Show from ta ai THE dam some weeks ago one ilat herile carter of chicago was called into court to chow cause why her husband should not bo givel a divorce liberating him without condition from his Diar ital contract the basis of the suit waa incontinence and adal tery the woman appeared and entered a plea of not emilty theu followed the most disgusting exposure 0 infidelity and cricco that ever was rehearsed in an american court nothing was suppressed from the prolonged acene of TOom estic that caused the disunion and no element ot it waa too vilo to appear en lisha iUle in abo chicago newspapers the back ground figure 0 alie domestic drama was personified by one kyrle bellow the one time leading support of mrs james brown botter with whom the american public have already a familiar acquaintance the divorce suffice it to say waa granted as prayed for and the lady of the suit was by the tacit ruling of the court invited to tale her del lew for her widows portion whether the appearance of sirs carter in court waa tor a bona fide defence of character or to bid for a kind t notoriety which baa been a source so much profit in recent years to professionals of high art will be surmised from the fact that hag just announced her intention to choose the stage as a solace for her grief this unsurprising armourd armoury emont by sirs garter has come along precisely in the nick of time and affords the very best of material for the boxt of a sermon wo havo been wanting to preach for some time on the eo called popular american drama among all the thousands of inventions in vogue for purposes ot diversion the drama is the most sublime it embodies all that is beautiful in human nature and in art relieved of its superfluous attachments and condensed and idealized into a living unity how could there be a more beautiful conception of the wants of an intellectual in the lice of entertainment it is not is not art it is the of both proult irith alt the embellishments of genius and within the compass of human intellect years are projected from the image ies of an hours duration the dominant motives and propensities of an epoch are unfolded by a single pro Ben tation in a word or a gesture may be revealed tho height and the depth of human emotion the ecstasy of pleasure the frenzy of grief the abnegation of love the vengeance of bate the sublimity of exaltation the baseness of degradation indeed all that is from god or lucifer in man may be embodied and amplified to the perception of the dullest intellect in a movement or a glance then there are the accompaniments of ecenia illusion and artifice there are the appeals of heavenly music the glitter and the gauze of the auditorium the glowing faces and the dazzling lights all combined to transport the enraptured mind into realms of ideality the most intense and expansive possible to human conception or imagination this is the drama not the popularly american drama but the drama as the great masters conceived it and as it has been handed down through the long line of divine artists from of old to tom taylor the cl bild of our own period thia is the drama chose name dignity and welfare we have to contemplate in connection with this late announcement from chicado hat the best advertised harlot in the lic will lend her graces to the american stae what a spectacle of ruth looms into ones mind at the sound of abeso worda could crosser insult to american bo conceived than that suggested by euch an announcement no we think not bat it is verily true that the great desideratum side ratum in a successful debut upon the american itoga is notoriety simply chastity ia not a consideration indeed it is rather an obstacle than otherwise culture is not considered si scholarship baa no bearing at all and genius savo tor vulgarity is an encumbrance practically it is notoriety for no matter what first of all then comes the question of shape and a tact for obscene allusions and its natural attendant impudence and noise it does not decem to us BO very strange that mrs carter should include n the preparations her chosen profession a divorce a scandal and an exposure infamous enough to carry her name to every ear on abo continent neither is it strange that in the presence of such conditions the american Amei ican stags for the most part should be and beanner pally regarded as a sort of circulatory system through which cliame and depravity can move about in comfortable ease and erow robust and hearty we do not wonder that disciples of morality and religion generally regarded tho very name of the play house an noisome pestilence and an abomination to mankind they cannot be censured for BO doing it beems that the press and the votaries vot aries of pleasures at large and the theatrical fraternity in particular have combined to degrade the drama to the lowest depths ot vice to which human infamy can descend if thero is a shade of decency remaining to give substance to the conception of the play bouse in its exalted sense the fault if you please js not chargeable to those who assume the cara of ita namo and its character the christian minister will visit with no compunction the confines of the traveling circus within this baet aggregation of animals he beholds a thousand diversions for a leisure hour the huge animal elephant has liis funny tricks the monkey and the cockatoo and kangaroo and the great lions and the hyenas and many more animals great and small savage and innocent perform a thousand tricks and wonders to make him laugh and stare then comes abo great ring chock foil of another class of bopping skipping whirling gibbering flying animals equally and curion la their of and homor in form they are men sure enough but fey irps attempt byword or deed to derpina der ou on that point from the down to the nay roaster they aro advertised animals and assume no other aut when abo animalism to be anticipated at a circus invades the precincts 0 the drama it id polluting a abrine of human almost as a house ci worship eliy debould not the mind revolt at such a aud ebli it aa it would a pest house or a den of thieves were it only to avoid the block to hia own moral decency which a pimp in the garments of a priest donld naturally cause an ape in a pulpit would ba a pleasant bight compared with it to remove any appearance of blander we will add this tribute in the higher planes ot the dramatic profession the sublime qualities bo longing ti the genuine drama may still be recognized in purity in the midst of BO many concomitants comi tants eliat this should be is a tiling to cause immeasurable delight to those who appreciate the playhouse in ita legitimate sphere |