The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1896-11-13
SARATOGA THEATRICALS.
Performance of "East Lynne by Col
ored Actors.

Ored Actors.
There are not mary public entertain
ments in Saratoga, xcept such as the
hotels supply; but there was series of
Salvation Army meetings, and there
was at least one theatrical performance
"a performance of Fast Lynne" en-
tirely by people of color. The senti-
ments and incidents of the heart
breaking melodrama, as the colored
mind interpreted them, were of very
curious effect. 1t was as if the version
were dyed with the same pigment that
darkened the players skins; il all came
out negro. Yet they had tried to make
it white; l could perceive how they
aimed not at the imitation of our ma
ture. but at the imitation of our CON
yention; il was like the play of children
in that, / should have said that moth
ing could be more false than the mo-
tives and emotions of the drama as the
author imagined them, but | had to
own that their rendition by these sin
cere souls was yet more artificial.
There was nothing traditional, moth
ing archaic, nothing autochthonic in
their poor art. IL the scene could al
any moment have resolved itself into
walk-round with an interspersion of
''spirituals" it would have had the
charm of these; it would have con
soic1 and edited; but it was l have
seldom been so bored.
| began to make some sad reflections,
as that. our American society, in its en-
deavor for the effect of European so
ciety was of no truer ideal than these
colored comedians. and | accused my
self of final absurdity in having come
there with these young people, who,
according to our good native usage.
could have come perfectly well without
me. At the end of the first act broke
into their talk with my conclusion that
we must not count the histrionic talent
among the gifts of the African race
Just vet. We could concede them
music, | supposed, and there seemed to
be hope for them, from what some of
them had done. in the region of the
plastic arts; but apparently the stage
was not for them, and this was all the
stranger because they were so imita-
tive. Perhaps. / said, ii was an excess
of self-consciousness which prevented
their giving themselves wholly to the
art.
| gave myself to the study of the
types about me. and | dwelt long and
iuXuriously upon the vision of n florid
and massive matron in diaphanous
evening dress, whom L imagined to be
rcvisiting the glimpses of her girl
hood in the ancient watering place. and
to be getting all the gayety she could
out of it. These are the figures one
mostly sees at Saratoga; there is very
little youth of the present day there,
but the youth of the past abounds, with
the belated yellow hair or the purple
mustaches, which give notion of
greater wickedness in a former genera
tion
| made my observation that the dress,
even in extreme cases of elderly prime,
was very good-in the case of the wom-
en-. i mean; the men there. as every
where with us. were mostly slovens; and
/ was glad to find that the good taste
and the correct fashion were without
a color-line; there were some mulatto
ladies present as stylish their white
sisters. or step-sisters.
The most amiable of the human race
is in great force at Saratoga, where
the vast hotel service is wholly in its
hands. and il had honored the effort OF
the comedians that night with a full
house of their own complexion W.
who were not of it showed strangely
enouph in the dark mass, who let Us
lead the applause, however, as if doubt
full themselves where ii ought to come
in. and whom / found willing even tC
share some misplaced laughter ot
mine. They formed two-thirds of tn.
audience on the floor. and they were
cloud in the gallery, scarcely broken by
| n CLEAN of white.-W. ID. Howells, il
| Century