commodation of such visitants, arrangements are ordinarily made upon a large and brilliant scale. Handsome saloons for fashionable tippling are there, and more lofty bar rooms, for the commercial exchange of courtezan courtesies and kindred commodities, are always found; nay indeed, are considered as necessary, to the success of the profession. It is no uncharity then to say, that the associations of the play house, are as destitute of all morality, as the Romish church is of piety, or the mother of Uncle Tom's Cabin, of truthful honesty, in her delineations of Southern character.

The next in descent from the theatre is, the fashionable concert. (The circus boasts a different pedigree.) These go out from the stage, and are the legitimate fruit and offspring of the play house. Whatever therefore may be said of the one, may be urged also in regard to the other. The performers are generally members of the theatrical profession, as in the case of Jenny Lind, Madam Sontag, &c., &c., and their performances consist of the same things which they have been accustomed to exhibit on the stage. The only difference is, at the theatre, the whole opera or drama is presented in all its parts, by a suitable company of performers, and with appropriate appointments; while at the "hall" the bill of fare is made up, of parts and patches, without the paraphernalia of appointments; is presented by single performers, and is called concert. Does this make it better? The evil influences of this kind. of amusement, are more to be feared, if possible, than the theatre itself; for the reason, that no popular warning; no moral alarm is sounded in the name. The identity of concert and

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose,

By any other name, would smell as sweet."

In the instance of fashionable concerts, as they are generally gotten up and accredited, the truth of the poet's aphorism is totally reversed both by the actor and spectator. They have discovered, so it would seem, that almost everything important consists in the name. The performer finds the odium of the profession removed by it, and she, as by the power of

magic, is trasformed from the unenviable position of "actress" upon the stage, to the universally admired station of "concertress," at the hall. How wonderful. The public, Christian, and all, have found it to be, in this respect, the true "bull expurgatorious," which has the power, with the removal of the person and the performance, from the boards of one place, to the boards of another, to cleanse both from every moral stain; so that everything, however "begrim'd and black" before, is changed to pure white; from the carolings of the fair German, down to the vulgar buffoonery of the painted Africans.

Every thing is made acceptable too by this strange power, from "upper-tendom" to "nigger alley ;" and under its workings, the minister, with his flock, can attend without censure, and worship together at the shrine of the heathen. Strange, that they should never dream that they were in the house of Belial !

-Can such things be

And overcome us like a summer's cloud
Without our special wonder?"

If upon the return of the concert performers from the hall to the theatre again, where they ordinarily belong, and their admirers should discover upon the play bills of the next day an identity of entertainments on the stage, with what took place at the hall, is it not clear to the sense, that instead of any regret arising, or compunction of spirit, for what had been done, the tendency would be to create a desire, and produce a temptation in the minds of the admirers, to go and see the same things at the theatre also. "We saw no harm in it. they would say; we were interested and amused at the hall; now the same things are to be done at the play house; let us go there too." They would reason rightly. If there was no harm or evil in the one, there can be no harm or evil in the other. To illustrate this principle and make it perfectly plain, let us give it a location. The beautiful song of "home, sweet home," written by the late John Howard Payne, Esq., U. S. Consul at Tunis, was composed for the melo-dramatic opera

of Clari, the maid of Milan; and constitutes an important feature of that interesting play. Now brother

,

who is a

very excellent and consistent Christian, heard the talented Miss B sing that enchanting song at the concert, and he was quite carried away with it. He goes up to the city of next week, and there he sees upon the "posters" of the day, that the celebrated opera of Clari, with all the original music," is to be presented at the theatre that night. And in large capitals, reaching quite across the bill, he reads that the distinguished Miss B will sustain her favorite character of Clari, and sing the song of "sweet home."

see and hear her Why can't I go at

Brother scratches his head, and says to himself, "that's the song I heard at the concert; and that's the lady too who sung it. I should like much to again. If it was'nt at the theatre I'd go. any rate? there's nothing sinful in the walls of the theatre; bricks and mortar; and I'm sure there was nothing in her performances at the hall, of an objectionable character; besides I'm away from home, and, upon the whole, I'll go." Now the poison works well. There's poor brother sitting in the theatre. How came he there? How? ask the concert. What is the consequence of his being there? Why being fully committed now, and his destiny afloat upon the stream of temptation, it will be wiser, than to ask of the "spiritual rappers," if we apply for his whereabouts bye and bye, among the "gods and goddesses" of the "third tier." The fashionable concert, has been the starting point with hundreds, on the road to perdition. The question arises, can moral, order-loving persons, to say nothing of Christians; those who respect the institutions of the gospel and desire the well being of society; can they justify themselves before the world for being thus deluded? If not, what of Christians and Christian ministers? How will they appear, before God, in giving an account of their stewardship? And what palliation will they be able to plead, of the baneful influence of their example, to their charges, in being found at profane shows and concerts? And how many, from the dim caverns of doom, will point

their phantom fingers at them as they pass, and accuse them with being the cause of their ruin. The thought is terrible. The fashionable concert hall is an open avenue of temptation, leading directly to the theatre; where commences the broad and travelled pathway of vice, folly, disgrace, and ruin.

In reference to the circus and the ball room, of which it might be expected an essay like this would speak, they are almost too degraded in their character, and debasing in their nature, to appear upon the respectable pages of a sober Quarterly. If the tendencies of the drama and the concert are evil, these are fourfold more so. The circus and the race-field, are nearly related, and stand about on a par with each other. The jockey of the course, and the rider of the ring, are almost identical characters; with this simple difference, the performances of the one are made the subject of "high gambling" among roues, while those of the other are bought for the sport of fools. As an evidence of their fraternity of feeling, these

"Birds of a feather, flock together."

Seldom do the races "come off" in any place without the attendance also of the circus. The argument that is sometimes put forth in their defence, that they serve to improve the breeds of horses, is too absurd to notice. Put rogues and debauchees instead of horses, and the argument will be good. But as this class of amusements is admitted, by the performers themselves, to have but a kind of bastard claim to respectability, it is not necessary for us to go farther. They bear the mark of Cain upon their forefront, and vagabond is attached to all their practices and associations.

Of the dance, which belongs to this category, and whose relation to the circus is about the same as that of the concert to the theatre, it may be proper to say a word. Dancing did not originate as an amusement, but was first found among the obscene and disgusting rites of the heathen Temple of Osiris in Egypt. It would not do for us to go into any thing like a description of those rites in the hearing of chaste ears, no

more than it would to explain the moral theology of Rome as given by "Peter Den." But if those who now, under high excitement, "whirl away through the guilty mazes of the dance," could see the exact original character and workings of this, their favorite amusement, they would be almost as unwilling to acknowledge the parentage of their occupation, as some of the "upper ten" would that of their birth and being, if from their graves, in their "linsey woolsey" and "cotton jeans," their progenitors should rise to visit them. The Israelites carried with them in the "Exodus" the Egyptian dance, which accounts for its existence among us and the American Indians. In the practices of the latter, it retains much of its original spirit, which is accounted for in the fact that it is an exercise only fit for savages to indulge in. In the present day, this amusement is fast degenerating and passing from popular places to barbacues, bagnios and the parlors of the aristocracy. The same light of progress which finds the names of the Cæsars conferred upon butchers' dogs, follows the dance from respectable hotels to engine houses, (places all too good,) where not unfrequently, as if ashamed of the character of those who constitute its company, it assumes the mask and writes upon itself its own Babylonish name "mystery." Few persons of acknowledged respectability would be willing to be found at a modern ball. And yet, at "soirees" and "wedding parties," this "head and horns" of the idolatrous breast of depravity is sometimes permitted still to obtrude itself. The evil tendencies of the dance are too many and too well understood to call for any lengthy exposition. It is the companion of wickedness, and its favorite haunt is the house of the courtezan. It is the handmaid of corruption, and leads in the way of death. The dance at home begets the desire of the dance abroad; the private lesson leads to the public practice, which is the open door of licentiousness and dishonor. The idea that learning to dance imparts ease of carriage and gracefulness of manners, is utterly false. It would be as reasonable to expect gracefulness of VOL. VII.-14