared
with the nastiness in speech that we
hear now on the stage. In these plays
that are supposed to be popular the
men and women listen to speeches
| WHICH IL d lldA lhddC W q Vohioh Al kOA
own house she would very promptly
call servant and have him shown out
In all my experience of the stage have
never known the taste for such nasti-
ness to last as long as 1t has this time.
Turning to the ''bronze statue" In
decency at the Casino and the an.
nouncement that Nina Harrington
would appear next week partially nude,
Mr.. Crane said: "a legitimate result OF
the condition Of things In the drcma
can be seen at the music halls, in one
of which a manager is endeavoring "a
attract the public by the announcement
that he will display q woman nude.
This depth of degradation has never
been reached in the whole history OF
amusements before. The decency Of the
| theater has never been SO insulted in
this country as far as can remember.
| We hear firsS that women have posed
partially nude; then she Is stripped, and
the announcement comes that two
more will be exhibited In the same con.
dition. One of them selected as a model
is a woman who has figured already In
various scandals, at whom people look
with curiosity, even when they see her
on the street. Now, say these man
ayers, we will hire this woman and
strip her and ask the public in to look
at her. There is nothing that could be
more degrading to the theater, nothing
so degrading to the actor" This Is but
an intimation of what the modern stage
is giving to the world.
As look on the billboards in the va
rious cities of this country and see the
nude forms, in all kinds Of vulgar atti-
tudes, and realize that these scenes are
enacted before our boys and girls on
the stage, / don't wonder that bawdy
houses are multiplying, 90 that the cit
les Of the country are by legal
an nactyreuts setting anaYst whole sectione