The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-12-03


Forty battle.axes.
Six deadly combats.
Three double combsts.
Eight murderers.
One bloody skirt.
Three hundred oaths.
Sixty.iour pages blasphemy.
In the course OF his remarks he said
that there were some good plays and
good actors and actresses, buthe contend.
Cd that"thC American stage as 1t is, mum.
bers in Its ranks more harlots and de-
bauChees than all the other professions" j."
He asserted that "any one man or wo-
man who adopted the stage as a profes.
sion and retained their integrity and
purity had moral courage and force OF
character in marvellous degree" He
quoted remark from MACREADY to the
effect that no child OF his should ever
visit the theatre with his consent, or
have any association whatever with &C.
tors or actresses" he also put this ques.
tiOn 10 his hearers:
suppose o company OF theatrical
characters were going of on a tour for q
week, and the manager asked the head OF
any family in this congregation to allow
son Of fourteen or daughter OF seven.
teen to accompany them, Is there person
within the sound OF my voice who would
think OF giving such permiasion2 MOI
No! lApplause.I!
The Rev. gentleman closed his ser
mon by remarking that he had been told
that he only ran his head against a wall
in attacking the theatre, but he said that
Noah preached ono hundred and twenty
years md got only eight converts for his
reward. "He admired his spunk" and
declared he would "march on against this
delUge Of evil and corruption if he got
but one soul for his reward" He there
tore proposed to keep up the warfare.
The reader can judge from this very
mesgre outline that Mr.. TALMAGE's ser
mon was quite q spirited affair, and bor-
dered somewhat on the sensational. In
deed it smacked not little oi the
theatrical in It's style. We presume he
has found out, with sPURGEoN and
BEEcuER, that preachers, in order 10
draw large crowds and attract popular
attention, must throw good deal Of life
into both the matter and manner OF their
deliveries. And this fact leads us 10 ask
question or two in connection with his
remarks upon theatres We have no
elaborate comments to make upon them.
1t is not for q Wheeling newspaper 10
usurp the critical functions of the New
York press in regard to the theatrical ex'
cltement prevailing in that city. We
may remark, however, that Mr.. Tall
MAGE seems to US 10 have made mis-
take, as a matter both OF good taste and
ultimate consequences, in proclaiming
himself called OF God 10 make war upon
the theatres, and especially in assuming
the prophetic role and predicting thai
God will destroy" them. A man ought
10 be very sure OF his mission when he
thus boasts himself at tho outset-at the
putting on Of his armor-and before. he
has accomplished anything. /.
The question VIC would like 10 ask Mr.
Talmage is as 10 what substitute he is pre-
pared to oler society In lieu Of the
theatre. As an intelligent man he mus
be somewhat conversant with the history
oil the drama, ancient and modern, and i
he is even tolerably schooled in human
nature he knows that the love Of dramatic
representations amounts almost to un-
iversal passion. The drama in some SHAPE
has an existence even among bsrbarous
people. The principle o! imitation is In
herent In human nature. Painting
sculpture, and tho drama, are sup
posed to have been coeval will
soclety. Among even the South set
Islanders a.rude kind Of drama has beer
discovered, and in China 1t dates.Its origir
10 remote ages, Explorers have witness
ed pantomimic representations among th'
tribes in Africa, in which preparations fo
battle, the.stealthy advance upon the foe
the combat, and the rout and death o
their enemies, have been rudely pictured
to fierce and sensual imsginations. Al
Tor the history Of the drama among tht
Greeks and Romans, It isIamiliar to every
school boy. At Romo they once had {
theatre, that would hold $4,000 people
aud at Ephesus, ,,syracuse, Mlletus and
other cities Of Greece there are still TO be
seen ruins Of huge ancient theatres. The
question for Mr.. TALMAGE to dispose Of Is
as to what Is to be done with this passion
for the drama which has thus prevailed
among all nations. Whom he talks about
the destruction Of theatres he certainly
does not suppose that the pas
sion for dramatic and scenic rep
resentation will be eradicated from
human nature. 4. And II the passion
can not be eradicated In what way Is Il
to be gratlfeds That 1t will seek graft
fcatlon In some form or other as long Of