, 1865-12-12
the DRAMA AND ACTORS.
Lecture BY Rev. H. II. Hs4ae4&. u. d.
-Hec2pttuiatlon OF his Previous
DtseoufSes on this subject.

l the Theatre and It's Tendtneies. The f.hn-rh -,
crowded, and ne audience was deeply inte,est,
EuT. Nj. BanchArd opened the evenings ~.
Rsr Ms e. i. Fowler Introduced III. ,,e,n,s,
IL w1s ihese dhs sussaase = a9{ows:
mons, previously delivered By him On 1Se III. t%v =
.ts tendency nd taaneaoe. He did aos fntend dD !
Vsnsaa thastlc nn III r. Hg,t9 pnc. from
ply remark, that between these Two wsrfers T., ~
common cause. there haa not been adduced or
q enc tesh Suggestion in fays
snb1ct bad are.1P been ful,y and uudersta
o,sGnseea Ios hundreds Of years, and lie cnndeI.
Sa q ths ths Rl.gho1se o BY theehuteh hid Bee
bis previous sermons, the speaker reusfied ths
be had sad nothing against otstor1os Of In fs1or
~ 69napns plstasss Or DESTROYING works Of Al. m
Of the theatre to the arts. bnt simply to constde
this text, What has the theatre been in tie psst
what y nowt and what Is lis Influence now : an
moral nss soIs az s TScod and OF II
had existed. II originated viii he soass an,
aances OF baechns s,x hundred years before Ghrist
nttle Il had was bad, and Solou, the wisest .reet
nT.siser. prohibited It Plato also denounced II,
Ssaiss and the attack npou that philosopher IN
en1ton cndeasor1ns to sweep back lbs OCEAN Niit HI
her mop. Aristotle said that The thcotrea shonIf
s,f 10 % ins ssasd y .hs y0aqS Gs i would dsbaui
plays as the root Of al evils. ivy also spe,ks 81
them as more infectious than tie plaeue. fiuta,ch
pIaSs hS = eo1u9ns to the young
ganee and dehaucheT Of the Rge. Or{d. In his sue.
Gsstions for reformation Of public morals. opposss
plays as having an erl tendency
The speaker then referred to the charge that his
quotations and authorities we're Ill paeans. &c did
So be said bocanse In The early age The theatre only
e11.ted IN pagan countries, aaa al. tho wisest and
respect 10 the Illogical argument that quotation
implied an Endorsement Of al the author
bad w7tIen, II would be absu1d to imagine that Be-
Man." the greatest book on he 1eyoutionats cFs in
hIs Aec q Kessen Ths iheaas % had bsea a. de-. e
in nearly prohibited By law Even in ths iiriteS
states. Congress on The 10th Of October l77a nm.
x7ded for the dismissal from office Of any o}cer OF
upoa theatre. In England in $50 the acting Of
playcEz was prohibited Is dcmoraljzins 10 he
1onrg, md the destruction Of plny-honses was
TO drive actors out Of their towns. The Christian
fathers have always been unanimous in Opposition
to the theatre, and for the past eighteen hundred
minister advocating The theatre a to dad respccts
able actor on the boa11s Of the piay housn. Tne
speaker then quoted lasge1y from the early Chris
strong abhnrrence Of this utckedness. The eS1jy
csnsors Frequently pulled down TIC :heatrrs before
they had be ben wel bail because taey felt them 10
eharacter-that Of the worship OF Venus and Ba..
chus the deitles Of lust and intcmperance. Tie
speaker then made extensive quotations. from
toa sna . s. eaf aaeasns s. sygsa 81
scmi.rensious phys Of the dark ages were
ssss ss,tsd ;bch he orRs R3sssa s,. shpy
lost her sinp!iety snd purity. Coming down to
CoIel II 1S:a John Wesley IN % i5si. shea hSt1 III
thestc in PTnns 4n su'ner ot a.
that huge and ancient tome !. 4 Scourcc far the
l9ayers." md number Of Others, ali e1pfcssine
ins steny Of ii excessiyey deoszsrs En- seSse. et
upon the minds OF the yoanc. The theatrc Il. hc
raid the stronghold Of the evil one The 7eatibuic
this hr scan quoted from the sweeping denuneIa.
ton Of Henry Ward Bceeher-and tins, be raId. be
brought down the condemnation Of the 1heatrc,
form down e ,he present. and il i1aa been p!oyen
bad In all With rcspect 10 Its more apparent ey.s
a. ,hs p5esentt dsy he sad tha II character WI
surroundings, the pr1ynte house w1s TUNED min a
Isarlo uadespen's shops into gambling dens and
It's neiehborhood as with moral lepro3Y." mill
not only the Inhabitants, hat the houses themselves
become seabhy with mo1a1 corruption II haL been
upon - large assc,nblaecs Of people, anI that the
kamc thing might be found in The vicinity Of camp.
meetings. But ench things existed in tho vicinity
OF camp.neettngf for the outsIdtrn. not for those
Who were attendants upon the mcctln. itself while
about the theatre they were for th& accommodation
oi IT. regular 1elnentefs and supporters, who re-
and gambling 80 convenient .hat they could readily
pass from ono to Hnother.
With respect to what he had already raid Of the
reputation Of those upon the stage, he said that be
bad been m1srpresentcd heretofore, and tbs ie
what be really meant-"The reputation of acfort
an eiass. 1usnishes IN additional evidence viii
Nrftf n tf1A rhzrA nf tha FJy.J.
sion has Eecu in bad reprte for near two tou.
sand years. do not say that there nre 90 cxcep-
lions, never said .:hat the1e was not one right
ward elesaun. the general character Of the popu-
lat,on Q! that e.Iy. lAPplause-l But such eases
years hare known Of five women Who were never
charged With ar suspected OF IN impeopncty =
Eood ioF s tbe & f;e; Bqt suppese anybody said be
come. 4 that IN -: prss::s.,6aay - 5ay' now ls,g
nay 'osy, live in course .. pol open .eaasa. nac
INV INV o,,er @ ,'.,,t. ~ ias wou'd damn him IN
" Here man or WOMAN I. notpnous, not for be-
Ing ycioust ont for being virtuore. Thcophilr, or
Apnoeh, even ai his carly day, approved Of ibc ban
The Church Council Of 1881 denounced i6em a. cx.
Hrtticg de1nofahHnE influence and mt thcu
without he pale OF ftle Church. Here the lecturer
Guo'ed her OF authorities, a!ready nuo;ed in
his sernouE, showing actors In flmc4 past to ha:e
been nbooed By both Church and State, lie tnjd
that The Roman who becsme IN actor was 6enatura1-
fzed-no Jndf.u OF The Areopagus, among the Athe-
the old English laws NTH 4sno2nes, vag,bond@ aod
f1arsy a /, an6 co. TIC % were s.eo re-
sa1d that the situation Of an acaos was ticrn-
tions one, and that the men led live. Of dis
eber &c puts s S @
riders ard racing jockeys md RAyt tat they arc men
living on soc!et! without returning jnst cq1tsa-
gully Of olsi & ssb tsS a5S
purify Of thets children Even literary paper In
New York, which doc: not peo.eaa 10 be Of rel-
the dramatic profession IN this country, with soe
exceptions, are very properly debatfett from So
ctc1f Ina recent defence 81 the stage 1t had heen
VAS the friend Of Cicero and VIZ yerJ re.pcssbe
given IN !he iaet that be earned By fs profession
sessssin of our murdGsd President beasted that be
bad made as much-a Woman onee made nearly
three timer - much IN fifteen uceka in lhe New
On tbs s;gT, aud Rachei III - s7f . tpftune ns
10 each Of he4 inesisimnte chi1drca dii these
tacts make them Iezpectable A. It seerns to Be
Them. he seted, wpuld any Christian parent choose
10 have his son learn this profa.stonf Woald any
Christian Eather wish to know that biz daughter
from time to time. or that his son is familiar with
the CrecnIooms Of the theatres In this city? IL
there my young man who is proud q his sister
who would not rather zee her dead than sec her
nar1y IN actorf Hyou hear Of friend In distant
uty malIytu: m actrees, do jon not ehudder. not
tie case. The men and women whose lives a,e one
continuous than have no power to ward of the re-
dictionary Influences o. their conduct, and a. long
from tho .hame and moral ruin awaiting the mass
Ihe .beatrc q had atinl,ics for crime and nounehed
hest in times Of crime and general acmo!aliz.tion.
This he illustrated by the lan Of the Grecan States
md 1he torrshtng Of the theatre in Ffance IN the
ame st 9. 1ns Gea1 ~ s sd ns1t
nation In the heatIc-thattt WIS very slough
Of Dexpond, ,'-and be deemed 1t Impossible to T.
IL sy #. net q so
men Of a low order Of intellect and without re-
sources in themselves, who need amusement, who
conaciences and have their easr Hckled with pro-
fansU and impuzc md ealacious tests. II lhese
were taken away, The theatre would soon die
were taken away, theec people would as SOON psv
10 attend Methodist clahs meeting md It Is their
money which keyrt np tse theaus; therefore the
ever. be asegned that Christians cannot be Induced
eiihcr 10 patFon.e the theatre In sufficient numbe1e
TO support II, q to wa5te ttms o.he1Sise on IL
been enemies too long Tor them to CONG together
now. Heaven and hell are not more antaeontstic
than Eospel pulpit md the theatre. When Wes:.
revolution ever witnessed in England, the Haymar-
ket Theatre was c4owded, night atler night month
as,cr month, while Foote bed up to r1dtenle and
4. Chrirtian men incline toward the theatre and
support and apologize Tor It, they win for them
sciJcs the contempt Of the friends Of the the
1t1e. And, af1er all. were The theatre entirely
reformed tt would stu he clun1sy and inefficient
mode Of moral Instruction, long since superseded
aecne,es. No man, with ali which ha. been told OF
the o1al effect Of the theatre point TO single
Individual that has crrT been benefited by merely
these reprc cntations at the theatre. The excite
neDt OF the theatre makes men worse, instead Of
better, and leaves them less susceptible Of goo1
impressions than they were before; and uone Of
the roble charities fh=t dignity and bcautiry hn-
man nature have eyer had lbeir origin in theatre.
Having thus reviewed the subject mstter Of his
two former scrmone, the speaker repeated his ap-
peal 10 Young men not 10 20 10 the theatre, be-
cause-trt, II IS useless and foolish expenditure
Of money 20 pay to sec the painted Jezchels. and
The whole rait or those who seek 10 amuse and cor
rup, the public; second it Is loss OF Tune. Young
men he advised to tpend their time In ginning men