taria; or, The Governor of a Day," being
adventures of Sancho Panza. He also wrote a libretto, "May-day in Town;
or, New York in an Uproar." (See Sonneck: "Early Opera in America.")

[3] The song which occurs in the play under the title, "Alknomook," had
great popularity in the eighteenth century. Its authorship was
attributed to Philip Freneau, in whose collected poems it does not
appear. It is also credited to a Mrs. Hunter, and is contained in her
volume of verse, published in 1806. It appears likewise in a Dublin play
of 1740, "New Spain; or, Love in Mexico." See also, the _American
Museum_, vol. I, page 77. The singing of "Yankee Doodle" is likewise to
be noted (See Sonneck's interesting essay on the origin of "Yankee
Doodle," General Bibliography), not the first time it appears in early
American Drama, as readers of Barton's "Disappointment" (1767) will
recognize.

[Illustration: AS A JUST ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE LIBERAL EXERTIONS BY
WHICH THE _STAGE_ HAS BEEN RESCUED FROM AN IGNOMINIOUS PROSCRIPTION,

THE CONTRAST,

(BEING THE FIRST ESSAY OF _AMERICAN_ GENIUS IN THE DRAMATIC ART)

IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

TO

THE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE

Dramatic Association,

BY

THEIR MOST OBLIGED

AND

MOST GRATEFUL SERVANT,

_THOMAS WIGNELL._

PHILADELPHIA, }
1 January, 1790. }

DEDICATION PAGE IN THE FIRST EDITION OF "THE CONTRAST"]

ADVERTISEMENT

The Subscribers (to whom the Editor thankfully professes his
obligations) may reasonably expect an apology for the delay which has
attended the appearance of "The Contrast;" but, as the true cause cannot
be declared without leading to a discussion, which the Editor wishes to
avoid, he hopes that the care and expence which have been bestowed upon
this work will be accepted, without further scrutiny, as an atonement
for his seeming negligence.

In justice to the Author, however, it may be proper to observe that this
Comedy has many claims to the public indulgence, independent of its
intrinsic merits: It is the first essay of American genius in a
difficult species of composition; it was written by one who never
critically studied the rules of the drama, and, indeed, had seen but few
of the exhibitions of the stage; it was undertaken and finished in the
course of three weeks; and the profits of one night's performance were
appropriated to the benefit of the sufferers by the fire at _Boston_.

These considerations will,