Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1872-06-25


name. the mistress of his home.
Theaters and Theatef-GOin0.
To say that n thealer cannot teach good
morals, Is 10 say that IL cannot teach bad
morals: is to deny TO it the ability to ex.
ercse any moral influence Whatsoever
What the theater can be. in any direction,
is really II question with which wc have
no practical concern. IL can be, il it
tries 10 be, great power for good in the
world. and equally great power Tor evil {;
but we have yet to learn either that the
managers and actors are generally endow.
ed with u missionary spirit. or that they
desire 10 degrade and demoralzs their
audiences. There are some professions
endowed with n strong il not n supreme
desire to make men better but we do not
remember any manager oil q thcatcr who
has been called upon to suffer martyrdom
for his devotion 10 religion and morality.
We will 90 farther and say that We 10
no. believe there is manager in America
who tries 10 do moral injury TO his pat
rons. As rule. SO far as managers and
actors are concerned. there are no moral
motives of any sort involved. The motive
ot the manager is TO make money. The
motive OF tho actor is To make reputation
and win popular favor, that he also may
make money. There is probably one ac-
tor in ten who is u genuine artist, and
endeavors 10 win an honorable place In
his profession by the hard anil patient
study OF his art, by pute associations. and
by the nurture and preservation oil his
soll.respeci. There are uctors who are NJ
true gentlemen and gcntlewomen as are
10 be found in The world. and who deserve
and receive The atfectionats respect Of all
who kno" them
An examination ut the motives ui nc.
tors and audiences will show us that the.
atcrs are not. and are not likely to be.
come. "schoOls ot morals Of any sort.
No man ever goes To theater for moral
instruction. He may go for instruction
IN the grnces oi Oratory, OF for
instruction in dramatic literature. but
never for any moral or religious object.
Ninety nine out OF every one hundred
persons, in every thea,er.full Of people,
are there to be intellectually interested or
amused. On the stage are the people who
wholly recognize this motive, and who
invariably address themselves TO it; tor,
by the degree in which they can crafty
the popular desire for amusement, are
they successful in their profession. In
this way, inevitably, the morals Of the
stage become the mirror OF the popular
morals. II they are good, it is because
tho tone Of morality is high in tho audi.
ence; if they are bad, it is simply because
the audience is vulgar and low, and sym.
pathizes with that which is bad. There
is only one way in which the theater will
ever be elevated, and that is by slcvating
the community in which it exists. We do
mol say that there can be no other way !;
but SO long as actors live on the goodwill
OF their audiences. they will never be
much above or below them. Perhaps
there is no one institution connected with
American life that is more thoroughly the
reflection of the public morality than the
stage. If prOfans word, or ribauld
jest. OF double entendre is INDUCED in
by an actor, ii is INDUCED in because it
pays,-because it catches the response of
vulgar sympathy from his patrons. Men
who live rs actors live can never afford TO
be too good or too bad for those upon
whose plaudils and pence they rely for
bread.
Of one thing wo may be certain; the
theater exists, and will never cease to ex-
list, until something can be contrived to
take its place. 1t seems to DO based Who'll
ly on the universal love of and demand
for amusement, and the fondness which
nature has implanted in every mind for
the dramatic element in life. Strip Mr..
Cough of his dramatic power, and We
have only y common place lecturer left.
Denude Mr.. Beecher's sermons Of their
dramatic element. and. though still excel
lent. they are no longer Mr.. Beecher's
sermons. The man whose writings or
spoken words have great dramatic power
is always the favorite of tho people. In
the pulpit, ut the bar. on the stump. in the
saloon. the dramatic man carries every
thing before him. So strong is the natural
taste for the dramatic in life. liiora
turo and conversation, that, more than
anything else, it enchains the popular in
terest; while the greatest poems of all
literature are dramatic always in material
and mainly in form. 1t Is to this tast Q