The sun., 1909-02-21
THE MORALS or TIE STAGE
CALL 4 SPADE 4 SPADE H YOU
LINE, But DON'T PEER.
nuiness In the Theatre Unprsfltabie. NOT
Decency-Tho latest Triumph ei
Juiia Niari0we-sone Consiuera'
lions About Modern Bhnk Verse

o.
Julia Niari0we-son,s Considera-
=. lions About Modern bAnk VERSE;
An appalling lot OF rubbih has been
talked and published recently regarding
indecency and immortality in the theatre.
sbne Of IL by persons who mean wen
by the stage. but more by persons who
mean well by their own pockets. Ihis
ID a subject well nigh as old as the drama
a subject upon which it seems unlikely
that there will ever be general agree
ment. What seems immoral and vicious
10 one man will often seem to another
TO he the embodiment Of a wholesome
lesson. One party has long contendeo
ami doubtless will continue TO CONTEND
that no subject is fit for discussion on
the stage that deals with things not com
monty discussed between gentlemen and
sentlew omen in private life Another
rarty holds that no subject is to be ruled
on the stage provided its treatment is
artistic. Art is for this party the god
whose worship in any form is 10 be COM
mended.
There is certainly room for honest
division OF opinion, within the limits thus
indicated. When a play is produced
that deals with a dark side of life but
deals with it in a serious aud uishn'ea
manner. there are things to be said on
either side Of the controversy that oueht
TO be listened to with open mind by every
body who is interested IN the stage anu
its work; but there is another form OF
dramatic entertainment which Is not ana
does not pretend 10 be serious and which
freuusntly, touches upon ground that
ought TO b, forbidden. even II II 70 not
Upon this a ibiect there is no ground Tor
bonest difference OF opinion. Only one
verdict can be- pronounced upon this sort
OF thing by my decent person.
The sort OF entertainment that merits
unanimous con demnation is the sort that
makes a Jest Of the relations between the
sexes and sees in the questions OF marital
fidelity and pers onal chastity nothing but
so many more opportunities to raise
laughs and stimulat lascivious curiosity
We have suffered from long, long line
of these barbarities. The older form that
tho present gene ration remembers IN
yariably dealt With the middle aged mar
iied man who set out to have a high OLD
time with the girls because his wife was
nway from home. No respectable person
would tolerate the acquaintance OF such
n character in real life, nor would the
doings Of such a pervert be thought any
thing but disgusting; yet the play
wright always asked one TO laugh at them
in The theatre. Mos Of these atrocities
used To come to us from the French. who
have n tradition that marital faithfulness
Is one Of the funniest things in the world
and in the effort to eliminate in the
adaptation the very worst Of the filth the
sdapters usually removed most OF the
humor, leaving something composed OF
,linsiness and nausea in about equal
rarts
This sort OF smut has become al
most old fashioned. We get the dirt
now in the form of home made musical
comedies" Except for the fact that these
concoctions are for the most part neither
musical nor comic, the name fits them
-~ery we'll. Three-fourths OF them should
lie described as near-muscisl indelicacies.
Their proprietors are in the habit OF call
ing them girl shows" and that really Ii
what they are. The man who has per-
lana had more success with the girl
show than any other manager once pro-
duced decent musical entertainment
on which he lost money. In his wrath
he declared: well. I've given them de-
cency and they don't want 1t. Now from
this on III give them what they do want
He's been producing the most blatant OF
stage vulgarities ever since. and It rs sad
to say he has made money.
His conclusion was faulty. for all
that. The public is not averss 10 de-
cency in its entertainments; 1t merely
objects 10 dulness The theatregoing
public Of this country lays down as its
,IItimatum this declaration: we will
not he bored II this manager had
teen capable Of mingling brains with
ascency he would have found the public
grateful. The history Of the American
stspe ia jammed with testimony that
proves this statement. But the manager
In question had vulgar and indecent
brains which would mingle successfully
with nothing but smut. He had the
brains of the man who thinks no story
is amusing unless it is risaue. SO he
took to exhibiting young women who
would wear as few clothes as the police
would permit. and in this town we have
a police force the most tolerant in this
regard that the world affords. That
same police force showed in the case
OF Mrs. Warrcn's Profession that il
Gould be narrow enough IL anybody
. tried to he serious about sexual cor
Dptior, while before that time and eve'
since IL looked on with unwinking eye'
at performances that certainly do much
to stimulate and foster the profession
that Mrs Warren followed
What's the use Of listening TO bun
combe on such a subject? To say 4
spade is a spade is not and never wal
indecent or immoral, but If some one ask
Won what is a spade and you reply -Oh
now really you mustn't ask me such ques
tions you really mustn't. No. upor
inv word I really couldn't think OF talking
about it, 1t isn't proper subject, yot
know 10 sneak of in public. It's thin
We don't talk about In fact, it's reall,
quite to- awfully improper--if you sa,
this or something like il and at the SAM
time regard your interrogation with {
Ieer and a wink, then you are both in
decent and immoral and ought to be seq
regated from tie rest OF mankind. A
the very least you should be made Il
clothe yourself in white and carry ant
ring the bell Of the hopelessly leprous
Turn We then 10 the pleasing subjec
uf Miss Julia Marlowe. an American actres
who has this last week again demonstrate,