Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-24

of morals; but. since morality, either
positive or negative, is Inherently pres
emit in everything, moral quality never
permits itself to be ignored. If you
break a bad egg at breakfast you Will
perceive it's odor and you will find 1t
difficult to derive complete consolation
from the whiteness of your tablecloth:
Impurity of food is moi redeemed by
either luxury or accessories or excellence
of service, and neither does a vile play
become salutary and acceptable because
it happens to be prettily set amid cleverly
acted. Much specious doctrine ON this
subject has been promulgated. first and
last, by theatrical panderers, seeking
gain by ministration to the baser appe-
titles of the fool multitude, but the truth
is that these dramas of the brothel have
never lone the least good to any human
being, and that their sole effect, aside
from the qualification Of a prurient public
taste, is to defile the minds of the young,
who, for the most part, compose the the
atrical audience, with a needless and
harmful knowledge of the seamy side Of
life, with the tainted suggestions Of a
leering de~bauchery and the noxious va
pors of impudent vice. r.
Frank Daniels, speaking to some
friends on the subject of risque plays,
which are just now engaging he tten-
ton of a large part of the playgoing pub
lie, aid THE unclean play has an in
luence that reacts directly upon our pro-
fession. 1t is a bad thing, an evil thing
for all of us. I'll cite a case: Suppose
the New York papers praise a production
and the press notices are SENT, as they
often are, to the papers that circulate in
and around the many towns within easy
theater-going distance of the metropolis.
The head of the family tells his wife and
daughters that Tell take them to the
heater that night, that he's read that
/ a nQrt9in NAV iC a naJ1Cino and thay'n on
to see 1t. And off goes the family and
RUNS plump into ONE of those shows
which keep you on the border of uneasi-
ness all the EVENING" dirty play. What
is the result? That night on the way
home the head Of the house swears a
great VOW that he will not take his wife
and daughters to a play for the next ten
years. The wife and daughters answer
Immediately that they don't want to go
for ten years. They've sickened at the
one play that they have seen, and they
judge all other plays by the same UNI
family-and there are hundreds of SINH
lar cases-the whole theatrical family is
brought into ~disrepute, from manager to
actor. and actress to playwright and
dramatic critic. And the play that is
nasty is to blame for 1t. Last season I
was talking to the manager and owner
OF a highly spiced play. He told me he
was hunting around for something new.
Why, you've only had the play a veal, I
said. I know that he retorted, but
some places a to 1t, and some leave it
severely alone; and so, although it is a
clever farce and full of ingenious situa-
tions, yet it's dirtiness don't seem to
destine it for more than one seasons
ease of life Which proves said.
that the clean play wins in the long run.
Fol seven years I played in Little Puck
because it was a clean farce, whereas
your dirty play car only last out one
season.
I'll give you another and more potent
Smile. Suppose YOU are introduced, to a
pretty woman, a woman whose physical
charms are such as to captivate you at
the very outset. Completion, figure, eyes,
hair, voice, just right. Now, ppo you
sit dow to talk with this woman, and in
a few minute she let's out an oath and
taints her entire conversation with
c~oarseness. How long, do you think it
will take you to tire of of her company?
Would you be able to chat with her for
20 minutes without being absolutely dis
gusted with her? And so with a dirty
play. 1t may have scenic environment
OF rare worth, may a gorgeous cos
tunes, pretty women and may be played
In the best theAters. But with all these
surroundings, it's dizziness will be sure
eventually to disgust the theater-goer
and a revulsion of feeling results.
sometimes I have almost been, tempt
ed to declare the very best cure for a
dirty play is the homeopathic method
let us v more OF them. With an in.
fux Of the salacious on the stage there
will come in nausea. And, like the boy
who ate twenty crabs and then never
! wanted to see another crab as long as
ne hved, so the theater-goer will get
enough nasty plays in the system to re-
volt against another dose for many a
long day to come"