Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-14

we are promised a bright spot during the
coming week. Last week had about as bad
a bunch from the point OF artistic merit as
the seasons schedule holds. Vests min
strels ls merely a band Of second raters un-
der the shadow Of a great name. Along
the Mohawk" is a commonplace story. told
in a commonplace way and acted out by a
very commonplace company. II introduces
a single novelty in the way OF a printing
press in operation on the stage, but the
realism Of this is very decidedly marred by
the apparent lack OF technical knowledge
Of printing house methods on the part Of
the actors. A few hours spent by the stage
manager in the press room Of some good
country newspaper ought to result In the
modification Of several bits Of business"
in the third act Of this piece. To wind up
the week came THE James Boys in Mis-
souri," Last spring when this dramatic
monstrosity was hrst presented to Omaha
The Bee reviewed II at length. Nothing
has occurred in the meantime to cause a
modification OF the judgment then pro-
nounced. II is meretricious in the highest
degree.
The bright spot in the sky is the coming
Of "Corianton," the play written by orestes
U. Bean OF Salt Lake City. and FIRST pre-
scented at the Mormon capital some weeks
ago. II has been put on the road in most
sumptuous manner and with a very capable
company Of actors, headed by Joseph Ha-
worth. who takes the name part. "Corian-
ton has been described as a Mormon play.
but this is inaccurate, as is also the claim
Nor II that It Is historic. On the bills II is
called an Aztec romance" but the. a~ppella-
tion might as well be Toltec, or any one OF
the other names that have been handed
down to US through Spanish channels. Its
scene is laid in some part OF Central Amer
lea in the year IS B. G.. No safer time OF
location could possibly have been chosen
by the author. for It Is not even certain
that the section Of country referred to was
inhabited at the time mentioned. All that
is definitely known about the people OF that
day Is that nearly sixteen centuries after
the day ascribed to Corianton the Spanish
found a race Of people. divided into various
tribes and known by various names, the
leading division Of whom was called by the
name OF Aztec, living among the ruined
evidences Of a civilization far superior to
their own. One of the earliest undertake
ings of the Spanish. after obtaining the
mastery In this fair and fruitful land. was
to piously destroy all the written records
OF the people they had subIugated. This
work was so thoroughly and systematically
carried out that of the thousands on thou
sands Of papyrus scrolls Of picture writings
found by the conquistadores. only a Few
scraps now exist. treasured in Spanish IL
braries where they have come to
be looked upon as most precious.
Indeed. their only service now
Is to accentuate II possible the regret Of
students that the zeal Of the padres who
$500 80 A,,,rIca NJ m tho aW0Fd In OHa hand
and the cross in the other was so ener-
g~etically supported by the valorous Dons
under whose strong arms the cause OF
Christianity fourlshed nightly among the
simple Indians. And these same Dons, not
content with aiding the fathers in their
work of destruction, as applied to the writ
ings Of the heather, turned their own talent
on the physical features OF the country, and
denuded the northern plains Of Mexico of
their timber, in order that the country
might resemble more closely the beloved
Andalusla. Intent on presenting q story
that would be listened to in Europe, which
in the days Of Charles ~ and Philip II
would listen only to the marvellous and
magnificent. the tale Of the conquest Of
Mexico lost little in the telling at home.
Indeed, so highly colored and extensively
elaborated we're the accounts of the affairs
OF CorteZ and his successors set forth by
themselves or their companions, that even
30 p~ainstaking a historian as Prescott Is
believed to have been misled by them. In
fact. an American who has made deep re-
search along lines for which Prescott &C
cepted the Spanish statements as authority,
says he was deceived. THE Aztecs," says
this gentleman. were not builders. The
Tenochtitlan which CorteE overthrow was a
collection Of mud huts. whose walls we're
wsttles OF reeds and whose people were so
densely ignorant OF the civilization that
had preceded them that they used the
famous calendar stone as q sacrifice block"
This calendar stone, called the TeEcucan, 10
one OF the best evidences W. have Of the
civilization that once existed In the Aztec
country. This. and the temple OF Pa
lenque in Yucatan, are sources Of con-
slant Joy to the archaeologlst, and even the
R~nthropologist finds pleasure in studa ing
the sculptured figures found thereon. But
so far these learned gentlemen have gotten
little beyond the speculative stage and are
hardly willing to assert the sagest OF their
deductions as facts. Donnely did not hest
tate in Atlantis" to people these regions
with colonists from q great continent VII oh
was overwhelmed by q cataciysm beyond
conception. Other writers have as boldly
entered the field and as successfully brought
" "hANh NheO ANaAhos " lCabl, II III
does not edify. So. while II is apparent
that II is merely q matter Of choice with
Mr.. Bean to call his drama an Aztec ro-
nance. IL is also apparent that Il has little
historic basis. Sixteen hundred years Of
absolute blank is the abyss OF darkness AZ
regards human record into which he has
plunged for his material. and while he Il
entitled to no merit as a pioneer In thII
regard, he has ventured where there Il
little likelihood OF the workers erowdin5
each other. In Justice to the play, Il ma
be said that II has been highly praised
wherever II has been presented during III
short life, and the critics are agreed that n
deserves the epconiums that have beer
showered upon II.
Coming Events.
Monday Is circus day. The big street pa.
rade will leave the show grounds at TWEEN,
ueth and Paul streets Monday morning a