THE "WICKED WORLD."

Evening Star, Issue 3459, 24 March 1874, Page 3

THE "WICKED WORLD."

S o ,* o .filter seems to have been caused in, the dramatic literary and legal circles of li6n-‘ don: by a libel afction' recently 1 brought befoVe a civil court by Mr W. S. Gilbert, thedramaa§“Pst^ he ‘ Pall M all, Gazette. ? . l?he aotmn was grounded on some very appareritlv just criticisms updri the coarseness anii'ihdecency of certain parts of the’- G Wicked , World ; and the papers were excited because they thought that the.'.right of deriti- ; m.ate comment was being called in questions . pf the court; that the comedy and, the comments .ifrere innocent, has givemit - would,appear* great satisfaction to every one • except perhaps to the plaintiff* The case is i«?? Btated{an;one of the English papers *• i* Mr .Gilbert: complained of a letter yh wh had appeared inthatjournalin which ‘ much , coarseness, bath olgeueral idea and of detail,’ M :t .° rm. 8 - fai *y u the VWmkedWorld. ■> The writer remarked that j ; 11 Bcen ® between the rowdies Ethais - and PbyUom and the -ladies, where 5 Ethak. tells bexeae that op earth it is a-mark oi the' greatest respect towards any we to nlace the armround his or feer waist- and imprint a tender kißg,oa hw or her lips, and where' l ii indulgence of such marks of respect calk from: the ladies the exclamation that they are very pleasant, seams to me in its general suggestions :both vulgar and coMse . y ulgar, through the air of barmaidkh aentimfent, running through ft and coarse by the exhibition $ endearments lavished on creatures ouwhom manner and bearing are doubtfully attractive.” He also said that the scene where the sisters taunt Selene : .or her yigilseems to me simply Indecent,” it should be observed that tVe ‘ Pall MallGazette had previously, in his own person, spoken not-unfavorably of .this play, and had appafeqtly not-discovered any impropriety in it. In publishing- the letter -the editor may’ reasonably have imagined ho was only giving fair play to different opinions.” In these Uomnies the papers mostly err in being fulsqpie flatterers, but certain of, eur Colonial e liters would Wt if they speak; out occasionally m plainer terms than our London contemporary used.