The times., 1899-11-26
THE PASSING SHOW.

Quoth a spectator on Monday night at
the Columbia Theatre: At their best, these
French farces remind one of a cineomato-
graph exhibition. Though occasionally
they may be of interesting brilliance, that
very circumstance mainly. serves to tire.
When the curtain rises for the Enactment
of another specimen, the watcher draws
back and half closes his mental eyes, even
as he might let fall the lids were he ex-
pecting all the scintillant luminosity of 4
LumieTe machine"
The subject of indelicacy in stage prod
ucts has been all but worn smooth during
the past month, but, since the generous
booking agents of the syndicate will insist
upon pressing the matter, the writer could
select no better text for a sermon than that
repeated above. The gentleman at Mile.
Fifi'' got at the root of affairs in his three
short sentences. With a rather clever
simile, he described not only the effect
that such plays have upon the average man
and woman but partially, the reason for
that effect. In these columns a long-con-
sidered opinion of what constitutes the
offensiYeness of like offerings has been
printed and reprinted And the remark
Of the amateur critic once more calls it
TO mind.
There are few persons so narrow or so
nastiness of these importations renders
them worse than tTiflingly unpleasant.
Properly surrounded, lines and situations
Of an otherwise questionable character go
by unnoticed or unnOted. Excepting in
England La Dame aux Camillias," which,
in some fashion, has been translated to
Camille" never called forth the slightest
comment Nos InJimes,' in common with
more famous works of Victorien Sardou,
when analysed, might have been found to
contain much that Brady & ziegfeld would
have called ''audacious," but did not ex-
cite extraordinary attention. And, in
deed, unless enc count Clyde Fitch'S
"Sappho' which Olga NethersGle has done
recently in Chicago, no serious drama OF
the time has been made subject to general
arraignment on the ground OF its moral
influence. Tess OF the D'Urbeyilles'
three years ago, ''The Conquerors' two
years ago, Catherine" last year, and
Becky Sharp this, all passed New York
runs unscathed, though Paul Potter's COM
pilation OF the Franco Prussian war was
assailed unmercifulIy on the road. Aside
from the tattle Of purists and press agents,
none of the list was set apart for needed
public fumigation.
The candid episodes of these pieces,
which have been taken from a great
number merely because they will fit the
purpose of this article best, were recog-
nized by intelligent theatregoers TO be
necessary to the strength Of the stories ex-
ploited-even useful as lessons. One can
not get light without striking fire.
Literature and sculpture and painting for
many centuries have dealt with subjects
more frank; yet the bigoted who would
have cried against a Shakespearian verse,
a statued Venus or a startling Nirgin-in
Paris there are many pictures Of the Holy
Family that really are unfit for publication
could not have been taken seriously at
any period. Tess of the D'UTbervilles'
and Becky Sharp which have been men
toned in this connection when kept be-
tween covers, were not forbidden in the
households of the most vigorously right
eous. The Conquerors," the single play
of the four that was condemned, drew only
expressed admiration when viyidly set
forth in the tale by Guy de Maupassant,
| from whom Mr.. Potter took the foundation
for his primal act And Catherine" in
which Elsie de Wolfe had a scene equal
for obviousness to any in "Zaza," never
was put among the questionable products
With all of these examples, on the stage
and off, the dubious situations were recOg-
| nized by the sensible as unavoidable in the
building OF a work of art that should ex-
cite interest and command attention.
Although the frivolLty OF farce seems to
incline the people 10 tolerating less
"audacity" in presentations meant to
amuse than In those intended to affect.
there never has been any great out-cry
| against the really clever compositions of
this class. A recent attempt TO cater to