THE EVERY-DAY JULIETS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4858, 24 November 1883, Page 3

THE EVERY-DAY JULIETS.

In killing off Juliet, Shakoopeare for once at least, eacrifioed nature to dramatto effect A strong minded, obstinate, self-willed young woman like Juliet, would never have killed herself. What would probably have happened would havo been this : Juliet would have fallen do«n fainting, and after lying in a state of syncope for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes would havo revived, and would have run away from euoh a scene of horror* as fast as her lege could carry her. She would have gone home, told her mamma and papa the whole story, and would have remained in strict seclusion until after the funeral -wag oror and her mourning had oome home from the dronomaker'e. 'Xhen ehe would have appeared as the di«oonsolato young widow, in a set of bewitching weeds. r lhen she would have taken to devotion. She would havo risen at an unearthly hour to go to six o'clook maaß, to the great disgust of her lady's maid, whom she would have compelled to aooompany her. In a few weeks' time this little habit would have been folia wed by a remarkable "revival " amongst the young men of the place, who would also have token to going to mass, with small pooket prayer books, the spiok and ■pan newness of which would have betrayed the faot that their ownera wero noS in the habit of using them very frequently. By and by one or more of them would have lurked about the ohuroh porch until Juliet's arrival, and would then have offered her the holy water brush. After ono or two of auoh incidents had ooourred, Juliet would have acknowledged the attention with a sweet sad smile, as who 1 should iay, " I see your devotion, and I pity '

you— but it is hopeless— my hf art is buried in the prove of my dead love." Then the young men would begin to call on papa and mamma, and take intense delight in papa's stories, and mamma's interesting reminisoenoes of her other babes who had "gone before." By-and-bye one of the young men would begin to speak to Juliet of the neoessity of not allowing herself to be so entiraly absorbed by her grief. She would shake her head sadly, and give another pitying smile. Then the would begin to think of half mourning, and interviews with tbo dressmaker would take place with suggestions from the latter of a little less crape, and a speck or two of white or mauve. Julut would comply, but with reluctance. Then the young man, if he were a wiceawake young man, would speak out a little more 'plainly, for it does not do to be undecided and hesitating with pretty young widows ; and Juliet would burst into tears, whioh she would mop up with a handkerchief deeply fringed with laoe, and ask him "How he could be so cruel, so soon after — " (sobsob -sob !) The young man would, of coarse, humbly apologise, and repeat the offence at the earliest opportunity. At length the necessary consent would be given, and a year and a day after Borneo's death, Mrs Borneo would doff her last remnants of mourning and* " be led to the hymeneal altar "by some* body else, and Borneo would for a time be forgetton. But aot tatireh* forgotten. Oh, dear no ; the«e re- married widows never dp entirely forget number one. When numb»r two objeots to the milliners' bills, then would oome the time when Juliet would remember Borneo, and tow that "her first husband would novor have been such a brute, and would have paid any milliner's bill, however large, without grumbling." Whioh might be true, only that Borneo never had to pay any milliner's bills. This is a horribly oommon-plaoe view of the whole affair, and would have spoilt the play as a tragedy, but as a matter of fact healthy young women never kill themselves for love ; they know that thero are as good fish in the Bea as ever came out of it. I had the honour of escorting home a very matter-of-faot young person of the age of thirteen, and naturally asked her what she thought of the play. "Oh, Miss Pomeroy was delightful," Ac, &o. But what did she think of Borneo and Juliet as characters? And the matter-of-fact youDg person briefly remarked, " Oh, they were a couple of fools," and then proceeded to discuss the inoidents of the play. Mr Elliott'B Borneo was very good, but it had one defect. Except in one or two soenet, Mr Elliott never forgets that he is Mr Elliott. Herein lies his inferiority as an artist to Mies Pomeroy. On the whole, however, he acted very well. But ho reminded me of a story of & graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge, whioh it may be neoeisary to state, for the benefit of some of my Colonial readers, is the largest and most important College of that ancient University. At a party oomposed exclusively of Trinity men, some one had been speaking in a disparaging manner of the members of the smaller Colleges, when this graduate inter* posed and gently said, "Let us remember that they, too, are God's creatures !" Now, when Mr Elliott came before the curtain, leading on Mils Pomeroy, I could not help wishing that he knew this aneodote, and would bear it mind. The other oharaoterg were nearly all fairly well sustained. Mr Joyce aoted Old Capulet extremely well, and so did Mr Hall Friar Lawrence. Mr Appleton, who took the part of Meroutio, has some defeot in his artioulation, whioh makes him talk as if he had a lolly in bis mouth. He should try to overoome this defeot, whioh spoils what would be very good acting. The Apotheoary was an odious burlesque. I never saw such an atrooious get-up, or suoh a caricature of what is really a very pathetic character if properly rendered. It takes a really good actor to render the part effectively. lam astonished that the stage manager should have allowed Mr Faley to appoar got up in the manner he was, and I know that some old playgoers near me expressed themselves in very Btrong terms about it. I cannot often find time for the theatre, and it may have been exceptionally oold when I have been there, but this I know, that the draughts in the stalls are dreadful. It is all very well to have plenty of ventilation, but there may be too much of anything. A SALVATION CAPTAIN'S OABKIB. I bought a New Zealand War Cry the other day. It oontained the portrait and memoir of a very interesting convert — Mr W. Bhepherd, or, as he is called, Captain W. Shepherd. This gentleman seems by his own account to have spent a considerable portion of his life, after the age of sixteen, ingaol — Pentridge gaol in Victoria seems to have been his usual place of abode when he was " wanted." It is doing him no injustice to describe him as a thief and a loafer aid a cheat. He admits that while engaged in cooking for the shearers at Baribogy station in New South Wales, he iron the money of his mates by the three-card trick. He seems to think that this requires a little justification or apology, for he says, "as some are very olever on the stations when they get a few pounds, and thought I mat a fiat, I showed my skill in the three-card trick by winning their money. This soon got noised about, and I had to clear out, "so off 1 started with my cheque to the Wagga Wagga raoes. I did not do much there!* He wai wise to clear out. Thii interesting individual, after sundry wanderings, goes home to his sitter's, who seems to have been a respeotable person, and who wanted him to go to ohuroh. This he would not do, preferring to go to the Salvationists, by whom he was converted. Hie . subsequent career I ehall follow with interest. I want to see on what grounds the Salvationists made this man a captain. It certainly strikes an outsider that gentlemen of Mr shepherd's profession and character, if they repent siooerely of their misdeeds, and desire to lead an hooest life, wonld best show their penitence by remaining in an entirely subordinate capacity in any religious body to whioh they may belong. I cannot imagine a sinoero penitent undertaking the duties of a captain, or publishing his autobiography to the world in the way Mr Shephord has done.