The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-01-29
From the Enquirer Of friday
The Theatrical Controversy at
DnytOn

1
and drnm,ftc hDtcrtninmerts. made nv tIh,
| Reverend Frhop,ns n tbaf citvf and nub-
Ilishcd. Thc attack a. ~ hivc learned,
VA. I'm tbr fnrm of citations of All thc re-
marks and surrcstions that the author
Iconld gather nom hooks. the authors of
which had spokcu iu disparagemcnt of
! tbo,tri,ats In ,,encrnl ar az thoso of tbcif
Town np,, or Country. i'm particular and
donhtless iu.the ewes Of the orthodox ~
Dayton. appqared to be Al once n comnlete
IdcmolitIon of the drama, aud an ihrllliblc
proof of profound learning and vast dialrc-
| lie skin OF H. rcycftned enemy. Such tricks
arc easily playcd by any one who has access
| to "A book store or n library and II * only
the very unsophisticated who will accept
the results of such gleanings as proofs of
Idecp rrudition. or as authority upon ahy
subject.
The author Of the reply has done accord
| ing TO the maxim In the Proverbs, and an
swcrcd the imbccile according to his imbe-
Icility II TX probable that ne has 0capDed''
| the Theological histriomastix In the num-
| her and respectability of his citations.
There have been social theorists and reIi-
gious biputs ia all aces who have IMAGINED
Ithcy saw the incitements to great moral or
religious degeneracv I'm the thcater. and
have written ont their notions upon the sub
| icct; but IL does not follow that such no
| tions are authority by which men in these
DAYS are Under any obligation to regulate
their conduct Men who have seen humane
| ity and society upon more than one side
have always, while never closing their
eyes 20 the abuses of which the drama Is
susceptible, been inclined to look upon IL
AS not only means of allording Innocent
recreation but IA not without its use In
giving wholesome activity to the mental
aud q proper direction TO tile moral, facul-
ties
We suppose that IL all the sermons that
were ever delivered and all the theological
books that were ever written were collected
and placed in pile, and the simple dramas
of Shakespeare were set opposite TO them.
the question being which should Inc de-
atrOyed and which urrservrd the almost
universal voice of the wise and the culti-
waited of Europe ana America would no In
favor of saving the latter. The Theology
and sermons cotld he easilv rpnlaced viii,
better ones. for there is nothing so redun-
dantlv prolific as intellectual poyerty. Rut
a Shakespeare is thing that does not an
peal. once in a.. hundred apas IIpou the
very summit of our literature Shakespeare
stands alone peerless and initnitabIe the
Ionly author of whose nro,luctious II can
truly besaid that they have Dsl,,ablv5nid,sl
to polish every ape since they appGared-
their influence orowinv stronger and ex.
paudiuq wider With each s,cceediny yen.
Grafton. And vet Sbaksncare was hi n
writer for the theater, who owed his indnce-
ment to the demands of his nrdfcssion and
would certainly never have written dramas
had there been mo nrofrssional call for thcir
production. =. If there was nothing else IN
be shown MAYOR az the tl,eator tiie Iitnro-
turc which has oripinnted under its nusnj-
ces Yould be moro tban a sufIieiout nnsunr
no ail tho cayiIs Of hiyots and thn clan,ors
of sectaries,
IL is not To he disnnted that tbc STAGE IL
i'm some Respects ohnoYio, to sevoreI criti-
|cjsm: NOT. however mn ncconnt of he want
of morality, but for its intellectual and
artistic infSriority. Too much of IFS cur-
rent liternture is 1oor. foo mnch Or its act
inr weak or extravaohnt. But In these re-
spects tlIr stage does moi stand alone II Il
more than im1ilated--iti IL s,,rnnssr,l Inv th".
pulpit. - Taking into consideration the vast
and infinitely important Interests of which
IL professes to he tho custodian, the mo
mentous trutbs of which Il IL hy ossum,-
lion. fhe Sole oIIicial rxnonenf a2d n nnr.
Htcraturc its orntorv its
carnostnoss and its exnmnle--are heln,S tho