Sir Henry Betterton did well to reverse the decision he
had arrived at, after consultation with British Equity, to prohibit the appearance of the Viennese chorus at Covent Garden. The representatives of the artists take a very short-sighted view when' they suppose that they will benefit British singers by the rigid exclusion of foreigners. The first aim in opera and drama must be the best possible production—upon that depends the gratification of the public, upon which, in turn, depends the employment of British artists. Moreover, how could British singers, actors and dancers expect to be employed abroad if we refused to employ foreigners here ? There is much that can and ought to be done to improve the lot of British artists—for example, the remission or reduction of the entertainment tax—but the indiscriminate exclusion of foreigners would not help them at all, and would be unfair to the public.
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