The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-03-24

the poor and ignorant drop away from 1t and the in
form of public entertainment than tho show but the
latter is the more popular; Yet it does not follow
that we should all resign the noble Office of teacher
for the ignoble one of Snowman.
THE sHowMAN's MISSION.
The mission OF the Snowman is to entertain. not
to instruct. aud this is u why the theatre
not compete with the pulpit. whose Office is to edu
cate and instruct. Among the Southern Europeans
the theatre was the most popular form of amuse-
ment. In the dissolute reign of Louis XIV. there
passion tor theatricals. public and private; and
streets of Paris ran red with blood in the day time
the people would not do without their favorte
not aenrshea among ENGLISH snesknu peopos
London depends upon Paris for theatrical sensations
hence it is that in these countries the stage cannot
compete with the pulpit Moliere the great French
play writer. turned q caustc wit on the foibles of
his age; but his wit was uppermost; he may have
meant to instruct. but he knew that he must irst
amuse. Another reason why the stage cannot be-
an instructor is that it is Elusive. deceptive
Of
addressed not to the conscience but to the taste.
We go expecting to be taken in; played upon; we
want pasteboard. The French theatre is
real than ours. yet it is not active
Even tragedy cannot be taken from the streets and
put into the scene there must be no real horror
IS not in New York. but in ancient Rome. Verona
Cyprus. Venice, Constantnople II there is o
murder or anything revolving to be done. it must
be hidden food for the imagination. In the
gadiatorial days of old Rome, when the people saw
real blood before them and heard real groas tragedy
declined there. for the actor could not initiate
nature as nature herself appeared The
markable thing is that the gods above
Of applause Of the very virtues which they violate
every day. The play does not mean the people in
Broadway. Wall street or the Five Points. The
piece ana its applauded sentiments mean Verona
Cyprus or Constantinoplc Hence 1t Is that ruffans
will cry over piece Of sentiment and then 60 home
to beat their wives. This Is because the picture is
not real and the distance is immense between the
playhouse and the street.
ACTORS PREACHERS
In the actor there is and must be divorce be-
tween the artist and the man: not that the actor
should not as well as any one. be noble man or q
pure and elegant woman. but that an ar
list the art must, from the first. be false:
As members OF society actors must be held
their duty is to perfect the art of deception to the
utmost limit OF possibility The actor is tonight
trasedian and tomorrow comedian ned keeping him
more the individual is suppressed the higher will be
the art The painter finishes his picture and it is
good bad man. The rules of art alone should
guide them in judging the work. The lives OF paint
and of sculptors not always the lives Of good
men, and good man may paint very bad picture
But people want good pictures to hang on their
walls, and therefore the art is to be considered
put character as far as he can in the background.
In the pulpit the preacher must be good man.
There is logical connection between his preaching
and his practice. II he be a hypocrite how he
preach sincerity il thief. how speak of honesty,
and if jackanapes how discourse about noblenessg
The actor does not practice what he breaches and
following of the characters which he plays must not
be expected OF him. The stage should represent
people they are; therefore it must not be too
far in advance OF them. In society like ours it
is necessary that the morals of the theatre
should represent those OF the community.
otherwise It goes down; for il the people do
not like the entertainment they will not 20 to
it. The preacher is under no such dificulty 1t is
expected and demanded Of him to assume position
higher than society. He assumes divine revelation
and law; he calls on people to be better than they
and il he fails il thus filling his mission he is
called a trickster. This much is asked of the
actor. The profession must be remunerated,
the other was never can be- never ought to be
paid, for, il it were, this would imply payment of
money as reward for devotion to Righteousness.
There is no more reason for suspicion or jealousy
between the pulpit and the stage than between the
sculptor and the painter, the poet and the prose
writer, or the high universities and the lower
schools. There is nobler Office in the world than
to nobly, honestly. purely entertain the people. To
be amused is to take the bitter drop OF gall out OF
the things Of life. Amusement takes away the sting
of care and furnishes medicine for the heart; it
cures the miasma OF the mind and the art of smut-
ing men innocently is thing OF which the proudest
might DO proud. The comedian who can win the
elevated and the noble to smile deserves the respect
and gratitude of his fellow men.
themselves and out OF tho hard world about them.
is q task for the noblest intellect Those who highest
cultivate the art refined and psychologists.
They feel that every man and woman diffuses an
aroma atmosphere about them which Is invisible
but always felt The aromatic fragrance of character
neglected. Hence the time is coming when the
theatre will be Of the finest forces for the educa
ton OF mankind.
FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH.
SATAN. MS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. nv REV mn