DR CUMMING ON THEATRES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3597, 15 August 1873, Page 3

DR CUMMING ON THEATRES.

A London correspondent of a Scotch paper writes :—

Dr dimming, of prophetic fame, in a speech at the City Missions, made some curious revelations about theatres, plays, and players. "The church in which I have long officiated," he said, "is in the centre of eleven theatres; I might pitch a stone from my pulpit into Drury Lane on my right hand, and into Covent Garden on my left. _ I have a little service on Friday evenings, and actors, actresses, and scene-shifters come in occasionally and take a mouthful of living bread and go away. Madame Grisi attended for three months, and got much good. ..Once a number of boys and girls were picked out of my schools to help at the pantomimes. I called on Ahe parents, and, placing the case before them, said, ' Yeur children go at eight o'clock at night, and do not get home till twelve or half - past; they are hung up with wires, and fly through the" theatre as angels with wings ; then they put on their dirty clothes and go home. Do you think this is for their good ?' The answer was—' No ; but we are starving, and get a shilling a night, and we can't afford to give it up.'" This is an argument not easily refuted. The reverend doctor does not show to advantage as a critic. . He said he had once been preaching against the theatre, and got a remonstrance from an actress, who was sure, if he would come and see " Manfred " acted, he would alter his opinion. He declined to go, but said he would read it carefully, and comment on it next Sunday. He had a great crowd of actors, actresses, and sceneshifters. He told them that in the play there was one suicide, one murder, two or three lies, and two or three equivocal proceedings, and that he was " quite disgusted with it!" The poetry in it he had, of course, entirely overlooked. As " Othello " has also a suicide, a murder, lies, and equivocal proceedings, no doubt the doctor would be as much disgusted with Shakespeare as with Byron.