The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-05-17
CHURCH OPERAS.

Il year or TWO ago. new DIX JOuIhdI oouVainON
an editorial ridiculing the narrow bigotry which
once constrained the Christian public to denounce
the immOraties of the OPERA and odissuade church
members from frequenting an entertainment which
though e Itheticaly charming, was detrimental to
spiritual development. 1t congratulated its read
ers that great change had taken place in public
sentiment-that the opera was now recognized
source of innocent enjoyment, and had In fact be-
come an ally to the church, inasmuch as opera sing
ers were now the most appreciated and best paid
members Of church choirs, and that this art had
become the hsndmaid and minister to religion.
This was a most ingenious compromise, as many
church members still retained an old traditional
Christian consistency to frequent the opera, but
where could be the harm Of introducing opera sing
srs into church ehoirs and letting the people hear
how A charge to keep l have" and 80 for
closer walk with God" could be rendered by the
voices which the night before had thrilled the dress
circle with The Bohemian Girl and Don GtoUannl?
Why might not the singers themselves be benefited
by contact with the saints, and by the sermons if
they would only lend an ear to them, and in the
mean time would not the church members learn
how to praise more worthily by the cultivation Of
their taste. and would not outside sinners be at
tracted to the house of God converted for the time
into an Academy of Music, and though they came
only to enjoy sensuOus entertainment might they
not hear pious discourse Especially if locked in
and by the sweetness of the song, as Milton tells
u.s. "dissolve the soul in ecstaoies, and bring all
heaven before the eyes" and so ill house (before
empty and rent the pews and pay the parson
Thus music, not worship, becomes means Of
grace and celestial feeder to the church exchequer'
| If Satan can change himself into an angel Of light,
why may he not transform himself into an angel Of
song? And could the ingenious and insdiOus de-
luder Of silly souls devise any more cunning way
than to take the Sabbath, which is day when the
people have time to frequent popular entertain
ments, and to take the church where no admittance
is charged las is the case in theatres and operas,
as the place in which to give free musical treats to
impecuniouS young men and misses perfectly de-
voted" to music, but without money to pay for it ?
And the smartness of the device consists in the
fact that these Sunday amusements pass under the
name of religion. Everybody knows there is no
religion in it everybody knows that religion is but
the disguise, the pretext, the escape valve Of the
festive hypocrisy. If our German music loving
felloW.c citizens were to open hall for Sunday must
cal concerts. pious people would exclaim against
such Sabbath dissertation, but churches can do pre-
oisely the same thing, because they have sermon.
and hymns, and prayers tackled to the music, like
the Anner in the Philadelphia show last summer
Everybody except those interested in the cheat can
see through the transparent imposition. Every
body knows that strangers and young people 60 to
these churches only to pass off dull Sunday even
ings epjoyably They at least are honest, what
ever the actors in the farce, clerical or lay, may be-
They make no saDctimoniOus pretensions to wor
ship. They say, ''let US go to the -- church and
hear the music" They have enough conscience
and sefrespect to tell the truth and therefore they
never say let us go to hear the service the SER
mon, but let US go to hear the music The service
is tribulstion, and the sermon is BORE but the
music is compensation, and the recOmpense for
the sacrifice Of listening to the religious part of the
performance. If that cannot be eVaded it may be
endured, and as the times are hard, and as the
amusements of the week cost money, and as Sunday
is day of leisure and as Church operas are free,
of course they are popular with those who like to
90 to places of amusement without paying for it.
Churches which cater to these tastes, by adver-
Using the programme of pieces to be sung on Sun
day, in the Saturday papers, will of course be pop
ular with a certain class in the community, and in
the meanwhile though the spiritual life of the
church is endangered and Sunday Dissertation sane
toned under the cloak of religious SERVICE that
is small matter if crowd is secured, and the
pews are rented and the parsOn supported
In every city where such travesties Of religion
are permitted the people will be more and more
demoralized, and when bye and bye, Sunday con-
certs are advertised in theatres and music halls,
whoever else may regret or denOunce them, those
churches, at least, which have created these tastes
and showed how they may be gratifed must be
silent, and show their consistency, by quietly eating
the fruits of the seeds which they themselves
planted.