Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-09-17
THE DECLINE
OF NEGRO
HINSTREL0Y.
&c.. ;
The Once Popular Form Of Tn
tertainment Is RaOidIU Los
in1 It's Hold Upon the
Affections Of the
Theater GOing !
Public.

Up TO 1850 thoro was no more popular
form OF amusement In the United
States than negro mlnatfclay. Then "
lnpscd and deRonerated until 1886. when
Il virtually collapsed.
Boston had ~ Morris brothers. peli
and Trowhrldgc and an occasional How
ard Athenmum troupe. New York glo-
ricd In Ia half dozen temples Of song
end dance exclusively devoted 10 this
art along broadway dncluding the
Hope chapel. the Marble hall. corner u
Prlncc) or contiguous streets. with the
Molodeon. nj % rowcry. ana such we'll
known organizations ~ DonaldHon'a.
Hoolcya Wood 4 ChriHty'a. az tho
memorable 40 broadway. whites.
Ncll and Dan iryant'H and Emeraon's.
with such drawing cards ~ Dave Wam-
bold. the sweet voiced tenor who made
his debut at the age ~ ~. and Uncle
Dan Emmett, the original burnt cork
minstrel OF America. who was the COM
poser OF Dixie" Some Of these COM
panioa went later TO augment the at
fractions ~ Philadelphia and Chicago.
while naclsua. Wambold. Abccco and
Birch formed the most perfect aEgrcga-
tlon OF "black face artists" In Cnllfor-
MAS chief city and from 1895 20 iS5s
tonnnted 5si broadway NJ the San
Francisco minNtrclH. 60 the delight OF
Gotham and their own financial ad-
vantage.
For a quarter or a century before the
civil war ana for 10 or 10 years later
there was genuine announcement OF
this form Of thoapian art In every large
community In the United States. To
every small town and village the ad-
vent of a minstrel show was of as much
enthusiastic Interest ~ n circus.
To Edwin L. ChriHty. whose name IL
10 the minstrel platform what that OF
Edwin Forrest IN 10 the dramatic stage,
Ia due the credit Of establishing this
form 81 popular entertainment In New
York city In 1917.
Just why the public lost It's general
Interest IN this species OF entertainment
u n very difficult % explain. There IL q
strong probability, however. that the
large exodus Of the genuine negro from
the south into the northern ana eastern
states dlsp"llod the sentimental illusion
with which he had been regarded al q
nuperlatively comic being.
There atlll remain Cleveland a Will
sons Consolidated. Primrose, Thntch.
or. william n, West. Al q. Fields. Dock.
stnder ana a few other organizations.
but they are monster equipments Tor
the road, combining In themselves an
the features % modern farce comedy
ana the musical elements of mlnHtrelsy.
They advertise largely their refined
programme" but many acts are today
given with white faces. and choice ball
lad singing IN always the favored ape.
clalty, There isn't more than 10 per
cent Of the old time rollicklng humor
and netting In tho present dclineatlona.
iiut we shall ever rlrh for that an
Client burlehquc stump speech We
know that the glamour Of youth has
fallen from our eyes; that no such crea.
tlon ever existed In fact. on earth or IN
the sea. as the tattercd black individual.
with the never falling green c0lored
cotton umbrella. who mounted bar.
rel q table or chair ana delivered the
most acnaelcas concentration OF words
that could be cnntrlved. II he didn't
manage To fail on 10 the floor TO pune
tuate the end OF his grafton. the audi.
cncc felt that Il had been defrauded ~
large portion OF It's legitimate and OK.
peoted fun.
Then there was the everlasting inter-
ludo. whore n manager was supposed 10
be engaged In hlrlnE talent Tor a dramat.
io combination Of his own. II was always
the same business" The new applicant
rehearsed Hamlet" and Damon aud
Pythiaa," and when, IN response 20 the
Grecian's explanatory lament. 1.-THE sun
coca rushing down the west" this
would be asplrant Tor hls,rlonic honofa
shouted, Let her ulshi" or. IN a sup
posed Richard III representation. In an.
Hwer 10 the tragic demand N "A horse
my kingdom Tor a horuel" the trembling
knave humhly acknowledge. Master.
forgive me, but ! slowed your mule"
how every one did Taught There were
the lncongrulty ana the nbsurdty TO
Tickle the spectators, There were also
the plantation songs and dances, which
were perhaps more correct phases Of
genuine slave life than anything else.
But, aims, negro mInstrelsy has had
~ day and, 10 paraphrnse what the
Prince Of Denmark said N Yorlok. I'VE
shall not look upon ~ like again"
W. THoRNE DEVoLE.
New York.