The New York herald., 1874-12-19
MORALITY OF THE THEATRE.
LECTURE BY Mr. JOHN ELDERKIN BEFORE The

LECTURE By Mr. JOHN ELDERKrN BEFORE The
MBERAL CLUB
The members OF the Liberal Club ana their
friends assembled al the club rooms, No. 80
Stuyvesant street. last night, to listen to lecture
on 'The Morality OF the Theatre" Dy Mr. John
Elderkin. Tne members were there in full force,
and after the calling OF the RON and the reading o
the minutes Of the last meeting the President Mr..
BrOgden, introduced Mr.. John Elderkin, the lee.
turer OF the evening.
Before reading his paper Mr.. E!derkin said that
1t had not been written as lecture. but as con-
tribu,ion to the Lotus Leaves,n lately published.
He opened by saying that he had once heard .
critic say In dogmauc sort OF way, 'The stage 10
all snam and every one connected with 1t from
the star down to the meanest sub ts conscious OF
lending hand In the perpetration or fraud."
This speech. he thought, it was needless to state
was as unjustined as II was egotistcal, as In tho
dramatic art all the others eliminate and co-ope-
rate.
Here followed q history Of the development OF
the drama, from the first inciplent stages through
the mystery plays. Sotades, &c. He stated that
III 1904 . company was formed In Rome to pro-
duce the ''Sunerings OF Jesus" during Holy Week.
Later, at Ctvits veccnia, during Pentecost tho
"Lile OF Unrlst' was played. But, from being the
nandmaid OF the Church. the drama became its
others, that IL detrac5ed from Its revenues.
In an old manuscript, written IN l547, 10 be found
among the papers OF the Parliament OF Paris. 1t 10
ated that owing to the great popularity OF tho
theatre, charity had become cold and people Lett
ali their money In oox offices instead OF poor boxes
Here the manuscript was lnteipolated with re-
marx apropos Of the present controversy regard
turer said, on the part OF the Cnurch, which
Is now striving TO close our theatres
on Sunday. Goethe 1t was who made
the proposition to reimburse the weimar Theatre
iSsa that tue drama received judicial acinovl:
edgment In England. Previous TO that time, and
even after, the character oi actors was not all
that could be desired. They had but small rc-
II is considered that the hand oi society was, IN
measure. against them
PULPIT vs. STAGE.
Under this caption was treated some OF the OBJ
against the latteT. That oil immortality was ono OF
the strongest ana perhaps most just OF those
which at the nrSt thought suggest themselves 70
our mind. In certain aspects the modern stage 10
to-day, the speaker said, rs gross perhaps ~ II
could be, and the reason Its Haunting vol
uptuousnese was not more patent was because
such thing was impossible. As the stage 10 only
this are indeed calculated to detract from tts
due need OF respect It ie not lack Of material
which makes the drama OF to-day so poor, IL ia
lack Of genius TO grasp the material at hand, and
to his aid, and to supply the want OF genius
all sorts OF accessories and then Calls
the whole drama. And in . commercial
community Ike this everything was "dollars;'
are perverted and destroyed Tor moneyed consld.
erations Public taste should be schooled TO that
stage at which It would reject all but classical and
the the EstrcE & s Shepherd, VIVA Ha ye expact O. Z
play actor" would be lost. Some discussion FOL.
lowed the reading OF the paper.