FROM UTAH.
Theatrical Affairs Among the Mormons—Political.
From Our Own Correspondent.
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, Thursday, Feb. 28, 1867.
After being closed several weeks, the theatre has reopened, the first night or two with the regular amateur company. Since then Mr. T. A. LYNE has been the star, enacting such roles as Damon, Rolla, Virginius and Richelieu. The attendance, however, has been very moderate; theatricals, as well as other business, manifesting the general dullness of the time. For a town or city of 15,000 or 20,000 inhabi-tants, Great Salt Lake City Theatre is of enormous size and capacity, and the wonder, therefore, is not that there should be thin audiences, but that the theatre should ever be tolerably well filled, to say nothing of being crowded, which it has been some-times. The Mormon community, however, go all one way in the matter of amusements, as they do in the matters of elections and religion. Consequently it is a common thing to see the most orthodox and devout Mormon paterfamilias and materfamilias and their olive branches patronizing theatricals as they do dancing, not only without re-morse, but with evident gusto, and some of them as regularly and as conscientiously as they go to meeting. For theatricals are under no ban here. They are considered entertaining, useful, instructive, and are patronized by all classes of the commnnity. BRIGHAM owns the theatre, and, excepting occasional "stars," none but the "faithful" are permitted to tread the boards. The strictest morality, according to the Mormon view, is required of the persons em-ployed. The parquette is reserved exclusively for families. Good order prevails in the house, and all but the most fastidious would consider the plays presented unexceptionable. Mrs. JULIA DEAN (HAYNE) COOPER, in her farewell speech before the curtain, complimented the theatre on the purity and good or-der maintained, and took occasion to wish that all theatres were as well conducted in that respect. By-the-bye, Mrs. JULIA made a pretty good thing of her rather lengthy Salt Lake engagement, realized a fair sum for her services, was not very hardly worked, probably had things on the stage pretty much her own way, had no rival, no public detractors, was well treated socially, and had no trouble to get her pay.
The suggestion here comes in, if one or two pairs of really good actors, especially versatile ones, in the Eastern Stated, should conclude to run off this way for a six months' recess, there might be no great difficulty in making the trip pay. But to insure it, atten-tion to three things would, perhaps, be necessary—to mind well their own professional business; to leave political cliques to do their own business; to main-tain a good personal reputation. For whatever may be thought, at a distance, of Morman morality, it may be set down as Gospel that an actor of loose reputation would not walk these Mormon boards long, if at all.
During the present theatrical season Messrs; H. B. CLAWSON and JOHN T. CAINE assume the entire managerial responsibility of the theatre, and invite their friends to support them accordingly. Both have been "stage managers" in the same institution previously.
A Nevada newspaper speaking of the late elec-tion in this Territory for delegate to Congress, stated that Capt. HOOPER'S election would be contested. The statement is decidedly amusing, as HOOPER, the Mormon candidate, obtained more than fifteen thousand votes, and MCGRORTY, the Gentile candidate, only a few more than a hundred. However desirable it may be that Mr. HOOPER should stay at home and mind his own merchandising, and Mr. MCGRORTY should leave his and go to Washing-ton, still it will require some very tall contesting to accomplish such a consummation. It may further be observed, that if the vote of the late election be taken as even approximating to the relative strength of the Mormon and Gentile voting population of the Territory, then the Mormons cannot be outvoted for several years to come.
The question, sprung and advocated in the Neva-da Legislature, of Nevada annexing Utah, has excited considerable interest here of late, and hence to the Pacific. Nearly every one of the papers west of this place, considers the proposition foolish and hurtfnl to Nevada—a fit subject for a joke only. The Mor-mon papers take up the subject and treat it half satirically—do not oppose it, nor seem afraid of it—but object to Utah being called on to pay Nevada's debts, the former having no Territorial debt, and the latter being heavily involved. It was asserted in the Nevada Legislature that promine-nt Congressmen had stated that if Nevada would take Utah, it might be done. The advocates of the measure are confident that Nevada could manage the Mormons, but the op-ponents are apprehensive that Utah might swallow Nevada.
