The Irish standard., 1914-07-11
DUBLIN IN THE 18th CENTURY.

DUBLIN IN THE 18th CENTURY.
For the most part, however, they
were not occupied with native pro-
ductions. but were employed in fab
ricating cheap editions of English
books. AS the Act of Anne for the
protection of literary property did
not extend to Ireland, this proceed
ing was legal; the most prominent
English books were usually reprinted
in Dublin, and great numbers of
these reprents passed in the colonies.
1t is an amusing fact that when Rich
ardson endeavoured to prevent the
piracy by sending over for sale
large lumber of copies of Pamela"
Immediately o nits publication, he
was accused of having scandalously
invaded the legitimate profits of the
Dublin printers. 1.-THE Dublin News
letter." which seems to have been the
first local newspaper, was published
as early as 1865. "Pue's Occur
rences," which obtained much
greater popularity. appeared in 1903,
and there were several other papers
before the middle of the century.
The taste for music was stronger
and more general than the taste for
literature. There was a public gar
den for musical entertainments at
ter the model of Vauxhall; a music
hall, founded in 1741; a considerable
society of amateur musicians, who
cultivated the art and sang for chari-
ties; a musical academy, established
in 1855, and presided over by Lord
Mornington. Foreign artists were al
ways warmly welcomed. Dubourg,
the violinist, the favorite pupil of
Geminiani, came to Dublin in 1928,
and resided there for many years.
Handel, as we have seen, first
brought out his Messiah" in Dublin.
Roubillac, at time when he was
largely known in England, executed
busts for the University. Geminiani
came to Dublin about 1868. Garrick
acted Hamlet" in Dublin before he
attempted it in England. There were
two theaters, and great. and indeed
extravagant, passion for good acting.
Among the dramatists of the seven
teenth century Congreve and Farqu-
har were both Irish by education
and the second, at least, was Irish by
birth. Among the Irish actors and
actresses who attained to great emf
nence on the English stage during
the eighteenth century we find
Wilkes, who was the contemporary
and almost the equal of Betterton;
Mackin, the first considerable re-
viewer Of Shakespeare; Barry. who
was pronounced to be the best lover
on the stage; Mrs. Wellington, the
president of the Beefsteak Club; Mrs.
Bellamy, whose memoirs are still
read; as we'll as Ellington, Sheridan,
and Mrs. Jordan. The Dublin thea
tiers underwent many strange vicissi-
tudes which it is not necessary here
to record, but it may be mentioned
as curious trait of manners that
when Sheridan had for time re-
formed the chief theater it was
warmly patronized by the Protestant
clergy. There have been some
times" he stated, more than thirty
clergymen in the pit at a time, many
of them deans or doctors of divinity.
though formerly perhaps none of that
that order had ever entered the
doors, unless few who skulked in
the gallery undisguised. In 1901 the
fall of gallery in the theater dur
ing the representation of "The Liber-
tine" one of the most grossly immor-
al of the plays of Shadwell, had pro-
duced for a time religious panic,
and the play was for twenty years
banished from the stage; but in gen.
eral there appears to have been lit
tie or nothing of that puritanical
feeling on the subject which was gen.
eral in Scotland, and which in the
present century became almost equal
ly general among the clergy Of Ire
land.-From Lecky's History Of
England"