New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-07
THE DECADENT DRAMA.

secadent plays, usually Of foreign origin plays,
Tor example, like Camille ''Afagda" Ghosts"
.sapho." iris The Second Mrs Tanqueray"
and The Gay Lord Quex, the production of
,-bieh is an offence against public decency), on
The ground, first. that they are strong" and
,.,oe desirable for dramatic use. and secondly.
,,a- they teach a good and nluctrneeded les
,on." and are, therefore, appropriate in the
theatre The season that is now beginning
,-or,Ises to be active. and also Il promises TO
,-ozide many fabrics OF this nauseous filth
r-rsse plays should be prohibited and prevented.
-,ev have never done even the slightest good,
I'D thew have wrought a prodigious amount OF
all They are bad in morals, bad, in taste, and
fvith here and there an exception, for veroaI
.vsci-y) bad in style. TIE spirit Of this age.
.ovever favors large individual license. and
s--ictions that the experience Of the human
,.e has shown be right and salotary are no
tee- possibIe. Whoever wishes 10 produce
,oyious and deleteious play is free to do so,
and unfortunately. he will receive measure OF
-n,lc support and newspaper commentator.
r,n. whoever ventures to protest against the
.,o-1,ity will be assailed tedious prude and
,,,su Strong" these rancid pieces certainly
.-s. hut so is an onion, polecat-
NE 10 adequate defence OF filthy stage eX-
.,h,+gor that It Is made in clever way 1t
.bo,Id not be made at all. The rectitude Of the
,,oraI. does not atone for the dehlement or the
lind The greater the cleverness, the greater
,.a offence and the greater the mischief Some
,,,,rs can be taken for granted-sewer gas, for
,-s+snce and garbage. The fact that these
,b,,gs are strong has been ascertab1ed Peo-
,,e are not made wiser or better by being del
80 with strength" OF that kind; nor is there
PARTICLE OF sincerity. logic, or principle in the
n-s+snce Of good moral drift. The majority OF
..sl.-s in this theatrical muck care more for
..o5 morals" than they do for stawed prunes;
,h.v care for the box Office receipts. and that is
al And they depend on the deTraved interest
- = more OF less Immoral public 10 reward and
sustain their Displays OF scandaious communal
co-,oUcations and sexual sins, not unlike those
T. which that public itself is frequently IN
5,e.-,o,s No doctrine is more specious anu
.o,hfs+ical than the doctrine that It is right 10
80 srvthins and everything in a work Of art
y only you wind up with moral precepG Ger
,.tn spectacles are. in themselves. DEGRADING
however aptly they point moral or however
-,,neentlv they may exploit lesson EVIL
o-,-,-7ications corrupt good manners" These
,,.a,nof-+ed teachers of morals and les
cons, have an important truth TO learn,-which
&c that both themselves and their dirty preach
-nents are superfuous intrusive, and irnperu-
rent Carnal, Iibidinous plays, ike Sapho'
..ouer~ and Iris; the dull dissecting-rooTn
dramas IF Mr. Ibsen and Mr.. SuderTnann; or the
morbid. rroIix and base eOullitions of Mr. DAN
runzto are not moral and have no moral erect
The dramatic scavenger is not made clean be-
cause you put surplice on him. A thealIIoSi
audience. in contact with one of these vile plays
Is first drenched with slime and then instructed
m avoid it-and this is called morality Moth
Inc more clearly demonstrates the futIlty OF
suc1 moral" precept than the complete prac-
teal disregard with which II is received 1here
never was any virtue yet in the force OF the
frightful example" People are not deferred
from sin merely by knowledge OF It's evil con-
SEQUENCES Experience is full of proof that men
and women do wrong with complete and present
t-no1xladpe both of the wrong and its probable
mr. certain results. The fact is, that Whatever
nav he the high and holy truth with which this
form Of drama is freighted. the lesson Is SO
absolutely trite as to be of value. These con-
cortions Of amatory frenzy and distress only
present for rublic consideration questions that
cannot be publicly discussed without offence 10
decency-obtruding equally by picture and sus-
gestiou spectacles Of RIGHTEOUSNESS disease anu
crime The hare existence Of such stuff is, in it
self a crime against art. The subjects might
perhaps properly be analysed in a medical trea-
tise or bz a convention Of social philosophers;
they have no right TO presentation on the stage
No human being-certainly no creature who is
a
stands in need Of illumination TO the duty
Of fidelity to the marriage vow. as TO the
general consequences of g fracture Of the
Seventh Commandment. It is folly to set up, in
extenuation of such muck, that it either clari-
Hes the views of men, fortifies the virtue
Of women, or expounds any practical truth that
In not already a thing OF common knowledge
All that such pieces accomplish is the befoul-
rnent OF the spectators mind with sickenins
sense Of human weakness. wickedness and vice
and OF social corruption and decay. And per-
haps the most vicious Of all the results Of such
tainted trash is that II tends TO darken the mood
and defle the tone Of even the purest mind that
Is compelled TO consider IT. When the PROPOSE
ton is advanced, as It has been, time and again.
the local stage, that a wife who is convinced
Of her husbands inf1delity should thereupon
seek paran1our. and either commit. seem
10 commit, adultery. II matters not that this
strocious theme is peppered with fine moral
naxims and ford fulmina lions OF the excellence
Of virtue The lesson" is not only superflu-
GUS but fnsoIent Unfortunately, such pieces
are sought and accepted by q considerable class
OF peoule who ike the zest Of piquant irnpro-
priety and who swarm toward any suggestion
OF Illicit conduct. just as flies buzz over gar
bsge pail The time has been when the stage was
made an eminent institution, and useful 70
society. by reason of splendid acting and the
presentment Of ennobling works Of art; and' to
limited extent it is now. But the influence
OF noble thought conduct, and spectacle should
be revived II never will be revived however
until the Public becomes sufficiently wise, IN
telligent and decent TO stay away from all
theatres in which the Decadent Drama is pre-
sented ". w.
NOTES OF THE STAGE.