New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-10-17
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.


CHURCH AND SrAGE.-One Of the iiqeliesf
| d,scussions during the recent session Of the
| Church Congress in Leicester, England, turned
! upon the well-kpewn pivot OF Church ana
Stage. After one or two papers on me altituus
| of the Church toward the drama had Deen reaa,
| the Congress lost sight Of the hight literature
| branch. and became engrossed in the inquiry
| Sought clergymen to visit the theaueF AZ
! most at the outset there was an eAei1lps III
dent The Rev. Gordon Calthr0p, OF higpouIy,
had read the first paper, and lie nau ~ tlio III
cold water on the Church and Stage duiIo. bg
admitted the absurdity of declaring actors anu
their ways to be essentially unchrlstlan, Dut hf
took the view that as the Church thr1veG lne
Stage would suffer i his was not the True key
note of the afternoons speeches but IL was
the only address which Herman Merlvae LAD
heard. and it fred him nth indignation. ne
| Presidents address spoke OF peace SAID ne;
Il have the mir fortune to be professional
| dramatist, connected not only oy profession.
bus by admiration and love, with the English
! stage IL | had known beforehand that was
! sought to listen to what | have just heard,
should have said that the presidents ADDRESS
had no application should nave oec haJ ,,u 20
| address you. will read to you wlrat l had put
in writing before | was quite as stirred as ieei
| now The Bishop of Carlisle, as chairman, IN
| tervened to assure the irrltaied dramatiss that
| both sides were Impartlally heard. Inc oCage
then had remarkably good inning, as one
| sneaker expressed il, who SAID he found II marc
! to stand against such severe bowling. The ap-
| nearauce of the Rev. L. A. Isaacs on the other
! side was therefore welcome change. ne was
chiefly ayerse to the clergy gong 10 ,ne1. I'
! on the grourd that the ministerial standard was
| that things were lawful, but all things were 10,
| eYnedient The Rev. Canon Money supported
! this view and expressed fear that lhe -oln
! Adam nj ght prove too much TOT the youns
! Nelancthon If the Christian did not exercise
some restraint on his choice OF ples sure. IL
WAS not the province OF the clergy TO go "
theatres, the evils of which Nj. Merlvale had
acknowledged. Next, John coleman VINO
| cal led himself "a professor OF dramatc arr,
caused much amusement when he told how the
! vicar of 4 parish where he was staying iateIy
called upon him, and was asked why he dld not
come and see hun at the theatre. The answer
vas: Mrs. Grundy, my boy; Mrs. Grundy
! We cannot be seen at Ii eatre in the country
! That vicar however, could always see MS
! friends at the theatre when he came 10 LONDON.
Give us your help concluded Mr.. Coleman,
70 stamp out What is bad ia the theatle Drlng
vour wives and children to see thai which Is
good. and rely upon it we shall be glad TO see
! Won. We shall work to make the stage what 10
| ought TO he. and what In tact II ls-0ne Oh tile
| GROWING glOrles OF our literature anu our
| countrvr In summing up the discussion the
| Bishop of Carlisle, who is president OIL
the Dramatic Reform Society, sald tbat DIS own
| very few experiences as Young man nan noI
| been much enjoyed, because 1t seemed 10 MN
that Shakespeare required "a wnole 'Ioupe VI
| tirst-rate artists and rs there were geDeaiiy
only such artists III the better parts, the tHcct OF
their representation was spelled by the multi
tude of NUTS that assisted them. ne present
discussion had been characterized 10y me ad
| mission that the drama must always exist, dnd
that therefore il was IN the interests III society
and the Church that it should be rendered pure
| There Lad been no recruitment OF the statements
that much of the present DAY drama was IN
ferior that much took place IN theaces thau
| sbcujj not take place there, that there was
therein much loom for reform, ana that theie
" ere still graVer objections 10 music mans. Aa
b whether the clergy should attend theatres,
that was IA question on WI len each one his 1
90 down on his knees before God to cons DER
his duty in the position In which he was piacej.
He should have a poor opinion OF the proca-
! blity of good parish work coming IRON mah
/ who was a regular and systematic piaygoef'
He should have Just the same feeling perhaps,
| in modified form, of a man wlo was a syste-
| matte eroauet or lawn tennis player or WAC
| made il part of the business OF MS HE 10 III
| duse in those child sh things winch when Ihe
man was called upon TO preach the Uospei OIL
| Christ he ought in some TIL e sense 10 put away
THREE POINTS OF SEPARATION.-Ihe Rev
DR.. II. W. Thomas, in preaching his farewell
sermon last Sunday at the Centenary Metho-
| dist Church, Chicago, OneTed chanehee W
the Conference in TelteiatIng certain eachlhss
| Tor which he was called to account two years
ago These three points were the doctrines OF
the Atonement. future punishment ana me
inspiratiOn of Scriptures. believe, ne salu'
/
penal OF butcher theory that makes Christ a
sinner-treats Him as sinner, and Furnishes
Him as such to make good the threatened
Denalty of Il broken law. 10 me such view
is unreasonable and UNJUST IL hiaAes Ooa an IA
angry tvrant rather than loving father. III
leaves no place at all fOI mercy" CONCERNING
endless punishment he remarked: " II De-
lieved that millions who once lived here were
in surh tGIments ana must stay 'heie IoIeNer
IF believed that. ] should never smile again.
DON'T believe II; and | don't see how any SEN
sibe man who believes IN Goa can believe IL.
10 teach future punishment III any such severe
and terrible literally and endlessness, Is TO
make inhdels and atheists or the people OF 10
dr;ve sansinle men away from the Church in
disgust If It Is said thar God teaches 1T III the
Bible then so much the worse Tor Ood ana tle
Bible" The third point brought ont TINS deela-
ration: | fully believe with our articles OF
faitb that the Scriptures contain ali things
necessary 10 salvation. | believe mat me VIII
of God is reveal in the Scriptures. accent
implicitly the teachings OF Jesus christ though
do not suppose IN all cases we pave Ills precise
IanguoOe. vet | believe have In substance
his thoughts its consensus, IN so lar That we
NAV know His mind and His doctrine. But
do not believe that ali parts or all Inc slXty-six
books in the Bible are equally inspired, or OF
eGual authority ard value. Nor do believe
flat all the books of the Old Testament are crit
ically InfaIible Any attempt to MAINTAIN such
a view is, in my opinion, not only utterly use
less. but puts burden upon the church that
makes it weaker and not stronger.
INTENSE METuoDIsM-Bi shop Foster made
ON earnest rlea at the Methodist Preachers
Meeting in Providence a few days ago fol
. increased UNCONVENTIONAL loyalty. My
memory" he said, goes back to the = midi id,
Of our history. We weregthen intense Method
ists. We had been at war with other sectS
and were regarded by them as something
Ike a nest. We were busy people, return
ing with interest the blows we received. and
, we grew fat and powerful by fighting Now
/, we have a day of peace, but it remains to be
seen whether we shall be IA successful III
5 peace as IN war. | think every Church ought
70 he intense for its convictions and doctrines
Whenever we are disposed to concihate and
! hold back for the sake OF peace, truth Is the