Year: 1869

faa lnCk
sbly they could be polshed but should she attempt


either 70 be exactly consecutive give her remarks
all the polish which she eminently fitted to give them
her originality would be gone, her great effectiveness
lost AS she is she must accepted and she is she
ranks Of the great opponents Of
TIE PLIGHT OF THE NEW-YORK STAGE


In the general aspect of theatrical affairs
there is little to kindly interest or stimulate pleas
ant reflection Now often heretofore, the almighty
dollar is the chief object Of pursuit Various persons are
engaged according such intelligence as they possess


in the business Of conducting what they call theaters
but the idea that they have assumed anything more than


mercantile responsibility seems for the most part to
be utterly absent from their minds. Little or no heed is
given 10 the drama. Acting as an art, may here and
there find practical advocae but, in the main, the
especal object for which the stage was devsed-the
soul Of truth and power whereby 1t has lived,
and flourshed and may claim consideration as one OF
the forces influencing the education Of manknds alto
cether ignored This is not state Of facts 1t has
existed for long time True the monotony OF this coarse
spectacle Of money grubbug under false pretenses has
been occasionally varied by aspurt Of honest dramatic
effort and enterprise few persons consecrated TO the
pavers art have tried to good plays WELL and there
in to keep faith with their calling TO maintain the stage
in dignity and usefulness and TO justify intellect and re-
fined feelings in their advocacy Of the drama rs



rly at any rate, the false pretenses have the
best Of the battle Next week only one theater
in New-York-that OF Edwin Booth-will present the
drama The rest will be devoted to bOsh, which will be
presented under the disguise Of drama This neither
more nor less than mercantile subterfuge What have
80 often said before therefore Is in order to be said
again. The theater is not merely place for the sale Of
merchandise. 1t thing to buy and sell goods and
another thing to administer the arts The keeper OF
theaer is man Of business indeed-but he is also pre-
eeptOr Of the public mind and he sustains responsibility
scarcely less grave than that Of the clergyman himself


Such precepOr has right TO trife with his trust
he cannot fulfill his duty and keep his theater open
on the basis Of good plays well acted he had better close
that theater and resort TO some simpler vocation
To say that tho public will not pay for
good plays well acted lis not TO the purpose. If the
public indeed will not sustain decent theaters then 1t Is
best that those theaters should disappear, Their con-
ducOrs surely turn 10 something else less exaeng
morally and financially, and therefore profitable
1t is a simple alternative. The Cumberland sunk with
her cOors flying at the masthead. Failure Is not
gnoble in good cause. But TO pretend to keep
theater and yet to turn 1t into dancehonse or some
thing worse, to be guilty Of imposture-is to defame
the drama by degrading its surroundings, and to
defraud society OF the benefits which 1t ought
TO receive from noble and beautiful art. Nor
is 1t q defense TO say that society repudiates art
and prefers female calf tiuse and red fire. The ale
cation untrue. In every community OF course, there
beasts VINO, instead OF tne WOulu
prefer q rat-fght a show OF model artists. But
that is no good reason why theatrical manager should
give them what they want His concern Il with the
drama. In every community there are wise refined
tasteful persons in sufficient numbers to sustain decent
mghtoned theaters in a sufficiently liberal way. To dis
card these and pander TO the mob, is wfully TO DO
wrong for the sake Of gain The plea that the public will


have this and wont have the other &C. has come 70 be
as disgusting It Is tre. The public should be made TO
follow and not forever De permitted tolead 1t ptifu
indeed intellectual must stoop 20 scent out taste
carron and feed vultures because the dirty business
pays practice OF concession 10 the assumed appe
the hydraheaded mob has roed the stage nearly
20 its foundation. Another omiDous evil combines with
It, too the influx, into the dramatic world Of horde
Of outside foreign to the sage-who
come to speculate I'm heaters they do IN cotton and In
pork These men, be it here said, know no more about
the drama and care no more about g. than the In
the moon. Looking about upon the theaters OF New
York the present time 1t is easy 10 see how these In
huences work The stage IS overwhelmed with mummers
and dancing girls, varously ridiculous or vulgar,
who are striving with all the little gifts they have, to
win the reward OF prosperity by pandcrng 10 the sensual
instincts OF the people And this medley OF bombast aud
dirt procalms itself the drama; while in more than
one theater rOuGs and cOurtesans sometimes cOnsong
with a manager himself naunt IN the boxes, in their
gded trappngs OF braZen vice II reyel OF Cyprans
on the money Of prosperous counerJumpers. This state
Of facts, We remember, lately made the occasion
OF somewhat hasy and irritated protest, in public
speech and letter, by Miss Olive Logan; and we OBJ
serve that the lady been pretty soundy abused for
what is called an attack " the profession" What
profession we should like know, is insulted by such
protesti Nobody attacks the stage in attacking brazen
imposture reeklDg with vice. that has mendaciously
assumed the stages form and function. Acting Is an hon
orabe art and the people who worthIly pursue 1t and
live by are honorable people, and IT is IN their interest
and not aganst IT, that rebuke OF all this fryolity and
vice is directed. The baIelegged women who tramp
over the boards in buresque and kick their heels in
the caucan have-7gith here and there exception
no moro title 20 be regarded as members OF the dramatic
profession than they have be regarded as members OF the
French Academy They offungus upon the stage
and the fungus has become excessive and ntoera-
be We do not TO say that in all this flock OF pan
tOimes buresques and balets existent yet 10 come
features Of merit may not be found Nonsense has its
eraces and It's rights well sense. But 1t IS needfu
10 remind theatrical managers that there is such an ns
tuition as The Drama for the development OF which thea
ters exist and that intelligence taste, refinement, and
moratymaters Of great import TO the welfare Of so
ciety-have rights that theatrical greed cannot safely
violate LceDtOuness and reckless thirst for gain have
gone very far OF days to ruin the American stage
as a vehicle OF art and school OF acting; and strong
measures are justifabe 10 combat the evil


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SINGULAR WILL CASE.