New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-16
THE DRAMA-MUSIC
MRS LANGTRYs CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
THE DBGENERATEs."

-r1a 10 hpa
health and superb with congruous apparel
$1,000 A Nr CSr1Indy's edifytng play OF Ihe
Degenerates~ and touchingy emooo1eo her ne"
character Of the repentant sinner ana moral s1lu
a, o-,l r-evious occasions, when this gifted ana
1,,, ,,-o-,an has uIumIned the American theatre
.,,,v, ,vban she acted Juliana, IN The Honey
no, {" Lady CIancarty. Pauline, IN The Lazy OF
T,,,s and the bewitched and oewitchlns heroine
a xz-fa.s Peril her attitude was that OF an
+ss and II was possible TO take purely pro-
(s.-s1 view Of her efforts. On this occasion she
cores forth as the friend Of virtue and the aoNo-
.s-a and exempar OF heroic self-sacrince lot the
salvation OF the domestic altar Cor halter as some
n her countrymen have been known 70 SOUND IL
80 al that gratitude and admiration can DO
under these sacred circumstances, Is TO twlne
her honored brows with the laurel appeF-
rainiug unto philauthropie humanity rms ufne
there can be question OF mere acuhs
for Beauty which draws Us with a single
hair. is freighted with a lesson and equipped
with q precept and nothing remains but anject
submission. with a pure heart ana an hurnDie
--0sce testamentary 70 the power OF saving grace
The lesson" is that reformed female rake makes
the best wife and the precept is that regenerateo
cCurtesan is Just much entitled as regeherateo
Ibertine 10 the recognition and respect OF society
These sublime truths not absolutely new, Tor
The missionary Iabors Of good Mrs. Kendall and
Ious Olga MISUNDERSTANDING setting 1orth
the lack Of calorlc N the First Mrs lanqueray
and the superabundance Of It in the second,-have
frequently announced them: but perhaps they nave
never before been proclaimed with the puissant
weight OF authority and the convincing force tnat
snvest them n Mrs. Langtry's presentment or the
case Of Mrs TreveIyan IN The Degenerates
Cld-fOgy notions die hard: there are still d rev
v-retched reactionists extant who think that vio-
let i brighter and sweeter in its first bloom than
q IS after Il has been bIghted: but upon suitable
study Of Mrs Langt-v's current exposition Of in
1repII >vomanhood # seems very little likely that
arv rnoraIist VIII again be stimulated extol
either the early vegetable or the opening rose
The case Of Mrs. Trevelyan could have been
stared more briefly than Mr.. Grundy has stated II
his play: Dr. Johnson's explicit reply TO Boswell
when consulted as 10 the lady who at variance
with her husband. provides a useful hint: but the
fancy naturally fingers upon a delicious theme.
Mrs Treveyan lived in London, and, having loved
not wisely but TOO we'll and too often, she had
been divorced from her irrational husband and left
free 10 occupy herself III amatory intrigue with
2 married baronet named Samaurez. Thus en-
ployed she soon obtained the proud satisfaction Of
driving the wife OF SamaUrez into q frenzy OF
jealous rage and causing that nHberal woman to
resolve on revengeful elopement with dissolute
lover. named Lorano. Just as her noble industry
was about TO be rewarded with that catastrophe,
however. she suddenly became aware Of a profound
tenderness for her daughter Una. fresh from
boarding-school and thereupon she repented Of her
dalliance with Samaurez (and every other sin in
the devils calendar), and became ministerng
angel 10 his impulsive and preciptate wife. Lady
samaurez having sought the protection Of Lorano
and been repulsed by that vouptuary, was about
10 discovered. by her husband, in Lorano's bed
the intrepid Mrs. Trevelyan took her place ana
calmly confronted both SamaUrez and an igno-
1ninious predcament- This exhibition Of moral
he-oisra touched the heart of nobleman named
Orme who happily comprehended the emergency
and the adroit self-sacrfhce and that lord was so
delighted with Mrs. Trevelyans practical Chris
rianity and Indifferent TO spring greens. that he
asked her to become his wife In this way It was
shown that the maternal instinct, when woman
OF nzzt7fe-. happens remember her babes. viii
convert a Mcentious Degenerate into saint,
and that when such a woman has become
2 saint she IS abuHdaItly qualified 70 wear
3 coronet and &c lead Degenerate society
Nothing could be broader more charitable. or more
helpful than these doctrines. and, IN the existing
state Of the fashionable world, 1t IS great com
fort 70 have them beautifully and convincingly
presented as they are by Mrs. Langtry. Only last
week IN this ciry-according TO the newspaper re-
port OF the deplorable factst-an offended husband
who had hidden himself underneath the marital
couch, in order TO battle too-solcitous suiter for
his vlfe's affection abruptly issuing from his con-
cealnent at an opportune time. smote upon the
lieentious Degenerate. with q bed-sat, and nearly
killed him How much better il would have been
70 make a play out OF such incidents. instead of
Tesortiug TO mere brute violencei Everybody knows
that. long your lesson Is fair the means
by which you teach II may be, and ought to be,
radically foul The only way TO instruct and really
benefit human beings. when you can eutce them into
Z theatre, is 70 ncuicate good precept with
pies drawn from a social pigsty. This process
shows life as II actually is and brings the truth
home 10 the human heart and every spectator is
snnobled, cheered and refreshed In the miserable
bed-sgt case. where a fine opportunity obviously
was wasted, there were, TO be sure, aggravarng
circumstances; for the Degenerate, person named
Bosky, had dyed his whiskers and no husband
probably could be expected patiently endure the
Vaccinations OF an elderly Hbertine variegated
With green and purple hair. Indeed the nnaRis-
1rate who adjudicated upon the case Cammer 7
1npFesslVely remarked that "a man who DIVES his
hair mas q false heart" In Mr. Cyrundy's mora
select group OF Degenerates the presence Of hair
eye vas not remarked and course the specta TOR
= 20 distant that he cannot detect the odor NJ
power Of good "
M Grundy's drama TO speak Of It in earnest
1of one brief moment), Is scarcely more than q
SiiiiAe study OF character, woven round a
se SITUATION II Is u1sUbstantial, but 1t contains
ample knowledge Of the bad side OF half 4ashtor
- Aa1I bohemian almost wholly vulgar social
e' DoEsther with abundance Of small talk now,
-i4'olo1s and now pertly pungent punctuated with
NSA-ca4 commentary, and jeweIed az over v,t+b
lIo1l' eaustic half-lines and happy uaonosyIla-
~'es which are so fortunate for a comedian ans
-icn teI SO well In q cooquy: and It eliminates
IN one effective scene in which after the e.ghto-
Inc Ga English comedies Of the Restoration
-ieht woman is discovered in the wrong nIaoe
~@AstFy. as Mrs TreveIyan, has a parr which |
- : @ 70 oescant upon her temperament !
-' 70 some extent, upon her own exner,enoe -
N4-'ss.tudes and the worlds Injustice and !
empty gamble; but it reaches no heigFt ~ ar,o., !
my elliSS aer skill in the hsIf-h1n7oro,,s
"'4ileaI expression Of gay Evornan's LEVITT,
- -l-e indications OF kind heart and /
disposition were numerous and al ors i
point there WIS sudden wave Of asrneg+ 80, !
while the evenly sustained 80 -, 0iiiis /
OF the representation made II ,a-f..+1 I /
y aH4auc power Of the occasion bo,,-a,-
l4So III Frederick Kerrs delightful srorto,o /
- st.+ oIlle' The man Of the world-weu /