ard plays, which
did a great deal of harm, are not presented often in our days.
Nevertheless there are so many pieces still produced which in one way or
another are injurious to playgoers as to render it fairly arguable that
the effect of the stage as a whole is bad.

So long as religion enjoins the virtue of chastity, its professors must
look with hostility upon the very numerous pieces in which women, young
and beautiful, are presented in dresses radically immodest. It seems
impossible to deny that the sexual instincts of young men are often
provoked to an extreme degree by the sight upon the stage of beautiful,
half-nude young women; and it must be remembered that the spectacle is
frequently accompanied by music of an erotic character. There is not the
least doubt that the lighter musico-dramatic works and the pantomimes,
in consequence of these matters, are the direct and immediate cause of
many acts which religious people regard as acts of sexual immorality.
The degree of nudity, of display of the human form in our theatres, and,
of course, music-halls as well, to those unaccustomed to such matters is
certainly quite startling, and by many people such displays are regarded
as being entirely demoralizing to hot-blooded young men. It is,
therefore, not surprising that there are religious people who have no
objection to innocent amusements or to drama as drama, yet regard the
theatre as causing a great deal of immorality in the way already
indicated.

The Censor, not the present occupant of the post, at one time interfered
and dealt with the question of costume at the Lyceum in the pre-Irving
days, but his efforts were a failure, and, as far as is publicly known,
have not been renewed since. Lately the degree of nudity considered
permissible has been largely increased. The Salome dancers built a
bridge of beads across what was regarded as a fixed gulf: it is
difficult for stern moralists to stomach the _danse du ventre_.

The next aspect of the matter is that the tendency of the stage, broadly
speaking, is to preach a kind of conventional morality somewhat below
the standard considered admissible by serious people; one may go
further, and say that plays have been produced, particularly French
plays, such as the clever works of M. Capus, in which the accepted
ideas of the sanctity of marriage are treated with contempt. Some works
of this character have been translated and played at first-class
theatres, and in popul