Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-03-31
Tho Modern Theatre,

The Rev. Merritt Hulbur<. prefaced his
mon on the Mature and Foundation of
Faith" at the fsrst Methodist church last
evening, with a ten minutes address on the
Influence and Nature of the Modern Theater,''
his remarks being as follows:
The modern theater is susceptible Of being
viewed from several important standpoints,
viz, from the standpoint editorial, the observa-
ton standpoint, and from the interior OK out
side A few persons were inclined To contem-
plato the theater as it might be, and all such
were prone to make out good case for it.
Others considered the subject as they thought
it really existed, while all would be interested
in viewing the modern play house from the
standpoint of the manager and actor, whom
Shakespeare pictured as holding the mirror
up to- nature. Is
Among the first duties of the modern man
ager was the settlement CT the important ques-
ton in arranging his programme, as to what
attractions would best please the public, his
first concern of course being what productions
would make the greatest amount of money.
The successful manager was not like the board
ing house keeper who asked his rival
how he managed to make money, the reply
being that he found out what his boarders
aiked and gave them little of it., and made
his profit out of what they dis1;ked by keeping
large quantities of it constantly before them.
1t was not so with the manager, who, after as
certaining what his patrons wanted, gave it to
them, frequently to excess.
The influence of the theater would be much
greater were it not for the fact that their sup
port largely depended upon the patronage Of
the idle and VICIOUS classes, whose recreation
depended entirely on outside amusement
The shiftless and homeless must have
some place for recreation. and the
modern playwright and manager had completely
mastered the scieuce OF adapting the theater
in respect to ventilation, acoustics, attractions
ETC., as to best captivate the vicious and idle
classes of society. The manager, IN short, pre-
sented such attractions as would suit the de-
tastes of the genuine workers, who stood in
need of recreation, were too frequently neg
lected.
The speaker adverted to the disastrous ex-
pertinent of running 'moraI' theater, which
excluded the lower classes, made by select
coterie of Bostonians, that city being charac-
terized as the city of great ideas, to be born in
which was considered equal to the new birth.
The experiment resulted in the theatre being
turned into q Baptist church. with old actor
for its pastor. The speaker said that even in
the exceptional city of St, Paul really good
play would not draw paying houses without
having ridiculous farce tackled to it.
Attention was called to playwrights and &C
tors, whom the speaker thought should be
prosecuted, as he was proud to have had the
good fortune Of meeting several actors whose
moral conduct and life was far above the aver
age. The influence If many modern plays on
the idle and vicious was characterized as in the
worst degree bad, attention being called to the
TACT that employers were not particularly par
tial to young men who were habitual thea
alter goers. The dramatic representations of
Booth, Jefferson and Mccullough were spoken
of in the highest TERMS but if the pastor was
known to attend them the young men might
infer that theY had an ennal right tn saa snac
tacular representations. Methodists of course
never visited the theatre. Never? Well hardly
ever.
In conclusion, the speaker said that every
manager who pandered to depraved tastes and
lusts should be given the go-by, while the
young could find enough in the inimitable
mimicry of humanity to satisfy their utmost
longing for humor and the drama, elevating at
the same time the standards of society and
human nature,