The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-06

i,,,a, a,1,.''I ,..',,'-7 ~, rs ''''
ihea'ric"i censorship Ill England.
To those persons who are never satisfied
with the operations OF our Government.
whether it be municipal. State or national,
may be commended an article in he current
number of the North American Rerie,r
on "The Censorship of the Stage in
England" by Mr.. q. BERNARD SHAW. The
censorship has been proposed clsmor-
ously AS the only thing necessary TO
make the stage ~ America. and espe-
cially the stage Of New York. all TINT if
ought to be. But Mr., SHAW indicates that
in actual working il is not call that fancy
painted" it, and that in effect the. big evils
slip past its meshes, while the little evils
are held.
1t may be said that Mr.. SHAW il NOT nm
unpreiudiced witness. He il NOT and ad-
mits that he is not. He has had more than
one "run-in" with the Examiner az PLAYS
But few witnesses are unpreiudiced n, all
events, Mr.. SHAW is an expert witness
with all the faults OF one,
"In England SAWS Mr. SHAW "nn MIA
may be publicly performed until cer-
tifcate has been procured from the Lord
Chamberlain that it does not in its gen.
eral tendency contain ANYTHING immoral
or otherwise improper for the stage -"
The Lord Chamberlain does not read the
PLAYS submitted to him. The reading ia
done by the Examiner OF Ploys and con.
nccted with his post. Mr.. SHAW suppcsts
is the reason for the continuance ~ tho
censorship founded bv ROBERT WA1po1E
The Examiner of PLAYS is not "a very
highly qualified and distinguished nerson
say holder of n University rhair nr Jit-
eraturo or Dramaturpv. Rv No moans
the present holder is conc GEopGr AIRY
ANDER REDFoRD said To have been a honk
clerk. but not sscertaincd TO have hoen
ANYTHING except hckv enough to obtain n
place at Court with n salary Of soma fjstcen
hundred or two thousand dollars n yoor
and powers to exact from eyerv author nv
manager five dollars and q ouorter ,or
each one.act niece and ton dollars md :,
half for each niece Of two or moro acts :"
The man with influence enough IN oat tbo+
place will have influence enough to prevent
it's abolition.
The Examiner ~ pIovs wbo+or,r ,,,
qualifications, Ia sunreme over the Eno,ioh
spoken drama accordingtoMr Su.v ,,r
no American dramatic author can afford 70
defy despot who bv n nod can crt hin, IN
from an English staperipbt worth noe.
sibly 500 600 in London alone Tho pros
idcnt OF the United States himself nron
ticallv cannot see new nlav without srs.
getting the Examinor's loove"
Mr.. SHAW tells soma storioa to ;rs..o.
how the censorship works Mr. Rrnronr,,s
predecessor refused to liconso n nIoy ho
cause the heroine had hcen Duiltv y, nm IN
discretion in carly M. Tbo on+ a.a.
for the mart visited him to ororo tho oa.o
and finally no consented to Iironso +ho ,ioo,
on condition that the words "I einnod h,,t
in intention were introduced int,, ha.
mart AccOr,linply everv niob+ drri,,
tho h,,s+ -, r-oIol1,,,,, ,uhiak L,,,
"''''' ""'''" H'i hrSt
'h't"n'' vi Ihe P'''''' ''t d'treSS remarked
cOnhdentially to the conductor OF the band
Il sinncd but in intention and thorohy
roscued her country from dororo,,.o.io,,
h,, Eronoh l,,,;t,," "'''o"
'''''
line performance OI SHELLEiS tragedy,
I'm" Cenci, was forbidden by the Censor {:
but n "private performance" was piyon nj