CHAP. XXVII.] ST. CHARLES THEATRE. 117 



Some part of the feeling prevailing in New 

 England, in regard to the immorality of New Or 

 leans, may be set down to the fact of their theatres 

 being open every Sunday evening, which is no indi 

 cation whatever of a disregard of religion on the 

 part of the Catholics. The latter might, with as 

 much reason, reflect on the Protestants for not keep 

 ing the doors of their churches open on week-days. 

 But as a great number of the young mercantile men 

 who sojourn here are from the North, and separated 

 from their families, they are naturally tempted to 

 frequent the theatres on Sundays ; and if they do so 

 with a sense that they are violating propriety, or 

 acting against what in their consciences they think 

 right, the effect must be unfavourable to their moral 

 character. 



During our stay here we passed a delightful even 

 ing in the St. Charles theatre, seeing Mr. and Mrs. 

 Kean in the &quot; Gamester&quot; and &quot; The Follies of a 

 Night.&quot; Her acting of Mrs. Beverley Avas perfec 

 tion ; every tone and gesture full of feeling, and 

 always lady-like, never overwrought in the most 

 passionate parts, Charles Kean s acting, especially 

 in Richard, has been eminently successful during his 

 present tour in the United States. 



While at New Orleans, Mrs. Kean told my wife 

 she had been complimented on speaking English so 

 well ; and some wonder had been expressed that she 

 never omitted or misplaced her h s. In like manner, 

 during our tour in New England, some of the 

 natives, on learning that we habitually resided in 

 London, exclaimed that they had never heard us 



