The New York herald., 1877-01-15
THE STAGE AND THE. PULPIT.

| RATE AND COMBINED INFLUENCE As MORAL
| PREczProRs OF MANKIND.
Among the last requests Of the late Edwin Forrest
| his executors was the employment Of Rev. william r.
Algcr his biography, task he has very nearly
completed. Mr.. Anger under the inspiration OF writing
tho OF the great American tragcdian. coupled
no doubt with his long and careful study OF the DRAMA
chose .The Church and Theatre" the subject OF
his discourse yesterday morning. at the Church Of the
Messiah OF which he is pastor and to which is unneces
sary to state the large congregation present listened
with undivided attention. As will be by the alb
s,ract OF the sermon the theatre has had
earnest and plain spoken champion. He took for
his text. Acts, XIX, 90, "And the whole
city with accord rushed into the theatre" The
Church, ho began, aims directly 10 teach and to i'm
press, TO persuade and 10 command The theatre
aims directly onertain, and indirectly to teach,
persuade impress One advantage the theatre has
had the Church In attempting TO educate exert
influence that 1t does without The perunctory air
or the dngmat,c anmus repusve severity OF those
who claim the task OF moral guidance and authority
as their supernatural professional Office The teach
inas o the also freshness and attraction
in their insxhausble range OF natural variety which
are wanting to the monotonous, verbal and rualisc
routine the themes and uncnangng forms in tho
ecclesiastical scheme Of Sunday drill
THE BLEAK PULPIT AND THE PLEASANT STAGE.
And thus all natural competition Of the dry, bleak
pulpit with the stage becomes hopeless when the
lister the intense sensational pleasure and i'm.
pressiveness secured Tor the lessons Of the player
by the convergent action ol the manifold charms OF
the thoatre-the charm OF happy and sympathetic
crowd architectural spaciousncss OF artistic
Of natural scenery the charm Of music, OF light
and shade aud color IN costumes Of rythmic motions
Ia marches and professions and dances, OF poorly, Of
eloquence word and tone and look and gesture the
charm OF seeing varieties OF human character and
react on ono another OF sympathy with the fortunes
and feelings OF others under exciting conditions rising
climax, and the churm VI temporary release from
grinding mill OF busness and habit TO disport the
faculties oil the soul freely ~ an ideal world Tue re-
s,cctive ideals OF life held up by the priest and the
player Numerically opposed 10 each other This
the real ultimate basis oi the chrome hostility OF The
Church and tho theatre. The deepest genus Oi the
one contradicts that oil the other The ecclesiastical
denial, whi.e the dramatic ideai OF lie Is iuihmen
harmonic cxallaton and completeness OF beng and
junction.
J The OF the Church have been sour ascetic-
ism, ianatical ier0cy, sentimental melancholy dis
mai gloom. narrow mechanical Journalism and cant,
and deep hypocrisy resulting from the reaction 0
excessive pubic srlctness INTO secret indulgence me
vices the theatre, on the other hand, have been
irvolity reckless gayety, convivality aud volup-
tuousness Purified from Its accidental corruptions
from It's shallow carelessness the inca
ire would have greater power 10 teach and mould
than the Church. Aside from historic authority and
social prestge its intrinsic impressveness Is greater
The deed must 60 ior moro than The word The dogma
yield the life. While in the pulpit the dog
matte WORT is preached IT'S hortatory dryAess,
the stage the living deed Is shown IN It's contagious
persuasion, or lis electric warning. Tho Church,
representing the vested interests traditional author
ty and the present condition OF things, has become
school OF opinions not Tor the Tree testing and teaching
OF the true, but ior drll OF the established; who
the theatre. its genuine IDEAL what the Church
ought to be--a school OF manners mandatory Of
cnaracter The Church pants the world as u sad and
fearful place OF probation, where redemption TO he
fought Tor, while The violent and speedy end Of the
entirc scene mplorcd Tho theatre regards 1t
| ni hpuu q III ruci NOR r. M
and perpctuaed The very object OF the drama Is, by
It's spectacle OF action, TO rouse tho faculties and
excite the feelings. Tne priest would not have tho
passions vivltied; no would have them mortified On
the contrary, the dramatist holds the great moral
canon oil all ar that perected e is inc CONTINUOUS
end oil lie.
STAGE CRITICISM.
One circumstance stirring Keen resentment In
the Church against the theatre IS that ~ has often
been attacked and satirizcd by It, The legal,
medical and clerical professions have often had
to run the gauntlet of searching criticism on the
stage. Herein the drama has been power oil whole
hypocrisy odious and to vindicate true morality and
devotion by unmaskng the false The preacher,
rgid hde-bound, Of dogmalc ana formal CAST can
not take OF the mobile, hundred featured ACTOR who,
on the contrary, can easily include. transcend him,
caricaturc HIM and make him appear in the most
ridiculous or the most dssgrecablc Iisht
No ranks high claim can the player small.
since acting each he comprehends tnem all.
Moliere show up Tartute Tarune cannot show
up Moherc. Therefore Tartune fears and hates
Moliere cxcommunicatcs him, denies his body
consccratcd burial and WITH sharp relish
| COhslsuS MS sou' '" sho o'""7'""o R"i'.
suld toward the h,srionc gu,ld iron urst I'LL now
has been uncharitabo and UNJUST Intellectually in"p-
prcclat,vc ana morally repusivc. rhs is shown all the
way IRON the irenzied "De Spccacus' OF Iertullian
and the vluperstve Histro- Mastx OF Prynne 10 the
sweeping drnuuciatoh Of the drama by Henry Ward
Beecncr who, never having seen a play condemns "
day carrying whole theatre into the pulpit IN his
rns LITTLE CHURCH AROUND THE CORNER
And it. Is matter oil fresh remembrance how
the same spirit Of bigotry was manifested by Bos-
ton bishop In refusing continuation TO the unver.
sally respected Thomas Conner 1eca Use ne led the
orchestra N a theatre and by New York pastor be-
cause declined read the funeral service over tho
csmablc George Holland because he bad been an actor
The theatre has been lar extensive IN the range
of It's sympathies than the Church The highest dra.
matte genus that has ever appeared In the world,
Shakespeare, shows IN his works serene charity a
bountless toeration, genial appreciation OF the wdest
HIS lovrg Imagination, like the all holding sky, en-
braces rrncuo, Bardolph, Poins, Faslai and Nal
and Lear, Audrey and Quickly, as well as Portia ana
Cordca The rst glory OF the theatre IL It's freedom
- IRON sectariahsm, and s irst use Is 20 radia'e
abroad this generous spirit OF universally, not
bgotedly limiting attentions TO any one province oi
lie any single ideal, but reaching the whole world
OF man In its heights and breadths and depths cx-
hbitng in turn, every variety OF ideal and DONG JUS
ticc to them all Empcrors and clowns pass, saints
and villains Jostlc, heroes ADD murdercrs meet the
divine lady and the foul vrago appear and VANISH,
, and all the meanings and values OF Their
, WAC and understand. Tho next use OF the
theatre lies the with which IL carries the great
truths OF morality home TO the heart and the soul
THE STAGE As TEACHER OF MORALS.
The power of the stage In expressing moral lessons
tho rewards OF virtue, the beauty OF n0bleness the
penalties OF vice crime, the horrors OF rem0rsc and
disgrace, the peace and comfort OF seii-approviGg
consctences greater than that OF any other mode o
teaching When the drama shall be made IN all re.
spccts what II ought TO be- fulfilling its own proper
IDEAL IL Will be beyond comparison the most effective
agency In the world Tor impartng moral instruction
and influence. No thoughtful and earnest person
could possibly the wlckcdncss OF lago tho torture
OF OtheIo. the struggle and rcmorsc OF Macbeth, de
pictcd by great actor, and not DO profoundly in
) on tho stage is often richer and sounder as wei
as moro splendid than that heard from the