The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-10-07

III WkA EAlANN ~ 80 - -
lean summer resort:
There are not many public enter
falnments IN Saratoga. except such az
he hotels supply: but there was a Sc
rles OF salvation Army meetings ana
there was at least one theatrical per
formance-a performance OF East
Lynne" entirely by people Of color. the
nentiments and incidents Of the heart
breaking mel0drama. az the eoiorea
mind interpreted them. were OF very
curious effect. Il was as II the YER
sion we're dyed with the same pigment
that darkened the players skins II All
came out negro. Yet they had tried 10
make Il white; could perceive no"
they aimed not at the imitation OF our
nature. but at the imitation OF our con
vention: Il was like the play Of ehil-
dren IN that. / should have said tha'
nothing could be more false than the
motives and emotions OF the drama
a. the author imagined them, but haa
10 own that their rendition by these
sincere souls was yet more ariihelal'
There was nothing traditional. nothing
archaic. nothing autOchthonlc In their
poor art. II the scene could at any
moment have resolved Itself into a
waik-round with an interspersion oil
"splrlsuals" Il would have had the
charm OF these; Il would have eonsoiea
and edited: but as Il was have sell
dom been 80 bored.
began 10 make some sad reneeuons
AZ that our American society, In ita
endeavor for the effect OF European so
clety. was OF no truer ideal than thes'
colored comedians. and accused my
eelf Of a FINAL absurdity In havinl
come there with these young people
who. according 10 our good native
usage. could have come perfectly wei
without me. At the end OF the mrs
act I broke into their talk with M
conclusion that we must not count IN
histrionic talent among the gifts oil 10
African race Just yet We could con
cede them music, supposed. and ther
teemed 10 be hope for them, from VIVA
omo Of them had done, In the regio
Of the plastic arts; but apparently IN
stage was not for them, and this we
All the stranger because they we're
initiative Perhaps. l said, Il was a
excess Of solf-consclousness which pr,
vented their giving themselves wholl
10 the art 4,
gave myself 10 the study OF q
tvnes about me. and dwelt long al
luxurlously upon the vision OF nor
ana massive matron In diaphanol
evening dress. whom imagined to
revlsltlng the giimpses OF her girlho'
IN the ancient watering place. and to
setting all the galety she could out
n These are the figures one most
sees Al Saratoga; there IL very lit
youth Of the present day there. but
youth Of the past abounds. with
belated yellow hair or the purple mi
,aehes which give a notion OF grea
wlckedness In a former generation
made my observation that
dress. even In extreme cases OF eld
~ nr,me was very good-in the Ct
Of the women. ! mean; the men the
"a everywhere with u.s. were mos
slovens: and l was glad to ma u
the good taste and the correct IA
,on were without color line; IN
were some mulatto ladies present
a,vllsh a. their white sisters, or s,
sisters.
The most amlable Of the human =
a IN great force at Saratoga, where
vasi hotel service is wholly In
hands. and Il had honored the en-
of the comedians that night VIII
ful house OF their own complexion
who were not OF 4, showed s'rant
enough In the dark mass. who let
lead the applause, however as
doubtful themselves where It ough
come in. aud whom found vii
,yen 10 share some misplaced laugl
NJ mine. They formed two-third'
the audience on the floor. and
we're a cloud In the gallery, scar
broken BY a CLEAN OF white.