, 1879-01-27
4t ~ MI Oid-Nor1d influences TO- the He
Hears. sn.nn,'cts. Listen 10 these lines from the

.rdjnante OF man flhl1 oFE1aHC
70 un.stti+d laws Of Nature And Of God;
1ht s.,tten these IN pagna OF book
mrd q 6ss st. know
TT .h.i{ ihs{ 10 f,Gliil III rtetnitY t enda1e'
az 70 hear thosc old Greek playt thousands and
te''sh t.H,hor would hnvc scorned to receive money
susenpe Inn nswu,lt 1saiah fer his prophecies, tia
ioI lt,. nmhion being the s'cruwn of wild olive"
,Sst KAT wa set upon the s,etor's brow brow: Am to
eoa'' ssn drama wtlcl, has g!ven us the plass
t,;ks q s''t, Of Germany an,l England now
ss.osrd, and think Justly, a. the second noilest
book in all ts xord la. Sr sann1, T. 0e nesal ess
s,bsn ri. certainly one Of the greatest per'als
ooiEne,is.t history, supplied the form through
o. rhtcI' III Inc most powerful anil accomplished
minds uttered themselves! DO n3t think any
VI stIIi lets rnr him yell read, atst, best ut al.
sssp lin rendered by tt,c great masters Of the
.,aeeI Granted that snch epochs and such
men arc excepttons',-,stl'|,l IA many lesser
!.gn,mtemeot. !gsm In tic dark ages. the :" miracle
'.es ,,and Hmy stercs "a,,d "moralittes ~ were
pa' pne OF Tie recognized means BY which the
I.hurh taught the people. and, though It Is
s,nn ibosc old miracle plass, they were genu.
Nv. ~. snJ real enough for many century, md
nsnt u aJiye some rndo knowledge Of tic Bible
seaJnss tho time wifen learning should re-
awaken and religion revive; Gsrtn,nly mat o,,c M
Ts.sjon play at observation-disclosures described
+. iii wto tra1c'cd to witness II, AZ Intensely
tsr!out, both IN Tie rpirlt Of IT, acturs mud III
ihe impression II left upon tnc WHOLE nconle.
held among great Influences, tttc Rras1d works It
h.s ~, viycn birth tu-are certainly sufficient TO
iuttfy IL IN tic abstraet, 50 tlat The only lts-
lin Il: is there anything special In the present
II tfA 11Sf mir &1tRAf
sSstract considerations, atd to cause tt to be
uOx ts,a.cmneu md nvotdcdF
We'll, harlIy know " | tan be considered q
ou.i,tie., witness on the subject, seeing Tint for
thirty years my visits to tue n'satrc M @ a,nse on!y
md read nllat others think, on yarfons siaca,-.
snI AMI watching ai} the time the ar7ft OF all
sueh int1lonecs am! instItutons,-an1 cannot
nc that tl.cse it any reason for 30 condcmnfnE
i. drama or The s;tre ennpot u, ,hp slp tGnk in;
n1seh ,ls 'eef' q piece CO. With the eeuera!
s,gbine for "thc good old times" We hear OF
ssy e,ea1f II ss, ths m.Itdn ' WIN we're a. nusll
l,e!ow our average as those few were above It.
Il il true tnc drama OF our day hiss found no
SPECIAL form Of Its own, but tlen IN that respect
il il only In tho predisaulcnt Of all aFt Thu
pyjrjpatlty OF this age does not rlln Into art.
We haye no characteristic ninctsenth-eentufy
architecture; md II WuRrer has evolved "the
mut.c Of tlic FUTURE" even he would be hard
tst to dcdae. the music of TIC p'ssent! BIT,
iocetual decay, religion has no concern with it.
That must tase care Of itself.
i1ooktnE at tho theatre In tue light OF Chris
ttanitY, 1t Is tttsmoral character alone that VIC
have 70 do With. And n this, do not fesitstc
The present. day been steady and marked in
pruseluent. Ii Is WORTH remembering, indeed,
tlAt tic nctual opposltlon 70 theatres OH rc.
ligious grounds has never rcsl'y had much 10 do
snmetimcs, "O.i, II the theatre we're what Il
muat bavo been In Shakspeare's day, wo should
not oppose It," But IL was precisely at that
time, ID The paimtcst scason Of the Engttsl,
drtas, when SONS Of tho worlds grandcst
but simply a. acted plaJs,--it was precisely
then tl,at the stage began TO be most vclc,nentlv
denounced, aud sectors To be held I'D as the es.
pecAl children Of Satan. Tlesimpe fact Is, that
slt Shakespeare; aid 10 tic succeeding tttnea
the ategs sometimes sank to Tie very lowest
level. Il has come very low 1evels to-day, and
II Is often those lowest md 1oulcst develop
shall have word to say Of these directly. But
tic general moral status Of the stagc A. pro.
fcsMon WAS probably nevcr so high as It IL to-
day. There mover probably wcre 81 many people
CONNECTED With theatres living respectable, do
rcstlc Tires; Il Has nc7cr before so posstble for
actorh and actresses to live such lives. Among my
warmest friends In England haye COUNTED some
who wers actoss, and eurious1y enough the first
man who cana 70 greet INC as came down from
this pulpit, the flrst time ever stood IN 1t, was
sn actor In one Of tho best American companies,
who reminded me Of thc days, thirty years ago,
when be bad been scholar ln mr. suuday-schooi
class. | know It must be a life With great
Temptations ia ft,-ln Its usctt!cdness, tta late
houIs, its etcltenent,-Yet Of late years this
leading lights Of tho staEe hare been 10 clean as
anJ othera,-clcaner than mA1yt Certainly, I
shonld be Inclined to back ule stage for purity
10 thai, 90 the whole, I cannot seo any valid
reason Why the theatre should not hold its
place mako no sentimental argument for It,
10 not claim that 1t IL great moral tcnchcr,-
though, At t'mcs, It has been. But It 10 one Of
6eli loF amusement, recreation, and intellectual
sttna!us and thnDRe, ind all that has to DO done
u 70 give II tho satno cart which Ill Institutions
1eouiFo to kesp It as clear possible from evil,
aod to purity and clcYatc It's tone.
And have to say that tic care thus required
10 thc present day, not fn tho theatre onlr,
but In all kinds Of amusement, is very
EFese For It can hardly b. denied that
~ regard to pleasure and amusement theEo
ought to be,-a disposltion to accept anythins
that Is pleasant Without much acrutnY, which
Weakening tho lines that divide good from
esl!, Aud in many ways lowering the moral
Stamina .sasI q society. And 50 In tho theatre.
actors has on the while, markedly improved, 1t
u Widely charged that thcro Is Grcat moral de,
basement tu ihe plays that are acted. How 1t
=, roge g@e@Pa,a.ivs!J, cannos aay; but 1t 10 noto:
al except sturdy few-which ID utterly bad. =
taefe , stimulus TO nnpetite u'1d passion. 30,
..tt .ME , tot oniY needs the word / have
ssy ers nesa. s t:t's .u sst 9.s ss s:nt4s :: ".
may ha told, indeed, that Il Ii 10 the public