JT TUP whitp mm
JONATHAN I.DW'Altlrt." OK OKl II
C'AKOLIXA. VI!ITH THK WHITi:
HOrSE. A M't.K THAT TOOK
HIM OKr III1 I "EET.
M bat He fcw Heard a I thr lie Tolilan
Hotcl.Iliwty I'cR-I'irtare of Htttnr f
! IlunU-r Front .VorlU 'stroll na..-
Kobbins kaumU the Kt-Note of
Alarm.
Copywriter by "Jonalban lvlwarl,"J
Washington, I. Aj.ril I.'.
I arrived hero thirs morning. A
noon as I could get the cinder sepe
rated from the hayseed in my hair
and my clothes dusted, I went at
one to the White House to m Pres
ident Cleveland. I did not vote for
him, but I was anxious to make a
good impression ami was a little per
plexed how to go about it- They all
Kaid here at the I'.e-l'olitan hotel
that the proper tiling to do was to get
Senator Hansom to present me, that
he was here for that purpose had
nothing else to do and was a master
hand at the business. It was rather
a delicate matter; for I thought it
might embarrass him to be seen in
such conspicuous company us one of
the plain, common people. !v fid
lowing my natural and political in
stincts I went it independent. A
very dark complexioned, well dress
ed, polite negro was at the upper
door. With a eall-by-appointment
air, IJasked to see tho President. I
mentioned incidentally that I was
from North Carolina, when the darky
showed all tho ivory in his capacious
mouth. Ho offered to shake hands,
told me that his namo was Simmons
and that ho was kin (by purchase) to
ex-Congressman Simmons, lie took
me right in on that card, or an
nouncement and whispered me, "jes
tell tho President that you are from
North Carolina and don't want any
office and it will bo all right." There
Was a big crowd in the room, but 1
had little time to study faces or peo
ple. I saw a group of three or four
familiar North Carolinians surround
ing tho President. 1 heard a name
mentioned that took me completely
off my feet. 1 clutched at the back
of a chair, saw a pair of long embrac
ing arms violently gesticulating ami
heard a voice, "like one crying out
in tho wilderness,"' "Yes, .Mr. Presi
dent, I am tho man that broke the
backbone of the Alliance in North
Carolina; but it is not dead sir. No
sir, that fellow M:rion Butler is mak
ing speeches over in my country now
and unless something is dono for fel
lows like me, 1 can't tell what may
happen!" Well, a Tennessean who
was after an office, but didn't get it,
as I afterwards heard, (and I am sor
ry too) camo to my rescue. Instant
ly my equilbrium was restored. The
speaker, who had already attracted
geneial attention by the vehemence
of his oratory, was a man by the
name of Kobbius, tho one the Demo
crats were compelled to ball and
chain and mnzzlo during the cam
paign. By all tho gods at once, it
was the same corn-husking voice I
had heard at Goldsboro on that dark,
rainy night when Vice-President Ste
venson passed through, liausom was
standing by looking heroic and vigor
ously pulling at his immaculate cuffs.
(They tell me that the cuffs are sew
ed on to Lis shirts to prevent acci
dents when he is under any great
mental strain.) Also near by a Con
gressman (but ho didn't look it a bit)
by the name of Henderson. They
say Henderson is worth all the dele
gation put together, and that he real
ly is tho only man in the lot who has
any recognition at the White House.
He is very homely looking, with red
hair and stooped shoulders. I notic
ed that "our beloved Zeb'' was not
on hand, and when afterwards I
spoke of it, they told me Hansom and
Vance didn't "put tip at tho same
hotel-" Tho story goes here that to
geth they hare got the Democratic
party in North Carolina by the throat
that they aro indispensable to each
others supremacy, but at heart, they
hato each other as his Satanic Majes
ty hates holy water- They are friends
tor reciprocity only. When my turn
eame I shook hands with tho Presi
dent, told my namo and Stat? , that
I didn't want any office, wa3 one of
the common people, had saved ray
best suit of tax-cursed clothes for
this visit and that as ho seemed to be
busy, I would call at another time.
He held me by the hand several sec
onds it seemed an hour and said,
"I want to see you again4 Mr. Ed
wards. Can you call to-morrow at
G a. m.f" I did call, and for an hour
or more I imagined myself a cabinet
officer. I will tell you all about it in
my next letter. Mr. Cleveland is not
the great big, course man I expected
to see, but he has a collos&al memory
and a wonderful knowledge of peo
ple, both big and small. No man
seems too insignificant provided he
is after an office that he does not
know something about. The little
office hunter would be amazed if he
knew how much Mr. Cleveland knew
of his small peccadilloes and affected
virtues.
WHAT YOTJ SEE AND HEAR.
From the White Ilouse I went back
io tne i'lepontan Hotel, it was
formerly called the Metropolitan,
but the pie hunters have changed
the name of it, and you will please
observe this in forwarding my mail
As a general thing North Carolina
people stop here, and as I write I
can easily imagine myself in Kal-
eigh attending a Democratic fotate
convention. I counted up to 50 and
stopped. And every fellow of them
was after and office. Some wanted
a big place, some wanted a small
place and all of them would take
anything they could get and would
be mighty glad to get it. I was anx-
. ious to meet Bobbins and to hear
from his own lips the whole tale of
woe he had so plaintively formed in
to the Presidents ears. My dilli
gence was finally awarded. I found
him, and after the unvarying inter
state observation (originating, it is
claimed, between the North and
South Carolina Governors,) he told
"me all about it. I was anxious to
hear it because it was on everybody's
lips that Robbins had "played the
devil" at the White House he had
made a stump'speech to the President
who intimated to him that he was an
ass, promising to send him out of the
country and into obscurity as soon
as possible. Robbins says that he
told the President who had done the
trork in North Carolina,- and he
thought it a "blasted shame" that
the party workers were not reward
ed. Now I was he said, the first
man in the State to take the Alli
ance movement by the throat and
strangle the monstrocity. But for
me, I say without boasting, Polk and
Butler would have disorganized the
- Democratic party in North Carolina
and yet I must hang on here and beg
for a little office. Maybe I made a
rah speech to the President, bat I
am hick and tired of all this tom
foolery. I am going home Mwn and
if something ut done pretty won
the country will hear from me. We
are not out of the wooda by any
means in North Carolina. Marion
Butler i advertise to make rpeeehea
in iuv count v and he is a very dan
gerous fellow to Ik going about
I felt sorry for Robbins and told
him as much. He is a great big
headed, burly, manly looking man,
but povertv and political ambition
lias b en his curse. He is now very
proud and feels ery keenly the hu
miliation that poverty compels him
to Mibmit to. He eame here with
big expectations. Wanted the Mex
ican mission at $17,000 per year and
will possibly get a MMH) consulate.
But there are other star-shooters here
besides Bobbins- Mr. Eddie- Hale,
who wears English clothes, you
know, patent leather shoes, a plug
hat and carries around with him an
English ctseof the gout, wanted the
Turkish mission Only a few days ago.
I am told, Hale was a hat drummer
for a New York house. He is the
most aristocratic looking man here
from our State, ami Ktays at Sena
tor Vance's house. "He will get
something as the saying goes here.
Another high-flyer on that line is
Mr. Pendleton King. He is a tall,
well made distinguished looking
man, with Dundreary blonde whis
kers. He is June of the Presidents
numerous biographers, and was sec
retary of the A nierican Legation at
Constantinople by way of reward.
He thinks he honors North Carolina
in claiming the State as his home
though he has not resided there since
early ma nhood.
The "young giant," W. It. Henry,
who made lil) speeches in the last
campaign in (0 days is a eonspicu-
..ni liirtiri- in tln llnriii" here. Mis
giant st ride, imposing rotundityand
long tailed frock coat attracts at
tention to him at once. It was hard
for me to believe that he was a born
and reared North Carolinian He
told me his object in going abroad
was to complete his court education
and to give the State reputation
among the potentates of the Diplo
matic world. He already bows with
captivating graciousness for a man
of such ponderosity. He met the
young Hawaii's ueen when she vis
ited Washington, and he may be
sent to Monoloulu I hear the aspirants
for Diplomatic distinction are very
numerous. I have named only a
few of the score or more
It is the home offices that the
crowd here is after. If I have asked
the question one time, I have asked
it oOU, who is to lie the Collector and
Attorney for the Western District?
The question is still unanswered,
but I have got together a job lot of
opinions, guesses, facts and theories
that may interest our people. The
present incumbents will hold on a
mouth or more. By geographical
assignment tho Western District
patronage is Vance's private proper
ty. But it has a string to it. The
beneficiary must be friendly to Ran
som. It is the reciprioeity idea, and
surely it seems to be a nice arrange
ment. For the collector-ship Vance
has endorsed and urged his cousin,
Mr. Ilezekiah Gudger. Well, Gudger
is not an enthusiastic Ransom man lie
leans strongly towards his old friend
Tom Jarvis, and they tell me here
that Jarvis is a real, live candidate
for Ransom's place. However Mr.
Gudger has given Ransom's friends
assurances that he will not use the
patronage of his office to defeat the
re-election. But Hansom is not look
ing for that kind of a collector. A
vague impression is current that he
will need votes in the next legisla
ture. And Mr. Gudger is not a fa
vorite at the White House. In the
same mysterious way that he hears
everything, the President has heard
that Gudger ran up the white flag in
the thickest of the light and sur
rendered unconditionally to the Peo
ple's party. So, it is thought, that
Vance will bo forced to give up
Gudger and rally on some one who
has no taint on his political foresight,
and who is friendly to Ransom. Be
sides all this the President says he
wants a good, consistent Cleveland
man for this place. The lantern
equipped Diogonies is already on the
alert.
There are only two candidates for
the District Attorneyshp. The "little
terror" Bob Glenn, is Vance's candi
date, but the President is dead
against him. He ha3 heard that
G lenn carried a petition around with
him during the campaign and secured
endorsements for the District Attor
neyship, and that tho day after
the election he started a literary bu
reau for the same purpose. Speak
ing about it, the President is quoted
as saying that it looked to him like
an attempt to forestall public senti
ment in favor of one man, which he
considered a discreditable thing in a
man who was a candidate for the
high office of of Presidential Elec
tor. Then, too, he has heard that
Mr. Glenn accepted the nomination
on. the Electorial ticket with a con
fidenced expressed belief that he
(Cleveland) would not be nominated
at Chicago. Another piece of in
formation has reached the President
which does not help any of Vance's
friends. Somebody that some Mr.
third somebodv has told hi
Vance had refuse to endorse one of
Ms mends for an appointment be
cause he was an "original Cleveland
man."
It distresses me to write these things,
but it is well enough to look the sit
uation squarely in the face. The
trutn is, perhaps it is nnt
the right thing to do to speak of it
in a newspapers. Vance has a great
contempt for Mr. Cleveland's De
mocracy, and Mr. Cleveland
to be entirely indifferent to Senator
v ances operations or wishes. How
it all will end no one can tell, but
lhaA to m II ii 7 -
eu-grounaea apprehen
sion, that "our Zeb" -will o-Pt Wl
left. It seems almost certain when
it is understood that bo
posing candidate
is an "original
- " wir-
A
Cleveland man." went t niii-
Cleveland man. and hA tk;
cal f oresighttS guess that he would be
nominated. Vance is in a state of
big disgust over these probable dis
appointments and he is very meagre
with his compliments in discussing
the administration. He goes to the
White House often enough and they
n il cat- Vi a li . Za . ,
" " ia ery urgent iu
pressing his candidates, hnt
avail. It is hard to realize in the
v ance of to-day the Vance that we
all knew so well, not SO lllJinv vm ic
ago. He is a sadly changed man
aiinosi a complete wrecK -physically,
if not mentallv.
peevishness are noted by those who
it ! .
aremrown Wltn mm intimately, nut
then it ought to be understood that
we is aaiiy ana no arty subjected to
pressure that would disfmAt .
minded and healthy bodied man.
To my great surprise I hear wme
doubts -xprejd about the appoint
ment of chairman Simmon as Col
lector of the Eastern District. It is
only mentioned in whispers, but it
ha mram reference to protested pa
per in on of the Raleigh banks.
which was issued for campaign pur-
ttoses. I understand that it does not
reflect upon his personal integ
rity but that Mr. Cleveland ii very
partieular about those things, and the
information has reached him, possi
bly in some distorted shape. And our
Judy Carroll basn t got the walk
over he was supposed to have lor tne
1'. S. Marshalship. Another en
try and a very strong one they tell
me has Wen made by Cul. Van Rich
ardson of Columbus county, who
says "Judy" is something of a "blath
askite" aiid that he has no claim
whatever upon the Democratic party.
This i a horrible suggestion, and
it will account to you for the abrupt
termination of this effusion.
Jonathan Edvari?.
ALLIANCE DEPARTMENT.
O'er every land, in every are
.Some curse of creed or human ban
llascontrovened the rights of man,
K'cn now some suhtle power
Enthrones the wromr. exaits the knave,
While idlers reign and toilers slave.
TIIK yi'AKTKItLV MKKTING
Of The tun ill v .llllitnccn over The State.
(For The Catcahian.
kim;eomi:e.
Takimjko, X. C, April J4th 1893.
Our county Alliance held its regu
lar meeting in this place yesterday
with a large delegation of represen
tative AllianceTiien in attendance.
The routine business was transacted.
There was marked enthusiasm shown
by the brethren, and they all seemed
determined to carry on the grand
work of the Alliance, which was so
auspiciously begun. Our enemies
say the Alliance is dead, but the in
dications now are that the order will
flourish more than at any period of
its existence. The brethren are
heartily in favor of sustaining the
Business Agency. I he following
preamble and resolutions were
adopted:
Whereas, The impression pre
vails among many w ho are not mem
bers of the Alliance that the order
has been demoralized, disorganized,
and disrupted by the recent political
campaign, and
Whereas, It was the right and
privilege of every Allianceman to
affiliate with the party that he
deemed best to enrrv into effect our
principles. And as it is said: "To
err is human, to forgive is divine,"
let us therefore exercise meutal for
bearance and forgiveness toward
each other; let us bnrry the past
with all its unpleasantness, and take
on renewed life, renewed energy and
renewed determination to battle for
industrial emancipation. Be it
therefore
Resolved, That we, the members
of Edgecombe county Alliance, de
sire to publish to the world our un
faltering allegiance and faithful de
votion to our noble and humane or
ganization; that we renew our
pledges to the principles of the Al
liance, and the measures in the plat-
torm, and promise that in the future
we will zealously advocate and de
fend them
Resolved, That a copy of these
resolutions be sent to the Tarboro
Southerner. Goldsboro Caucasian,
and Progressive Farmer with the re
quest that they be published.
James B. Lloyd,
Secretary Edgecombe County Alli
ance, Iloneycutt's l'nln.
The Quarterly Union nieetinir of
all the Sub Alhauces of lloneycutt's
township, Sampson County, was
held on April 7th with Salem Alli
ance. There was a lull meeting of
delegates and an interesting meeting
We made up a large order of goods
for the Business Agency.
Bro. Butler, Pres. of the State Al
liance and Vice Pres. of N. F. A.
and I. XL, was by invitation with us
and made a public address. This is
i t
wnere he was raised, and at Salem
Alliance is where he joined. We
were glad to welcome our neighbor
hood boy back among us. It is
needless to say to the public that his
speech was an able one and greatly
enjoyed. The good ladies brought
out an excellent fine dinner for the
audience. Salem Alliance is pros
pering. We have initiated and rein
stated 12 members since Christmas.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE
SAMPSON COUNTY FARMERS' ALLI
ANCE ON THE 13T11 DAY OF APRIL,
1893.
Wftfrfaq TVio tac Stnl T :i
ture did pass or attempt to pass laws
repealing the charter of the State
Farmers Alliance and did pass
amendments with the intent to de-
i ii r
siroy or crippie tne business Agen
cy
HUM. Auriciuic m r.
Resolve 1st, That we denounc
their action as cowardly, malicious
and unjust.
2nd, That they were not actuated
oy tneir love of country, but by
a
iow vindictive spirit, to destroy
noble organization.
our
oru, j. nat we also express our con
tempt tor their action in compromis
"t "-" -'tv. la, vjuc&iiun, wnicn
Dhaticallv
i em-
M. O kM.AU VI 1UVJ
to one of the richest corporations
the State.
money
in
4th, That while they compromised
the tax question with the richest cor
poration in the State they increased
tne taxes of the people of the
State
uy meir unprecedented
tions.
appropria-
5th, That we as a body reaffirm
our allegiance to the order as
only hope of redemption from
oppressive influences of combined
capital.
Cth, That we ask The Clinton
AttAsus and the 1'rogressive
Farmer to please publish the above
icauiuuoiis. o
C. J. Williams, )
J. 0. Heerixg, j
J. M. Marshbouxe, y Com
J. J. Vakn, i
L. 0. Rogers,
Resolutions Passed by Robeson
County
Juiiance April 13th, 1893.
tit . -
we tne Farmers' Alliance of
Kooeson county, now in session do
condemn tne action of the
present
our
charter, and we instruct our See
i'y to
furnish a copy of this resolution
to
me r-rogressive i'armer, The
Catj-
casias and Kobesoman for
publi-
cation and we request all
papers
inenaiy to our order to copy
AA V ...
the
oaxue.
W.H. Humphrey, Sec'y-Treas
Robeson Co. Farmers' Alliance.
CHILDREN'S CORNER.
Deak CniLiiiES : At the ret.et
of the Editor f The Caucasian- I
will ocv.i-jlonally tend a s-kcU h fr
vour coluuiu :
CHILD'S APRON.
This little girl wss sketched rs
she peeped out. from -between the
supports of a work table, which made,
in her fancy, a secluded hiddeu place.
Three feet away her mother worked
upon an apron like that which the
child wore. It had a square opening
at the top, trimmed with two ruffles
of embroidery, the upper one white
and the lower pink. Underneath
these ruffles was a piece of goods to
which the full apron was sewed; the
hem was laid in three tucks and
edged with a gathered ruffle of the
goods. The apron is buttoned m
the back, and the material was sheer
white batiste, though coarser mate
rial would be better for most little
rompers. Estelle.
Halifax County.
AlItLEI P. 0., N. C.
Mu. Editor : My Father takes
your pleasant paper and I like it very
much. I think it is the best paper
I ever read, and if the bovs and girls
would tell more about their homes
and their work, instead of telling so
much about the color of their hair
and eyes, it would be so much better.
Xow, girls and boys, can you all tell
me how many of you has a father
that raises his own meat and bread
at home, for if thev would do so
1
they would not be crying out hard
times.
As I have seen so many puzzles in
the Children's Corner, I will send
one:
Two little caves in the side of the
hill,
Just as you come to the cherry mill
Truly,
Bessie J. Best.
1. S. If this does not find its way
to the waste-basket I may write
again.
Correct Answer.
I think the answer to the Enigma
sent in by V. P. is, The Caucasiam,
which 1 m very fond of reading.
J eroxia b. Fairclotii.
Wayne County
Goldsboro, N". C, April, 1S93.
Mr. Editor Dear Sin Mv father
j
takes your valuable paper, The Cau
casian, and I like it very much, es
pecially the "Children's Corner."
Am glad you have criven us a col
umn of your paper. I will ask a few
questions, viz: What is the oldest
town in tne u nited states; when and
by whom was it settled?
My father is a farmer and an Al
lianceman. We live about 8 miles
from Goldsboro.
Wishing you and your paper much
success, I am
Your Little Friend.
Answer and Question.
Mingo, N. C, April 12, 1893.
Mr. Editor: I read The Cauca
sian and like it verv much, esneri-
ally the "Children's Corner." I will
answer W Uliam A. McAulav's ques
tion: Independence was first deelar
May 20th, 1 775, at Charlotte, I will
ask, who drafted the Declaration of
Independence?
I will close with best wishes for
The Caucasian.
Yours truly,
Mary E. Thornton.
Sampson County.
Franklin, N. C, April 15, '03,
Mr. Marion Butler Dear Sir
I am a girl of sixteen years of age.
My father takes your "paper and I
think is the best one I ever did read,
and also like the "Children's Corner"
very much. Hurrah for The Cau
casian and its editor.
Your unknown friend,
. . ; "C. J. Sikes.
An Answer and a Question.
Lumberton, N. C.. April 22, '93.
Mr. Marion Butler Editor of
The Caucasian: I will take the
pleasure of writing to The Cauca
sian. I have been reading the
"Children's Corner" to-day; I enjoy
reading it very much. Pa takes your
paper and likes it splendid. I will
answer Sudie Ingram's question: The
Revolutionary war begun in the year
of A. D. 1775, and ended the year A.
D. 1783, lasting 7 years. I will ask
a question: When and where did the
Commissioners for Great Britain and
the United States meet?
I wil close with wishes for the suc
cess of The Caucasian and its edi-itor-
S. L. Pbevatte.
The DekotaBuralUt One Tear For Sl.OO.
The Dakota Ruralist is one of the
pioneer Alliance papers of the north
west. It is edited by H. L. Loucks,
president of the National Farmers'
Alliance and Industral Union, with
J. R. Lowe, president of South Da
kota Alliance, as associate editor,
which is a sufficient guarantee that it
will be a stalwart advocate of the A!
liance demands. " .';
; We have made special arrange
ments whereby we will furnish Ths
Caucasian and the Ruralist for
$1.7o per year. 7
Subscribe to The Caucasian $1 00
per year. . -
THE DRA3IA0F TODAY
riRST IN A SCRIES OF SERMONS OH
MODERN CITY SHADOWS.
ABBM-mrciTbe Ctr of Hell Im Mod
r llabj In rrot i t a lion of tf41aak
Tar Goo.
New York, April 20. This moraias
tu .ir- Kxr-A for the firt sermon of
!.n? w-rk-s of 10 84-rmans on the Shad
l wn of the Modern City" to bo preached
j.y liev. Thomas Dixon. Jr.. in Associa-ik-nliaHfroin
today to June 3. Theeub
j -ct of the sermon this ranrnirur was the
'Low Theater; or. the Degradation of
lir Amusements." The text chosen was:
IAnd when the daughter f Henxlias herse'f
me In anl danced he plea-ted Herod and
them that eat at meat Kith Li m. and the king
fni.1 nnto the danist!. Ak .f !!. Lataoever
iuon wilt, and I irivo it Uico. And La
fware tinto her. What ver tl.ua vhalt nk of
ini. 1 will give It tlaf. v.ni'i t!.? Lalf of rny
j iiiiftiom. And fete u nt out H'i i said unto Lor
l x.tli.-r, WTiat ehail 1 a.-k? And -- faid. TLe
a !of John the Ik-i li.-'.. Arid ti.e kiawaa
r--dhi sorry. Lut fur the t-uke if Lis oat ha,
rr.d of them that tut t infat. 1. would not ra
f tt ln-r. And .strr.ii,-i.t way flic kin.; tent forth
-oUiU r of LU trukJ-d an ! iM.nauded to bring
Lrad, and lit' cnl at d i Lvaded Llm la the
prison ana uniuti-i lis iifaa imiiKuiawi
I hvc it to the diini' i. at.d tho damsel gave it
to Ler mother. Mark I. -ii-.
II desire to say in the very beginning of
hid series a word to my traditional one
irics in New York, who for four years
;ave lx.?n vilifying and abusirs ma as a
i 'ckorof notoriety. I would suggest to
i iy friends, the little quill drivers of tho
llickguard press, the advisability of
hanging this rune at least once in four
fc-ears. It is getting a little stale now,
hud there are very few people in New
fork who do not know that this ball Is
already crowded beyond its capacity and
h ple turned away. Thero is no reason
why the pastor should seek notoriety.
-There has been no possible reason during
Ihe past two years. No more people can
fcet in the house, fo what would be the
juse? I do not make the suggestion that
1 may escape misrepresentation and false
hood. I simply suggest that they may
vary the lie by inventing a new one, as
this one now is certainly old enough to
bo stale.
The scene described in our text gives
cs an account of one of the first theatrio
hl performances of which We have rec
ord. This dance before LTerod was a pio
neer performance, which has reached its
highest development in the nineteenth
tentury. This performance was a model
pn which a thousand modern theaters are
run today. The result of the performance
kvas the surrender of LTerod to uncon
trollable passion, the yielding of his king
dom to the performer and the murder of
n innocent man.
TWO VIEWS OF TOE DRAMA.
There are two views of the modern
iAafflr that. trwLiv rdniin tho ln.rcpr filmr.
I o
tf the attention of the student of sociol
ogy and religion. I do not propose to
enter the field of this discussion with
any purpose to settle it one way or the
ither or to outline the possible develop
ment of the theater of the future. My
purpose is rather to report facts as they
hre for the present. And yet it is In
cumbent upon me to say iu tho begin
ning which of these two views seems to
ine true. The antagonistic view held by
ja certain school of modern evangelical
Christianity and held to by the vast
majority of the Protestant church ia its
ictive working force was expressed m
'ew years ago most adequately by a dis
inguished Presbyterian minister in Chi
cago. This ia his indictment and defini
tion of the theater:
I "I charge that the theater is often ft
murderous assault upon all that the fam
ily circle holds most holy and sacred. I
harge that it strips young women of
Lheir ordinary attire and exhibits them
:o the public gaze so clad that to the eye
jf the audience they seem and are meant
to seem almost naked. You need not be
told why that is done. I charge that the
Jshaf ta of wit flung across the stage are
pf ten feathered from every obscene f owL
1 charge that the theater is the channel
through which the filth and pollution of
lewd and lascivious playwriters is poured
into the minds of young men and young
;women, thus poisoning the very springs
fof our social life. The theater is an In
stitution 'which has within it the seeds
vf corruption and which exists only
der a law of degeneracy;'' that the refox
jnation of the theater is out of the ques
tion, and the ideal stage is simply an Im
possibility." f That is to say, the theater is of the
devil, was born in evil, is in itself a sin
pnd has no right to exist under any con
ditions. And therefore no Christian
jin any possible way countenance its exis
jtence or discuss it as a reasonable force
jin civic life,
j The other view of the theatre current
is admirably expressed by Henry Irving
Sn a recent lecture before the Philosoph
ical institute of Edinburgh. I quote his
.exact words:
I "The drama is the heart of human na
xure in picturesque or characteristio ao
jtion. The immortal part of the stage Is
is nobler part. Iznoble accidents unA
terludes come and pro, but this lasts
n forever. It lives like the human eonl
tho body of humanity, associated with
mch that is inferior and hampered bT
iLaany hindrances, but it never sinks into
nothingness and never fails to find new
and noble work in creations of permanent
a memorable excellence. The Kfcura
no lights or shadows that are not
:hts of life and shadows of the heart."
After studying the worth of the thea-
as a stimulus to the hhrher famWo.
the intellect, he continues, describing
ts influence upon the nnimaoina
multitudes:
They are not inaccessible to passion
and poetry and refinement, but their
minds do not go forth, as it were, tn
teeek these joys. And even if they read
vvv a iiu
rworks
of poetic and dramatic fanev.
ch they rarely do, they womld miss
on tne printed pase. To them.
ferefore (meaning the masses), with the
tion or a few Btarthncr incident
life, the theater is the onlv channel
- ""o" "-i uoctcr puarea me great
'eympathies of the world of thought be-
jruuu. ukw muneaiate teen. It also fol
lows from all this that the stage Is Intel
lectuallyand morally to nil who have
recourse to It a source of some of the
finest and best influences of which they
are respectively susceptible,
"To the thoughtful and reading man It
brings the life, the fire, the color, which
are beyond the reach of study. To the
common, indifferent man, immersed as a
rule in the business and socialities of
daily life, it brings visions of glory and
adventure, of emotion and of broad ha
man interest. Ife gives glimpses of the
heights and depths of character and ex
perience, setting hira thinking and won
dering even in the midst of amusement.
To the most torpid and unobservant it
xhibits the humorous in life and the
Sparkle and finesse of language which In
dull, ordinary existence is stupidly shut
tout of knowledge or omitted from par
ticular notice. Be it observed, and I pat
it most uncomproinisingly, I am not
thinking or speaking of an unrealizable
Ideal, not)f any lofty iTngMBt1"n of
What might be, but of what is, wherever
there are pit and gallery and footlights."
TEDTH AND EEEOE IN EACH VIEW.
There is truth in both of these views
and there is error. "What Irving says of
the stimulating influence of the drama
Is true, bat wheci he declares that this is
octnconrtc-nwjerever there arejlt
ttnem
Kh
rexcep
kreal
snd gallery and foo'Jighis U t"C-
fesed ideals la uu own
actualitf- of life, or else be J?
-hat his theater U the standard net only
c f London, but of all theaters of the
world, which is a manifest absurdity . a
would accept Mr. Irving' w of tl
drama and of its f usctkm and cf its i pos
sibilities as a rational statement of t&e
case prorided we endcrstand the ideal
condition of the drama. Bet that this U
realized as vet, except ia rare case, is
certainly not a fact. I have been a close
student of the drama for six years.
During the U-t year I have made a
special Investigation of the Fubjct from
Die moral io:nt if view. I Fjieak of what
I know and have pocn pc-nonally. There
are a few go 4 theaters in New York,
but they are very few. There are a few
grxnl t he-ate ts in our other large cities,
bat the had ones outnumber the good
ten to one. There are good plays, and
there are bad plays. Thero ere plays
that arts wholesuiuo and that are helpful,
und I wi.-h tin re wt re mure of them pro
duced tolay iu Am- rica, I have come
to the dtli.KTate conclusion, after the
study of wliieh I f ieak, that it is the
duty ?f the teacher of morals today to
encourage that which is good and whole
some and to discriminate between the
good and the bad in dramatic represen
tation. Ou rare occasions through these six
years I have attended good theaters with
helpful results to myself. Bat tho great
est care must be exercised by any man
who goes to a theater today lest he bring
himself ia contact with the vilest and
tho foulest possible action, which today
dominates the theatrical world.
Tho men who are trying to give the
public tho highest class of entertainment
and instruction in the theater should be
sustained and encouraged, and it is time
that this element united with tho Chris
tian sentiment of the community in a de
termined effort to crush out or ct least
to muzzle the evil influences of the low
playhouses. The plain truth is I say
it deliberately; I say it from personal
knowledge and from study, without prej
udice: Host of our tltcaters as at present con
ducted are a disgrace to the murals and
an indictment of the intelligence of th
American nation and arc the sources of
immeasurable cornqAion to our life.
I maintain that this is true,
OPERA EOUFFE.
First Because the theater is one of
tho first powers that touches young life
in our civic centers, either the life of the
youth born in the city or of the new
blood which pours into tho city from the
country. To the theater they go first to
see tho city. Tho truth ia that tho city
has created the theater. The theater is
a product of city Life. It was so in an
cient times. It is so today. If the thea
ter is bad, it is because the city is bad.
The theater is a growth of city life.
The barrenness of tho city, its loneli
ness, its dull round of uninteresting toil,
its gloom and despair, have created the
theater as the reaction inevitable from
6uch conditions. In the life of tho city
there is an awful need of cheer and re
laxation, of amusements, of change from
rush and din and roar and grind and bur
den and toil. The city is the loneliest spot
on God's earth that is, for tho average
man or woman. The theater is created
by this morbidly developed need in the
human soul. The theater first touches
character in the city in this hour of
crisis, in the reaction and recoil from
these dull element of life, and it sweeps
with resistless power the half formed
character.
In that condition of crisis in the devel
opment of life, in the awful craving of
the soul for the beautiful and the joy
ous, moral distinctions even are lost sight
of. I once knew a spinster of some 40
years of age who had never seen a the
atrical production. She decided on one
occasion that she would 6ee what the
theater was like. As tho theaters were
crowded during some great festive week,
she asked a young gentleman friend to
direct her where to go. He decided to
play a prank on her, knowing her train
ing and feeling sure it would be a great
joke to 6hock her moral sensibilities by
tending her to the worst playhouse in the
city. So he purchased the tickets and
took her to the performance of a widely
known opera bouffe company.
Her friends waited for her return
that they might enjoy her indignation
and joke her about the evening's enter
tainment. But to their amazement when
she returned she was as enthusiastic as a
child. She had never heard such mu
sic. She declared she had never seen
anything so beautiful in all her life. She
had never seen such an array of beauti
ful color, in ench harmony, such gor
geous profusion of all the elements that
charm and delight the soul. She was
literally carried out of herself over tbia
production, which was a moral abomi
nation. So hungry was the poor soul
for music, so barren had been her life of
all that makes for beauty and joy, that
It bad been impossible i - her to think
cf moral distinctions.
So in this awful need of human nature
in tho city tho theater enters, and while
the soul is intoxicated with the sense of
beauty begins to instill even uncon
sciously the seeds of moral death. There
are elements in the life of tho country
districts which answer to this need not
found in the city. Those who live in the
country have tho beauties and glories of
nature. They can live in her, move In
her and have their being in the beauty of
landscape and mountain, in field and
meadow. Besides, in our country towns
today in America there have been estab
lished a system of lyceum entertain
ments and lectures of the very highest
order. These things occupy the life of
the town through the long winter months.
The city fails to provide as yet such cen
ters of intellectual relaxation and social
improvement. It is to the theater that
young manhood and womanhood imme
diately go in the city for amusement. If
the sum total of the influences of the
theater be overwhelmingly evil, how ter
rible must be the results!
Out of all the theaters in the city of
N ew York you can count on the fingers
of one hand those that are conducted
tipon strictly decent principles. And
even these are now and then disgraced
by performances which for the time put
them on the level of the lower centers of
syjx. come years ago, when a distin-"
K.iubnea minister undertook an investiga
tion of the underworld of New York city,
he started out one evening at 10 o'clock.
The detective officer who accompanied
him said to him: "It is only 10 o'clock,
and it is too early to see the places that
we wish to see, for the theaters have not
yet let out. The preacher said, "What
do you mean by thatr "Well,-he said,
the places of iniquity are not In full
blast until after the people have time to
arrive from the theaters.'' In that sin
gle reply of . this police ofacer we are
brought face to face with the terrible
fact that the sum total of the influences
four theaters today is overwhelmingly
evil and evil in its immediate results as
well as its ultimate tendencies.
Second I say it from the character of
the plays that, as a rule, are produced
today Instead of the intellectual work
ta Shakespeare or one who modestly
Jto be his disciple, we are now
Passing through the era of the staged
Pter-the mechanic. It Is the hour of
Jf? . of live horsemen the
stage and of real fire engines that ere
arX ! .J?8 of trernendous
"- ui
dashe.1 acTosl the stage In one of ont
theaters the other night a poor vcoraan
lped from her scat ft raving man-ao
ad was carried to the -olnm.
We do not wonder at this. The char
acter of the plays produced now in a
number of our theaters is enough to nn
lange the mind of th average axan and
woman if taken seriously.
JVOGtXRS AND ACEOBATS.
Besides, there have been introduced
tlement of daring and danger in onr
theatrical amusements of late that Indi
cate a downward tendency. In houses
cuce rued as decent places of amusement
we have juggler and achats, whoee
feats pander to the iat elements or
human nature and are on par with
the fight of the gladiator, with the
wild beast of the Roman arena, and re
sults are frequently as fatal. Recently
at a theater an acrobat 24 years old was
engaged in making turns over a polo
near tho ceiling. He lud made several
turns about the pole, to tho admiration
f the gaping audience, when his perch
suddenlr gave way, and he fell down
ward. He struck U'twwn tho orchestra
chairs and the musicians and was in
stantly killed.
The amount of unmitigated rubbish
that is dished up in our theaters today is
absolutely appalling. Ten years ago a
New York dady, in reviewing tho condi
tion of the drama, said: "There has been
a greater mass of meretricious rubbish
put on tho New York stage during the
last 10 years than during the whole of
its existence. We do not of course refer
solely to pieces that appeal to tho baser
instincts, but to the whole body of sen
sational or emotional products, the fe
verish slop of a French melodrama." A
distinguished dramatic critic told me a
few days ago that in Ids oxinion the av
erage production of tho last 10 years has
been baser than in any 10 previous years
in the history of the American stage.
An American writer in The Contem
porary Review, 6peaking of tho New
York theaters, pays: "A friend of mine
who made a tour of them all was in
clined to think that those patronized by
the roughs in tho Bowery were less im
moral than those patronized by tho resi
dents of Fifth avenue. It ia a matter of
dispute whether they honestly enjoy
good musio as much ns they enjoy im
moral plays." Tho hopelessness of the
situation is further accented by tho fact
that our great newspapers do not seri
ously pretend to do the work cf honest
criticism for the public. Either one of
two things is sure. They do not pub
lish tho criticisms of men of brains, who
are able to do the work, who aro nom
inally in charge of the department of
dramatic criticism, or elso they pur
posely put this work in tho hands of
those who write only to praise in the in
terest of tho advertising department.
AN IN'TrLIJECTUAL A DOMINATION.
For instance, there is a play now run
ning in the city of New York, and at one
of our theaters of high reputation, which
has for its end the glorification of a lie,
the dialogue of which is full of tho most
vicious sentiment, the moral teaching of
which, as a whole, has littlo to redeem it
from any possible point of view. And
yet I have not seen a single word in criti
cism of this play which even takes note
of the fact that it is built on tho idea
that happiness can be attained by decep
tion and lying in the home.
Upon the other hand, a conscientious
actor recently put on the stage of New
York a play with high moral purpose
and high literary merit. It was pre
pared with the greatest caro of detail,
conscientiously performed, Tho motive
of the play was to show the iniquity of
a lie. Imagine tho answer of the crit
ics. They said he was a fool. Why did
no over conress tne tier way ma not
he livo it out? They denounced tho play
fas an utter failure becauso of its moral
motive. That is to say, the men who
aro doing tho dramatic writing for our
great papers are incapable of conceiv
ing a moral idea.
The consequence is that there ia little
influence being brought from tho realm
of public opinion to bear upon dramatic
representations in America today. I
am told by those who know that there
are men of brains and capacity in most
of our newspaper offices in charge of the
dramatic departments, but that their
criticism and opinions aro thrown into
tho wastebasket again and again if they
do not tally with the interests of the ad
vertising department.
There are some exceptions to the char
acter of the plays that are produced to
day that are noteworthy. There are
some which teach the sanctity and purity
of homo. Thero are those who are giv
ing ns sketches of real life in the south
and in tho west that are in every war
worthy of encouragement and support.
But taking the theater as a whole, and
taking nine theaters out of ten and nine
performances out of ten, the character
of the plays is simply a moral and intel
lectual abomination.
Third The reflex of character from
the stage is most damaging upon the
character and ideals of tho audience.
Say what we please about the impersonal
character of those who act, the power
behind words is character, the power be
hind an action il character. It is effi
cient for good or evil as that character Is
good or evil. The character of the peo
ple who today are admitted to the stage
as actors end actresses calls for the
righteous indignation of all who havothe
interest of society at heart or who have
any pride or interest in the stage itself.
Let a man or a woman become notori
ously infamous, and the doors of a certain
class of theaters today immediately
spring wide open with offers of enormous
salary.
Let there be a scandal in society with
an exposure and divorce, and if the
woman in the caso is proved guilty and
the scandal is of enough dimensions her
fortune is mad on the stage. The dis
reputable woman connected with the
tragic life and death of Robert Ray
Hamilton-was invited to enter the dra
matic profession by those who are called
managers, and the attempt was actually
made to expose this personage for a con
sideration to the American people. She
was hounded off the etago by the de
termined effort of two or three reputa
ble newspapers. When John L. Sulli
van or hia triumphant rival finishes his
brutal prize fight, he goes upon the stago.
The success of these people has its in
fluence not simply in inducing other dis
reputable characters to crowd the stage,
but it is a moral object lesson whose in
fluence is utterly damning upon the
minds of the young who witness the per
formance. j
the life or a coo.
The stage its conducted today, broadly
speaking, is the easiest road to great
power and success open to a woman of
evil disposition. It is the best possible"
market for exhibition. " It is the best pos
sible pedestal for the exploiting of person,
for the formation of criminal faHmM
for dissipation, and it ia this fact which
attracts an army of disreputable char
acters to the stage. The stage of today
as it is conducted is the hardest and sad
dest of all fields for honesty to enter and
succeed, especially if the aspirant be a
"iroman, It is the life of a dog. The
hours kept are irregular, the work fever
ish, fitful. The normal conditions of a
sane life are violated and the results and
the work done practically nothing. Only
a few succeed in earning a competence.
The majority of the women on the stage
today get nothing. -
A wTxmaa of character and force, who
Era .flgfaCf lt?Mrb
la one of Che Wt 1 ,v i, v J
said recently to a f . Y ,r Z
.11 tk,j: " tU: 1
i text m w uuc ' '
pany. played tU ;
cdved a salary t f
that on her Mum t
debt $400. Sho i i
starting for dr - - ,
that if tdw wai i. ;
part there wer . ; : .
salaries paid on v
tcrly tnadeju.u i .
who play tho ivr:
a salary lar? eti. t...
are extvedinly r;ir
A distinguj'-.H d ,
has had
century with thf .
ccntly said: '"I
to talk with eim;;. :
Fomt, Fanny Ki :.
Jannnsclnk, .T.lu
PonUi, and while n.
acknowlled iL-.t .
est life of wi.j k u
: " cirrr
""at,
l-4.
-I?
y r.
vuid all f th m 1- :
ti.m umii the m;;
Ues of it.;; j r i 5 .
t5i.it rvinstii.ed in v i . .
Veteran taid to i:u 1 : . .:
raie I'liii iiH than ! . . ,
The iMine- tntx i.
says: lt in the pr :. :
ality that foreen t.n- . .
stimulants. 1 kn..
wide repute who Lav - -.
befon the public ins...
a ftSte of ULRtli i .
The condition is ro k.; .
with prolesid ual- : ,
them on having tl.t r
inarrh-d gao up tin- , . ,
struggK"
A UW.lUt l J U 1!
Thiie are pome of t!.. f,
set tho honest tndi-au r i
..
8
of today. I do not m. ;
question of theuters w li:
lives. Th-ro are pl.i'v
so called, in New Yoi
more than di-?vpi:t:.U' i
la a pl.iee on Twi ii.
is a dive of the luoM (li
ter, Riid -t evtry n v
York admits thin ii.f.s
ineut to its columns, nu .
theatrical rforni:.n
There are other l l:u .
ly villainous.
;i ;ir- a
"-j
'" :.r
'! i'5
I Fourth I maintain i.
cause the dominant v.i r iutJ
ox toaay 13 loumx in tin r--s,u,i;
las. Tho introduction of wnxt
stngo in largo numbers an 1 f .
purposo of disgraceful .l.ilit; :
bodies has been carried t a j.
. . ...
must Boon ucinanu iii'' ; ;:vt
enco of tho moral force,-. . f u,
lion. The dances made -kxx
recent years nro di-grao ! lr
power of description. Tin y m
masterpieces of (sensuality hi k
and action. Tho dance t.l,n J
field iu the theater. It i-.ii:
in season and out of scan. A
of dances, in every posit i n in L
human body can bo p!a 1, pt,-
tortion of limb, every .iVatuCtl
movement that can by aiiy p
means suggest the sensual, is mi
without hesitation.
The Bcrpcntine dance, inur.;.
woman who has bocon." f;.!i; j
HaiP'-in with tho disgust in -4 li' ir
is now in Sing Sing w-rv;'ac
has net tho fashion of th" l.ii. n-J'
She is even giving IcFsr.ii-1 tL -r.
Paris in this crt. Th: j t wrF.
of today pander to the I .-.vrti:!
nature. Threo-quart"rs of the
in our great city of New York
time depend almost en t i re 1 y f 1 r ti i
cess upon tho exhibition of f4
women.
METKOrOLITAN OPUIA llol'St
Nor i.3 this evil abstiA ' rotate
est class of our-in-rrtniauiC?s
Metropolitan Opera House last j
tho scene of a magniiiceiit proii"
grand opera. The Finjrln.,'
It was worth any price a rcaa.
4 -'
to pay for a seat. Uut every vaZZA
performance must be luamd in
troduction of the chorus, in -
ancient ballet choir, exhibit!." "t
of all sorts, of all sizes, of all a?
grandmothers down to unilensc!
1G, in aconditionof and -c"ut tni"
invariably introduced. A writ'?!
York evening paper a few :
said at a low estimate there
nearly 2,000 women in lights aits'
ous Chicago theaters this reiamcr -E.
Abbey's spectacle at tho A"
will employ 700; Steele MackaysM
701: Henderson's extravasat-
"Black Crook," 100; 11. h. V
"Spider and Fly," CO; Lillian Ea
company, 50; Sealrook'.'s coc?
to say nothing of those in farce cm
and in dozens of music halls.
There is no ground on which .
can discuss this kind of a theatttj
of tho devil. It was born in he!
1 i urmx r a 4-rk ontr t-i!i-7'i infL.
not one snle. nolitarv reason tan
istence. save that men ar -willin?
their fellnw mm for money, h A
theeo theaters in tho city of CH
on Euclid avenue, I saw an andies?!
ered in which there wns nut 1
present, except two or three s-n
who had strayed in apparent-".
the audiaico one-third were boy j
me ages or 8 and 13. 1 in F1-"
appealed to thevileet instinct"
brute from the onenin? total
Does any man believe that tH"1
tinuo without its harvest?
A man who has studied tb
declares that there are tho-7
boys in the city of Brooklyn erff
witnessing these performances
Are thnn rati fla mrt-TA n VeW Y-3I
everv Htv in Am
crimes in the ntroft nrrlons ar"
ural results of this sort ot iife,h
early debauchery of jnDX.hoAr
and moral, a foregone coecIssk-
hatdn's cheatioj.
The theater I believe to I &
high things. Dramatic i rforffi
Tint in ViT-T-.fllL
transcendent genius have
world through them, but tuej
used the methods in vogtte to
Haydn's "0110 there i
arrangement which gives trJ
force to tho words, "1
son-ids prepares the ear for J
, all the instruments, prodarfr y
f of a thousand torches eniJ
from darkness and iUumicaiipS ?5
This oratorio was given i 'Q
when Haydn, in his 7Cth year
feeble, was taken to hear it
orchestra came to this passage. -.i
audience rose, and turnis? w f
man applauded with enthusia51?.
pointing upward, f altering."
"It came from there f and ovtf' i
he fell back and was carried
lieve the world has received
ration and highest impulses Vfj
who have spoken to ns thro
dium of tho theater. Soin5
horrible is the present utter pjrT
of all its transcendent .J
FILE THOSE RJCTVBK",
1 J
We hope you will file tho 1
of The. Caucasian sent as jg
to the business men of y. d
Twt 4. ,1 ..v, mnr'rinS1 j
mentfl. We will want to see tne
fall when we go to market, j
Many citizens of Sampson K)
Drpiin (not a few.) l f