8
THE COURIER
cud he changed without disturbing the animating spirit of the sac
rament. The question is not whether communion in both kinds
shall, be disused, but how it may bo preserved without disregarding
scientific demonstration of the dangers attending the present prac
tice. The discussion of the Bubject, so that the most desirable method
consistent with the solemnity of the holy mystery may be found and
adopted, should and mm proceed in all Protestant churches. It
cannot- be smothered, but must eventually come up in the legisla
tive bodies, the assemblies, conferences and conventions of all Prot
estant denominations, though meanwhile different substitutes for
the common chalice are likely to bo introduced into many individual
churches.
Whkx it was announced that Madeline Pollard, the heroine of the
Breckenridge cuse, would go on the stage, Madame Jnoauschek and
other noted women of the theatrical profession made emphatic pro
tests, and there was something of a storm in the profession. Now
cornea a qua'19'1 champion of Mts3 Pollard in the person of Alice Juliet
Soaw, better known as Mrs. Shaw, the whistler. She says: "The
outcry against Madeline Pollard attempting to make a living on the
stage strikes me us being ungenerous and unjust, in view of the
standard of oiorality by which public opinion declares the women of
the Btage are in too many cases governed. A man's standard in such
matters doesn't seem to matter, whether he bo a 'manager or
simply a roue without theatrical affiliations. Immorality has been
so often charged against, I might almost say, the majority of
actresses thnt there has even come to be a subtle suggestion of im
morality in the successful career of the actress or singer. With the
truth or the falsehood of this charge I am not called upon to deal.
My professional sisters need no defender in me. That this sugges
tion exists I leav it to fair minded men and women, professional or
n'ot, to Bay. And if it does exist, and so long as it exists, what can
be more natural than for women, whether maidd, wives, widows, or
mistresses, to whom a sexual taint attaches, to reap the greatest
possible 4enefit from that taint by exploiting it and, incidentally,
their dramatic-aspiratione upon the boards? Now, this is gross in
justice to the honorable women of the theatre and concert hall. To
put i t plainly, it is pcssible to succeed on the stage and remain
chaste. Personal purity is not inconsistent with professional suc
cess. The sneer, the-mocking laugh, with which Buch an assertion
will be received in many a green room, dramatic agency and mana
ger's office is notlo-'be taken as throwing any real doubt on the cor
rectness of r tab-assertion, but rather as ridiculing the audacity
of the professional women who dares to raise
such - a question by risking such an assertion.
As a proposition -which is worthy of hearing and of consideration
I make bold .to say that a young women in distress, a widow left
helpless with a family to support or an abandoned wife, with no'thing
but her own talents between herself und the streets, may hope to
attain an honorable career and an uncompromising triumph in the
theatre. You can run overon your fingers all tho names of success
ful actresses and, singers to whose skirts no scandal has attached
at whoeefair fame not even the harpies and hangers on of the pro
fession have dared to throw mud. I will not bo so presumptious as
to mention them, and Le crushed with the retort: "What! Are
there no others?" They are a great many more than the scandal
mongers imagine. But I reel safe in saying that my own experience
shows how tho mother ot four helpless little girls, widowed and left
penniless through, no fault of her own, may turn to the 6tage and
find not only helping hands but a fair chance to earn bread and
butter, and more too, without bringing a blush to her children's
cheeks. Like Marches!, I consider my whistling a unique form of
ringing, and I am proud of earning my money by whistling for
it. The relations between managers and stars are 60 often such as
to encourage the censorious that any honest xomen on the stage
ought to be pardoned for entering a public protest against them.
The suspicion that surrounds those relations in so many cases is so
well founded, even it be founded on appearances only, as to support
without difficulty the edifice of smut which is so readily built upon
it The inducements young women are supposed to offer, or to be
obliged to, or asked to offer, to managers in order to secure engage
ments in comic opera companies are notorious topics of gossip. If
these relations and those inducements are lies vile, infamous fake
hoods, slanders in seven league boots why, then I for one think it
time they were stamped as such and tii-e tongues of ten thousand
critics, in press and pulpit, barroom and loafer's corner, silenced
once for all. If they are not lies, let the shame of their truth fall
where it belongs- Let the men who are responsible for such a state
of affairs be pilloried. I for one am tired of hearing insinuations
against the honor of women who pursue a professional career as con
scientiously ib they would a perambulator. And I am tired of the
cant and hypocrisy which mask the dishonor it is vain to deny.
Instead of publicity in one's daily life being encouragement of
looseness of morals, as the critics would have us believe, it ought, by
all the rules of common sense and common decency, to be the exact
opposite. The very fact that an actress or a singer or a whistler, for
that matter, lives and exists by living in the public eye ought to
make it all the harder for her to transgress public convention. And
it does. What is to be thought of the sharoelessness our clerical
and our barroom critics alike impute to professional women if they
disregard those very obligations to correctness of life, which that
publicity does and ought to entail? Now, do they? And how much,
by the way, of the immorality of professional women are 'man
agers' responsible for? If these slanders are true let it be conceded
publicy. If they are not true let them be denounced publicly."
IN OMAHA.
Labor Day passed off very quietly in Omaha. The parade, which
was the smallest I have seen for several years, seemed to consist
chiefly of floats and wagons, all used as advertising mediums. The
music was good, the best bands being those from the Fort, 1st Regi
ment Nebraska National Guards and the 7th ward. The "boycott'
of Ilayden Bros, seemed to be the next item of importance. I learn
that these enterprising merchants were not allowed to have a repre
sentation in the parade, while many were -the .banners I saw
called for a boycott against them. I hardly think this was the idea
those in authority had when they made "Labor Day a legal holiday
and I venture to predict that if this evil, for I consider it eucb,
grows, in a few years we will not only be minus the parade but the
holiday itself on the first Monday in September.
Tho members of the Omaha Cricket team were very much dis
appointed that their rivals from Kearney did not put in an appear
ance on Monday morning and play the gamo which was set for that
date I hear that some trouble about transportation made the
visitors withdraw at the last moment. '
Mr. Charles H. Wilson left on Friday for Washington to be pres,
ent at tho wedding of his sister which will occur on Tuesday next.
Dr. E. W.Lee returned on Sunday from a two weeks trip East.
I regret to learn that Omaha is soon to loose another very inter
csting and delightful army officer iu the person of Dr. Henry Mc
Elderry, who goes to Fort Robinson about the middle of the month.
Among those who took advantage of the opening of the hunting
season on September 1st were Mr. Henry W. Yates and son, Mr.
Robt. W. Patrick, Mr. John Patrick, Mr. Shephard and Mr. Paul
Luddington.
The Misses Nash, bringing with them Miss Nippenberg, are x
pected home some time between the tenth and fifteenth.
Captain Crowder returned from Fort Leavenworth early in the
week.
I hear that the Yale Glee club are to visit us again this year.
They were so well received and entertained last time that I do not
wonder they wish for a return engagement Those very interesting
young men will be here some time during the holidays, the concert
taking place at Exposition hall.
Miss Burke, who has been the guest of Mr. and Mrs. John A.
McShane for the past month, left on Tuesday for a two weeks visit
to her home at Salt Lake. At the expiration of that time she will
again return to Omaha and remain for the winter. Miss Blanche
Burke also left this week for St. Joseph where she will remain
another year at school.
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