, 1865-11-20
TuE noRAIy OF TIE THEATRE.
second Sermon ON the R0hject bF Rev.
II. N. z at0eId, ID. ID.

The Wabash Avenue Methodist Episcopal Chntc3
WEE crowded Last ercn1ng, on the OCCASION Of thl
/ tc.lvt1y Of Rev. Mr.. HaiGe1d1 second enimadyet
Son upon The tcatres. In the great audience thes.
wrrr quite number Of aciors, and hosts OF IA e.
familiar to any Of the habitues Of Woods and Nc
y1ckcr's. present fton 4 motive Of innocent cnr
oetty, as well - those sho sympath1xtd With the
reverend ecntkmtn Ia bis views on II. subject
Rev. DR., Hitchcock opene1 the services With
payer.
selections from The Scriptures '-1'~
The 5s0th Hymn, eomneDctng-
IA charge to keep have." r
was then sung by the CHOIR; after which Ms. Ha,
GEO a5nounc.d = The tszt fer ts discourse, he
Panl'a Eplfne 70 the Epheai.na. In opening
his discourse The speaker briefly reviewed
hif previous sermon on this subject IN which he
y bad reputation for two thousand years: second.
that IL Ia not changed; third that the theatre cI
t9cises bad influence On the neighborhood In
ac1ors is marked and significantly bad; mn. Il is
had ohcswise- Having settled these staten .nts ~
facts By hie statement Of them the speaker adredcd
He did not think tha, The silence Of the errintnres
in regard 10 The theatre vas my proof that Il sas
no, ccnsurable, as gambling and The elad,sio,isl
games were also mentioned without being espac,,I
y denounced As for the tne1 of Ephesns rn.hinp
irto the thestre, they might As vel hare rushed
equally convenient with respect to tic .Ieanens @ a
that Paul quoted from fhe heather dramstic poets
be eaid that quotation from an author did
not necessarily lead 10 the Inference thai The
person making ire Of quotation endorsed an
written b. the author Of the passage. In proof oi
this.he said that he tMr. Halheld} had As much "a
any times quoted Shakespeare tn that pulpit, yet
he did not endorse Shakespeare. The speaker then
took up hts subject where he left It On the DIST
tegmon. dcnuncieton Of the character Of sctors
Ne said theJ bad alMays beca under han-had
fsAE1 fnhH IN N4,t nxSN
e'il, and had tetn Chased By Law as yasabondB-
had been excluded from communion in the
church and o1iec IN Ssatc, aud had moi been
they nuEt be had. 6eanda1ouB crimes md open
Aeentlousncss are pracsiced tn that profession.
,,,a Without sSsiiinG remark Or having the elect which
nom them. Of c1pefhn. The offenders from socisfy
and their profession. lie had had the evidcnco Of
fhesaq. 1q g. 1 non @ nna truth who had gone to the
year, ard WAS familiar behind he scenes ind iS.i
man Of truth astured HIM that be had neser known
coa Is cha Gam Profession woman Of unsupported
young lnen, whether they womb Ike to rec thetr
Ftstest aesociarng with actresses and haye aetnrs
EEL ta apa Id to hen
q General pFoflcacy and corruption Never dld
the tneasse iousish rs well In Gseeee md Rome "a
Thsn those possca were IN their decline, and when
q corruption, there wcEt no less than tstntyeirht
theatres in that oily. This showed TINT fhe tcnrne1
o. Ihe theatre vas 10 make men etteminate sud had.
nifty, II nuet lanGui.b. Ne1t be asserted Thai ther.
ts not the slightest reason fot hope that there can
sser e5sa &c a1T ~ ln The staes f.
b1t there Will always be one near enough for the
Thirsty portion Of the audience 10 70 out between
nc aets for drinks: The greatest care may
p-ouf, but the painted jczcbels, who ate te chicf
attraction Of the rtagc are always sure 10 be ther
A committee OF the Enghah Parliament oonsidsr. 20
Ing thi, r. s9Sesi said nothing gould be done 70 in.
d divinity In the East Who tried It only had IT.
katisfaetion Of heng caricanrrd in the papers and
made laughing stock for his pains II III the
u fasor ol the theatre, the results would be that
the ministers and 1hcir churches would be lett In
!he ease Of Christian N the Slough OF Despond,
dit." {Lanshte..} Tie theatre cannot be r.
formed. because 1t is supported BY people who are
u guest Of tmRrse excitement. and a.: willing 10
go into the uncertain territory betwecn virtue md
siee and the theaire. Paoacring TO this taste and
;5n nnahns a6e ses Of uahoy passions, supported by
impure intouattont. no more heard, people
would a. soon buy ncke1s for pl7ye1 meeting. or
attend snsa ~ Aehodist q ne Wished under
opc1as but the fhcts he stated hit the operr. s0
much the wore for It, lie further wss confident
that no considerable number Of Christians could Be-
induced 70 waa'c time trying to reform the theatre,
to those who know tie green-Eoon best that he
attempt Mould result In tIlure. Here De introduced
q funny httle etozy about minister who went to
the pit o! theatre With his ha, Elouched down
ot@ h.s eyes, and wae approached him, H!>ed his
bal, md saId se. .; pray which lie conszc-
said The occupants Of the ,heatre.pft had done.
Even u the reformation Of the theatre were possible,
ne aaio II would not be advisable. As Il wonid be an
expensive, clumsy. and inefficient mode Of moralip
strnetlon. Ftrsily, he made an earnest appeal 10
young men to stay away from the theatres, Ia which
caseevcsJ theatre would die In six months lie knew
what Temptations the devil put in the my Of young
men: III fart be said he ''had becn there'' himself
and knew al The ~fckednees Of great city, Tic
bad no petty spite against these poor x4cieheT who
made 1heirltsing hy panderinc 10 tho recs OF 9th
eff, cut Wished 70 saTe young men from their
snarcs. he therefore warned yonng men thai their
attendance upon the theauee would involve q
foolish expenditure Of noney. He did not wash 10
bear them tay be was od-foEes.ish" in using thIs
argument, for he tsdid'nt tratn IN that company"
bui he warned them ofit from knowledge that this
foolish expenditure would in time invoke them in
dittcultiet. and perhaps, In dishnnor. Attendance
upon the theatre would involve loss Of time d.
mttsItse young Lien With VICE, and generally de-
moraExe ihetn.
The usual devouoral exercises closed the pro-
eeeufnrs.