The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1857-05-16
Rev. DR.. Bellows and the Thcator
From the Springfield Rcpub!iyan.

From the Springfield Republican.
Il required 80 SNAIL degree Of moral
hcroi>nl i'll DIR. Bellows 10 come out as a de
fender of the thcatrr We give him credit
for this for We believe that only conscicn
tiou> conviction OF truth and duty could have
urged a man OF his temperament into posi-
hon mvolNIn" to a certain degree loss of
caste in the religious world. and not par
tcuafiy agreeable nororicty. But he has
undcrt hard task. On the oStl ult..
he pronounced his lon@ promised address
hci"T" The actors and actresses Of New York.
In his defence OF amu>CmInt-in his remarks
upo!;rSnccrSSity-;t& thorough cgi,ma.cnc>s
We yer! cordially agree In his defense of
the theatrr. We do not. We do not say that
a man may not go to the thcatcr and he
hcalthiully amused. but We do say that any
amusement which calls for the sacrifice of it's
instruments is not legitimate. We mean bv
this that there is an essential vice in the
calm" OF the actor whicl. makes it next 10 an
impossi5ility for him to be good, disnifcd.
sc!i-reSpccttul. religious man.
We can best Illustrate our proposition by
beginning low III the scale of public cxhib;
tons. Let us take the circus Here is 4
body Of men who. by a thorough and patient
training OF their muscles. come to perform
prodl-l2S Of strength. and ryoIlous dexter
ltleS cf fcat-cratt. Their sole object is to
please and a>tonish thc.mnltitudcs who gather
to see them. TO least is the one object of
their ll'cs-to P lease that they may get money.
They have no higher objcct-thcir cal!inr
has no higher object. Now. with relation to
these men. and women. too. for that matter.
philosophy teaches and their history proves
that they can have little to do with the +er;ou
aims and purposes of life They are th.
servants Of a tickle public. Thcy practice
that which amuscs the most and p.cases the
best. They have no independent aims-po
high ambitions. Now to imagine that their
calling is consonant with spirit of devotion
and that they can follow it and maintain at
the same time such views of life as to clotbe
themselves in the robe of sclfrespect as they
retire from the ring, is to imagine an all
surtlitv. '''
But we are told that it is not Just to COM
pare the thCater with the circus. Wait :,
moment Amusement is legitimate and Voc
cssary. The circus amuscs. Heaven 10 fol-
low the reasoning of DIR. Bellows) endowed
certain individuals with aptness and taste for
symnastic teats-theretorc it meant there
should be crcus-therct0re the circus is =
legitimate amusement. That ring is comnletc
according to DR.. Bellows. But wc sha|l he
tod to go further, and show that there i a,v
DEGREE ot parallelism between the calling Of
The rider and the gymnast and that If the
actor-or such a degree as in any war ~
prove that the calling ofthe actoris nccessar;ly
degrading Well, then: what is the actors
grand motive Of iiie' Is it aot to please ,
i i'%S ne any i5heT' According to Dr.. Bel
that the theater is the representative oftIn
audiences who frequent It. and that to r.;sc
the thcatcr We must give better audiences
/ ms admits The whole pregnant tact-ti.t
til the ruling principle OF the calling is e,n;d;t- :.
The thcatcr cannot live unless it plcasas II
cannot please an immoral audience unlcss IT,