The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-18
ANNA DICKINSON'S LECTURE.

WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE MORAL IN
FLUENcE OF 'THE PLATFORM AND STAGE"
The utterances Of such woman as Anna T. Dick
inson on such q subject platform and Stage
could hardly fail to be noteworthy. and her recent
experience in leaving the one and essayng the other
has provoked discussion enough to almost insure a
crowded house when her comments should take the
form of lecture.
Chickering Hall was accordingly well filled last
evening by audience which was in more than the
usual proportion composed of ladies. There were
many gentlemen but they were in the minority. At
eight O'Clock Miss Dickinson. very plainly dressed
walked upon the platform alone, and was
greeted with murmur Of applause which broke into
decided clippings at various places in the lecture.
AS my Quaker ancestors would say. she began.
there will be liberty between my house and me
il there is no misunderstanding. Much has been
said about my return to the platform, as though I
had abandoned it.. never did. I said in Boston
two years ago that had stopped talking. because
did not believe in making bricks without straw I
had nothing to say. II you can help speechmaking
or marrying-don't If you must do either, go ahead
and it is WE'LL am not here as repentant prod
iga but have something to say which think ought
to be said There should be nothing in the way Of
anything to say, but there is even in tins day the
spirit which brands the scarlet letter the bosom Of
every woman and dooms to degradation every man
who goes the stage. 1t Is against this spirit that
am here to speak. You say am come to defend o
bad cause. No. here to magnify good one.
The stage has been lifelong passion with me. As q
child haunted the door of the Walnut Street Theatre.
in Philadelphia Even loved it less must speak.
POWER OF THE THEATRE.
While it is conceded that no other amusement or
dissipation whatever 1t may be called. has such
grip mankind the theatre there is subject
which there is so little calm. dispassonatc talk De-
nounced and degraded by accessories it has been,
it yet lives and splenddly lives 1t is the most po
tential influence of education. Who goes twice to
hear the same speech Yet have been fifteen times
| to the ''Shaughraun." II you come to some
| tremendous upheaval OF the moral world. such as
our struggle of sixteen years ago. oratory and
| passionate speaking may move mankind; but even
then doubt II it is potent as the scene you may
see ut Wallack's tonight, when in Ours the reg-
ment marches by. The platform the press, the pull
pitt am not talking OF religion-are all less infu-
entail than the stage. Compare the people who go
! to church with those who 20 TO the theatre. The
former the select few There is no place for the
poor in the church edces. The dulest preacher that
| sunday night Why? Because the people like tho
associations OF the place They have had good times
| there, and they'll go again. There is a common bond
OF humanity in the theatre. The people held by
| common thought. million books, ten million
speeches against capital punishment would not 90
IL could all have that caricaturo of justice
enacted in Camden jail tho other day.
Tho lecturer then argued that the theatre instead
of deteriorating had improved in modern times, and
that its effect Is deeper and stronger than of old
| People now, she claimed, learned moro of history
| and humanity through the theatre than through
reading Human nature, too, was to be learned
| from great acting from other source No
sit in front and listen to the preacher who tells
| him human lite must grow not by expansion but
| by remuneration, without dwindling. And
sits in front and the great action of human
| nature ON the stage without doing what God sent
him into the world to do-he learns.
GOOD INFLUENCE.
The stage also the great moral teacher OF the
day The lecturer instanced many of the best known
plays of the day, and claimed that their influence
was all for good. She then touched ON the accusa
ton Of and immortality brought against the pic
lures presented In many plays, and claimed that
these pictures were truthful pictures of life. The
world wfuly binding itself to the truth in the
great question OF the relation of the and the
stage was presenting the truth. As for drink
ing, she thought there no going
out OF the theatre to drink than there is
going out OF business places to drink. The rum
shops outside and not the stage should be blamed
As TO immodest dressing the lecturer claimed that
she had of IL in the boxes at the Academy
than the STAGE and the audience agreed with her
with applause II the stage should be abolished for
it's blenishes the press literature and all art should
be wiped out on u similar principle.
II IL understoo that Miss Dickinson has been
quested to repeat this lecture some Sunday
evening" so that the members of the dramatic pro-
fcssion may listen to her. and she will probably
ply with the request.